A walk down memory lane

[Kai_Johansen 978]

Retiring in 1960 (year I was born) my Granda worked over 50+ years on the Glasgow trams and trolley buses as a maintenance engineer (hammers and spanners) and although as a pensioner he had a free bus pass, he never really took to buses, he never quite understood why the top deck of Glesga buses were painted green, maybe that was one of the reasons that he walked everywhere!

Like countless others, my dad worked a half day on a Saturday, so my we ma (youngest of 5) used to drop me and my elder brother of at Granny and Granda Mac’s house on Caledonia Rd in the Gorbals, then she would walk over the bridge into the Saltmarket with my younger sister and Granny for some messages and a blether, leaving me and my brother with our Granda who just loved to walk!

Honestly, the man could have walked round the world! He walked to the bowling, the park, church, lodge, shopping, and was an ARP during WW2; he particularly loved to walk to the fitba especially Ibrox. Along the way he would point out some of the old tram lines he had worked on that ran along the Clyde, telling me and my brother tall tales about how great Glasgow was (second city of the Empire), he would also throw in some Glaswegian moral philosophy about treating all peoples right, but mostly he talked about Rangers, their past/present, their players, the players that should have played for Rangers (Dave MacKay), or the players that didn't quite cut the mustard (far too many to mention) when playing for Rangers.

With both my Granny (12 siblings) and my Granda (7 siblings) coming from very large families, you only had to step out the door into Caledonia Rd, to meet cousins, aunties, uncles or extended family members. The walk to Ibrox could easily take well over three hours, with various stops along the way, most memorable were the wee Dairy (Hughie’s) in Norfolk St (snowball or empire biscuit), the fruit shop (Billy’s) in Kinning Park (banana or apple), Aunty Alice waving out the window (hugs and kisses, sometime money) and the occasional short/long stand outside a pub (crisps and ginger) along the way!

If Rangers were playing at home we would walk from Caledonia Rd along Norfolk St, through Kinning Park to Ibrox. If Rangers were playing away we walked along the Clydeside sometimes through Richmond Park to Shawfield to see Clyde or up Cathcart Rd to Catkin Park or Hampden to watch Third Lanark or Queens Park. I kind of just about remember going to Cathkin Park around about season 65/66, my Granda had a soft spot for both teams, as one of his elder brothers (KIA) played as a trialest for both Queens and the Thirds (hi hi) before the Great War.

Granda was like thousands of other working class men of his era, hard-working, physically and morally strong, and fiercely loyal. He was always clean shaven, always wore a collar and tie, black shiny shoes, overcoat or raincoat weather dependant, always carried his legendary soft fold away Rangers bunnet, and in later years wore NHS spectacles, the ones with the thick black frames that made him look like Eric Morecambe (allegedly now in fashion)!

At Ibrox he always, entered through the same turnstile (enclosure), stood in the same spot amongst his large extended family and friends, and always gave unflinching loyal support for well over 85 years right up until he died aged 92, just two weeks before I got married in 1985. Although he never made it to my wedding his Rangers bunnet got a special place at the top table, and I got a few memorable wedding snaps of me and my wife wearing his legendary fold away Rangers bunnet, priceless.

Why am I writing this, well, many of the things I hold as solid and unbreakable truths, such as family, loyalty, our club traditions and the social/political bonds that unite these islands are coming under constant daily attack from internal and external organisation that would see an end to everything I/we hold precious.

Rangers were always more than just a football club to my Granda, and Dad, it was a way of life, it was part of their DNA, it’s what makes Rangers unique as a club and support. For me our history was never just about titles or silverware; it was and still is, about my family, and our way of life, and as my old Granda used to say ‘

we really are the chosen people

’, son!

Rangers then, now and forever

[jack1690 793]

Enjoyed reading that. Well said.

[StornowayBlue 630]

Nice post KJ, society today is sadly missing some of your Granda's Glaswegian moral philosophy

[harlands plater 17,065]

Great post.

So many echoes there of the way my own family was and still is dedicated to the Rangers.

[will_1974 204]

Nice one Kai. I enjoyed that.

[Ger77 742]

Absolutely brilliant post.

It felt like i was there with him too.

[covenanter 158]

Such testament reinforces something we all know to be true, the Rangers are a dynamic.

[brazz1972 397]

Excellent read. Brings back some memories of my own.

[Muirheadbear 1,483]

There's a lot there I can relate to Kai, and I know I keep repeating this but how can anyone claim we've lost our history. It's all about the club - not Murray, Whyte, Green or anybody else. Just the fans past on through generation to generation. That's why I know to the deepest point in my heart that I will never stop going to watch the Bears!

Thanks for posting mate

[72barca 1,788]

Great read KJ. That confirms for me what I have thought for a long time - namely that it is not only our team that is under attack but our whole culture.

[Phil 1,150]

Great read, enjoyed that.

Thank you

[allgers 735]

Thanks for sharing that mate, nice story.

[Drunk and disorderly. 14,748]

Great post Kai. Your Grandad was a noble Bear.

[eastcoastbear 122]

Nice post mate.

[minstral 5,375]

Nice post, and they were the best days of following our club. You could sing what you want without fear of jail, and you never heard of the offended mob back then.

[Blue and True 311]

Super

Thanks for sharing

[StrongbowLoyal. 36]

Cracking read mate

[tannerall 25,935]

My grandad was a coach-painter (retired late 1960s) with the corporation, so he was responsible for painting the busses (and the trams earlier) green, cream and orange. Least we had the blue trains in those days round Glasgow. And the underground was red.

That was a great post Kai, I remember the occasional short stand outside the pub when my dad and uncle took the chance to get a few pints in on the way home in the 60s, but most often they would slip me in to the corner seat near the door as children were kept well away from pubs then,(not that the "polis" who were all bluenoses then were going to bother Gers fans too much in a pub)Often with a big bonus of heavy half pint glass of lemonade and looking forward to popping in to the chippy before the journey home. Before I had my first beer I had been in many pubs in the Ibrox, Govan and Partick area. As a twelve year old this allowed me to get in to a pub in Merkland street to watch Dixie Deans hit a penalty kick over the bar after we had been to the Rangers Bayern semi, one of the best family football nights of our lifes.

Thanks for kindling the great memories Kai.

[stu54 128]

That was a great read mate.

[Blumhoilann 6,712]

Cracking read Kai,our forebears were ppl to be proud of but look at what we've allowed to happen to our once great UK in the name of progress.

[minstral 5,375]

Cracking read Kai,our forebears were ppl to be proud of but look at what we've allowed to happen to our once great UK in the name of progress.

They will all be spinning in their graves at what has become of our great club.

[stu54 128]

You'r right there Minstral.

[Drunk and disorderly. 14,748]

Nice post, and they were the best days of following our club. You could sing what you want without fear of jail, and you never heard of the offended mob back then.

I long for those days minstrel. We all have our cultures and traditions. The Scottish parliament censor everything Rangers. I will be voting for the UK of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Rest assured, I will vote.

[tannerall 25,935]

Cracking read Kai,our forebears were ppl to be proud of but look at what we've allowed to happen to our once great UK in the name of progress.

Agree,your Granda's "tall stories" Kai, about the "Second City of The Empire", were probably based on truth as Glasgow when he was a lad was the engineering capital of the UK and the Empire. The amounts of trains built for the Empire at Cowlairs and Springburn for example during the years between the wars was phenomenal. helping the colonial countries to establish their infra structure, Add to that the amount of ships built on the Clyde,the engines and turbines that moved things, then the steady training and often export around the world of great engineering talents from our colleges, universities and industries, gave us great reason to be proud. Belfast as well was heavily involved in this engineering output of men, ships, other engineering,and knowledge that helped shape the modern world. This, as well a the strongly moral Protestant heritage is why both our Grandfathers were quietly proud honest hard working men.

[tannerall 25,935]

They will all be spinning in their graves at what has become of our great club.

And our great country.