The Invergordon Archive

This must have been our last photo before moving on to the Secondary School (and long trousers).
Mary Campbell and Norah Galloway were my "girlfriends"...where are they now?

Are there any stories about Margaret MacLean (front row)?

Margaret Maclean and Anne James would secretly call each other "twins" because we were both born on the same date, 25th October 1942.

Hello Billy, have just found this site - very nostalgic. Re Norah Galloway, sorry to say she passed away some years ago. I have not been home to Inverg since 1979 so it has been fantastic to see so many faces that have jogged my memory.

Hello Jane, Thanks for the (rather sad) news about Norah. I guess out of a group of 20/30 kids there is always going to be some that don't make it to a reasoable old age. I love the Invergordon Site, it is quite the best thing I have ever found on the web. Having left home at 15 in 1957 it fills in many blanks I missed due to being torn from my roots quite young.

Hi Jane, my name is Kathleen Smith and Norah Galloway was my great aunt. My nana was Annie Galloway her older sister who died in 1991. My mum is Sally Brownhill and has been looking for any information regarding Nora as she has been trying to find her for the last few years. All my mum knew was that she had moved to England about 36/37 years ago and no-one heard from her after that. I would greatly appreciate if you could get in contact with me.

I would also like to know about Nora, she married my uncle Alistair Macleod and they had one son Alan born about 1965.

I have just found out that Norah, who was married to my uncle, Alistair Macleod, died in January 2006 in Preston. She had two sons, Allan born in 1965 and Alistair born in 1978. As far as I know he is living in Preston.

Thats my Uncle Don 3rd right, back row, my mother was Kathleen MacKenzie nee Ross.

Don Ross, known as Donty, lived next door to me on Outram Street. I knew them all.
Elaine, take a look at picture #1072, you will see your mother there as a child.

Sad to read about Norah. Everyone in this pic will now be approaching their middle 70s and I know that others here are not now around. I remember them all and in particular wonder where Hector MacDonald might be. Every kid here would have lived in Invergordon or nearby farms as children from Alness (who joined us the following year) were still at the Primary School in their own village. (Alness was small compared to Invergordon at that time.)

Cheers Harry I will have a look, have added a few pics via email of my Mam and Granda Ross, but have so much more unfortunately not on laptop, have got a cracking one of my uncle Don and my Granda at the back of Outram St and lots when there was naval landies with my aunt Elsie or Chrissie, will try suss how to put on, Thanks again.

Does anyone know anything about Donald Stevenson in the back left? He was my biological grandfather, although we never met. He died several years ago, unfortunately.

Sorry to hear that about Donald, he was in school with me. I think his father was a ships captain? but could be wrong

Donald Stevenson's father, Captain Stevenson, was captain of one of the Fishery Cruisers which visited the Cromarty Firth regularly. I have forgotten which ship it was but amongst the frequent Fishery Cruiser visitors were, Brenda, Norna, Freya Longa.
Mrs Stevenson, Netta, worked until 1944 as a dispensing assistant in the Chemist shop at 71 High Street Invergordon, owned at that time by S.M. Hendry. The family lived in an elegant two-storeyed stone-built house called Eilean Donnan, in the village of Saltburn. The house had an ornate iron railing fronting the street and lay back some distance from the road.
The foregoing is subject to the vagaries of aged memory and I apologise for any errors or omissions!

Thanks for confirming that Donald's father was a Captain Gordon. I seem to recall a ship sinking involving Captain Stevenson. Do you?

Gordon .... I very much liked your disclaimer on the last line of your post, I suspect that many of us who post on this site should use it. At least you can take some comfort from the fact that you actually remembered to add it !!!!
We actually lived virtually across the road from you, my parents had the Drapery shop at the front and the grocers at the side on the corner of Bank St and High St. I am the youngest of the family you will probably remember my older brothers Sandy and Ian. I remember your parents well from the Chemists and your sister Jane ? was maybe 3 years ahead of me in school.
In passing recently I saw that the ornate railings you mention at Eilean Donnan were being refurbished.

Hi Harry. You are perhaps thinking of the sinking of the Fishery Cruiser Freya off the Caithness coast in 1959. I can find no record of the names of the three crewmen, including the Captain who were lost. The Cromarty lifeboat under Albert Watson played a part in the rescue of the crew, but again I can find no details of this event. The ship was Freya 2 and was new and had a reputation for instability. I will try to pursue a further line of enquiry but am puzzled by the lack of information on the net.

Gordon, can I point you in the direction of picture #682 and picture #1084 which have comments shedding some light on the Fishery Cruiser Freya. I hope this helps.
Incidentally, I'm thoroughly enjoying the comments that you are all contributing regarding the initial enquiry regarding Donald Stevenson, they bring this Archive alive.

Hi Harry,
Re the loss of the Freya, the Site Administrator, Mr Malcolm McKean has kindly pointed me in the direction of picture #1O84 which contains the information we have been seeking. The Captain of the Freya was Gordon B. McLaren and the crew members were Peter Marshall and James Haddaway all of whom drowned.

Thanks Gordon and Malcolm, the Freya incident occurred in 1959, I was gone from Invergordon by then. I think there was an earlier incident involving Captain Stevenson that was the topic of conversation at our dinner table. I have found nothing on the net but will keep digging.

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