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Memories of a childhood in wartime Leith. The trials and tribulations of the period, allied to the camaraderie of the community in facing up to an uncertain future made a lasting impression on John Stewart.
Sometime during my later term at Dr Bell's in Leith, I was capering with a classmate, Alex Ramsay while making our way to Bonnington Road along Great Junction Street.
He lived in a stair near the junction of the two thoroughfares. We had been taking it in turn giving 'colley buckies' (piggy backs). This was the art of carrying somebody on your back with his legs being supported by the your arms. The rider had his arms around your neck. All the time we had our schoolbags on our own backs.
We staggered about under the weight, being jostled by passers by all the time. It was my turn on his back when he lurched back out of control. Next thing I knew I was going backwards through the plate glass window of Keir's shoe shop.
The stacked shoes in the window all came tumbling about me. Believe it or not I didn't suffer one little scratch. Managing to extricate myself from the debris, I wriggled my way between the onlookers and scooted down Cables Wynd. Ramsay had done like wise.
I was a frightened lad for sometime after this. I always dreaded the knock at the door from an enquiring policeman. Each time I passed the shop with its boarded up window I quaked.
This eased as the window was replaced. For some time afterwards I kept extricating broken glass fragments from my schoolbag. None of my family ever got to hear of it.
John Stewart, 2001
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