A year of army service, two years in a prison camp in the hands of the Germans, several months as an outlaw on the hills of Italy.
That is how Private Robert Cassidy of 94 Kenilworth Crescent Burnbank, Hamilton, has spent his four years of Army service.
He arrived home in July 1944 for a well deserved leave following his return to this country. Private Cassidy joined the forces in 1940, and after only a few months training he was transferred to the Mediterranean theatre of operations.
He was taken prisoner by the Germans at Hellsfire Pass a few months later however and was imprisoned in a camp north of Rome. There he spent two long, weary years under the heel of the Nazis, but luck came his way. News came through of the Italian surrender on September 8 last year (1943) and immediately he made good his escape.
He took refuge in the hills and there he lived until February of this year (1944.) Food was scarce, but he managed to remain alive by eating grapes and the meat from stolen pigs and sheep. Then came the rescue. He was transported to Naples by the allied authorities and from there shipped home to this country.
Private Cassidy, who is 28 years of age, is married and has three of a family. A Cameron Highlander, he is the third son of the late Mr Robert Cassidy and of Mrs Cassidy, 35 King Street, Burnbank. Before joining the forces in 1940 he was a miner at Dixon’s Colliery, Blantyre.
The Story was extracted from the Hamilton Advertiser Archives and sent to Historic Hamilton by Wilma Bolton. For more great stories please visit Wilma’s website www.wilmabolton.com where you will find great real life stories from the the miners of Hamilton.
The Hamilton fighter won Scottish, British, European and Empire titles before defeating Italy’s Salvatore Burruni at Wembley over 15 rounds to land the world flyweight title in 1966.
In McGowan’s next fight, he won the British and Empire title at bantamweight when he defeated Alan Rudkin, again at Wembley.
He won 32 of his 40 professional fights before retiring in 1969.
McGowan had been in poor health in recent years and was living in a nursing home in Bellshill.
He died peacefully at Monklands Hospital on Monday night.
One of 10 children, McGowan is survived by a son and daughter and a grandson and grand-daughter.
The picture below was sent to us by Charles Devanney. This was Devanney’s coal yard in Limetree, Burnbank. Charles told us:
“This is one of my Grandfather’s 26 ton Steam Wagon’s, I’m guessing 1950’s maybe the vehicle is parked in his yard in Burnbank across from Limetree garage in the background you can see the Noël Kegg building”
William Devanney’s Coal yard and his house was situated on Glasgow Road Burnbank, the vehicle in the picture is a 26 ton Steam Wagon.
William Devanney originated from Donegal Ireland, he & his wife Cathie McMonigall arrived in 1908 and they started the coal business and had 8 wagons on the road the picture of the Steam wagon was about 1940’s they had 6 sons who all worked in the business. The business was sold around 2005.
The land where the coal yard once stood now has houses built on it.
The Laurie family of Burnbank owned one of the towns best and most noticeable businesses. They were the owners of  Chieftain Buses that was based at their depot on High Blantyre Road.
In the picture above, back row L-R are James, John & David Laurie. Middle row is David & Margaret Laurie and the kids in the front row are Wilma and Bob Laurie.
The company was started by James Laurie. When he came out of the army in 1918, he started with a taxi and built it up into a bus service.
The family later moved to number 81 High Blantyre Road and then set up a bus depot right next door to their house. The business was thriving and had employed local people to work at the depot, as well as all of the Laurie family who were involved in some way.
David Laurie who is the grandson of David Laurie Snr told Historic Hamilton that “all of the family were involved in some way, driving my dad did along with coach building and my uncle’s did mechanics and driving right up to the 60’s when they sold the business”.
The family depot in Burnbank was a busy place and as previously mentioned, it employed local people who include, Carrie (Mair) Clark who was a conductress on the Hairmyres route, her sister Elsie also a clippie on the Hairmyers route, her brothers Willie and Robert all worked for the Chieftain buses for a number of years.
Robert Wilson, Bob Mair & Robert Clements were a few of the drivers on the Chieftain Buses.
Former site of the Chieftain Bus depot, now a public Garden.
The company ran all the way up to 1961 until it was taken over by the SMT group. The old Chieftain garage became Jamieson’s Builders yard for many years and later was sold to the council and it was eventually landscaped.
Historic Hamilton would like to thank David Laurie for telling us his family’s story & sharing some pictures and also Robert Stenlake for supplying some of the local pictures of the Chieftain Buses.
We would like to hear from you! What was your memories of the Cheiftan Buses at High Blantyre Road in Burnbank. Send them to us at HistoricHamilton@icloud.com
Glenlee House was a rural mansion that was situated at Udston in Burnbank. It stood between two parallel burns, one was at the border with Blantyre and the other ran through Udston.
The house was a fine example of Victorian stature and was not only a large luxurious house but it also showed people how rich the owners really were.
Glenlee House.
The mansion was built in the mid 1800s and was first owned by Alexander Miller. It was a 2 storey building with 30 rooms and was accessed from Thorntree Avenue, which accommodated a turning point for horse drawn carriages. After going through Thorntree Avenue you passed through two stone pillars at Russell Street – which still stand to this day.
The turning point for the horse & carriages at Thorntree Avenue.The Russell Street entrance of Glenlee House.
You then travelled along a curved avenue of trees and over a bridge at the burn that runs through Udston and as you came to this bridge, Glenlee House was straight ahead.
The bridge that crosses the burn leading to Glenlee HouseThe former site of Glenlee House.
The imposing frontage of the 2 storey building with its further two storey glass tower, was set in the centre of an oval lawn. Â Ivy dressed the large bay windows, a weeping willow tree grew near the entrance door and there was further shrubs and lovely trimmed bushes that lead down the second driveway that took you to the gate keepers lodge.
After 1861 the house was owned by Lewis Potter, an owner of a shipping company, a director of the City of Glasgow Bank and who was famous, not for his businesses, but for his imprisonment for defrauding the bank in 1879. Â Lewis Potter had been director at the bank since 1858, he and his colleague Robert Stronach, were both found guilty of fraud and each sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.
The Udston Road entrance to Glenlee House.
In the year 1878 when Lewis Potter was Jailed, J Clelland, Chairman of the Cunard Steamship Company bought the mansion and owned it for over 20 years. The last recorded tenants in the house were the Burns family, who were connected with the Burns-Laird shipping line, a ships bell hung outside the house during the time that they lived here.
The house was taken over in 1914 just before the first world war by Hamilton Town Council for use as a hostel for Belgian Refugees.
In the 1920s Glenlee House was used as a tuberculosis hospital.
1892 Map of Glenlee House & today’s satellite image of the same area.Old ruin of unknown building at Glenlee House.Old ruin of Unknown building at Glenlee House.Old sandstone block left over from the demolition of Glenlee House, The block lying in the boundary burn between Blantyre & Burnbank.
By the mid 1960s the house fell in to decline and was unfit for purpose, so it was taken into private ownership, by Joe Gans, father of Walter McGowan (World Flyweight and British Bantamweight Champion) and was used as a gymnasium  where Walter trained for his fights.
In 1971 the last known owner was Jan Stepek who was also the owner of the legendary TV rental shops, he only used the house for storage.
Glenlee House (South Front) 1965.
Sadly Glenlee House was demolished in the mid 1970s, partly due to subsidence from the underground coal mines but also because it was run down so badly. Glenlee House was another one of Hamiltons country mansions that had been lost as a result of the underground workings, and today, if it was still standing it would be a credit to Burnbank.
Glenlee House (South Front) Beams holding up the south front wall due to Subsidence from the underground coal mines.The Gatekeepers Lodge that was situated at the corner between Russell Street & Burnbank Road.
