NON-FOOTBALL STORIES 1942
While looking through old documents, it is almost inevitable that the
reader's attention will be drawn from the intended target to other articles.
The reports below were found in old Scotsman newspapers. Although they
have no football content, they may be of interest.
ARDROSSAN MINISTER RESIGNS
At a
meeting of the Presbytery of Ardrossan, the Reverend Robert Whiteford, Park
Church, Ardrossan, intimated that, on the ground of ill-health, he desired to
demit his charge and he asked for the appointment of a colleague and successor.
The Scotsman, 5 February 1942
At the monthly meeting of the Presbytery of Ardrossan, it
was reported that the number of church members within the Presbytery at the end
of 1941 was 21450, an increase of 121 compared with the total at the end of the
previous year. Christian liberality
during 1941 amounted to £37194, an increase of £3120 and the subscriptions from
within the Presbytery for foreign missions showed an increase of £84.
The Scotsman, 5 March 1942
After having been adrift in the Atlantic for twelve
days, in an open lifeboat from which he and eight companions were rescued by an
American seaplane, William McMillan, 13 Hill Street, Ardrossan, has returned
home. McMillan was one of eight
Ardrossan and Saltcoats members of the crew of a tanker which was sunk by a
German submarine and the other seven are missing.
Out of a total crew of fifty, only the nine men picked up by the seaplane
are known to have been saved. No
news has been heard of the remainder.
The Ardrossan and Saltcoats members of the crew missing are Frank
McQuade, David McCubbin, Roderick Brown and William Brown, all of Ardrossan and
Alexander McMillan, William Docherty and a seaman named Shields, all of
Saltcoats. The tanker was torpedoed
twice and, though heavy seas were running, the submarine surfaced and shelled
the vessel. The wireless
installation was carried away and one the vessel’s four lifeboats were
destroyed. “In the confusion caused
by the shelling and the heavy seas” said McMillan “only six of us were able to
get into one lifeboat. Forty-one of
the crew got into the other two lifeboats and three others launched a raft.
We all got clear of the vessel before she sank.
We were able to drag the three men on the raft, one of whom was the third
officer, into our boat. It was
decided to lay a course for Bermuda, the nearest landfall.
For fifteen hours, the boats kept together until the storm increased in
violence to such an extent that sea anchors had to be dropped.
When visibility improved, there was no trace of the other two lifeboats.
Gales and high seas continued for eleven days” added McMillan.
On the twelfth day, the wind fell away entirely.
Suddenly, they saw a seaplane sweep out of her course and fly towards
them. The plane came down on the sea
and took the nine aboard.
The Scotsman, 24 March 1942
Mr R J Sim, Justice of the Peace, Head
Postmaster, Peterhead, has been appointed Head Postmaster at Rothesay in
succession to Mr A Pow, who has been appointed to Ardrossan.
The Sim family has a remarkable record of Post Office service dating back
to the reign of George IV.
The Scotsman, 17 June 1942
A British restaurant, sponsored by Ardrossan Town
Council, and in premises formerly occupied by Ardrossan Unionist Club, was
formally opened on Saturday (11 July 1942) by Sir James Peck, Chief Divisional
Food Officer for Scotland. Over 170
diners can be accomodated at a time and it is estimated that 400 meals can be
served during the two hours the restaurant will be open each day for luncheons.
The Scotsman, 13 July 1942
British Restaurants were communal kitchens created in
1940 during the Second World War to help people who had been bombed out of their
homes, had run out of ration coupons or otherwise needed help.
They were set up by the Ministry of Food and run by local government or
voluntary agencies on a non-profit basis.
Seven persons have now died from smallpox since the
presence of the disease was discovered in Glasgow several weeks ago.
Four of the victims were citizens of Glasgow, another resided in
Ardrossan while the other two were members of the crew of the ship on board
which the disease was first reported.
The latest patient to succumb was a married woman of about twenty who
contracted the disease early in the outbreak while her younger sister, one of
the earliest contacts, has made a good recovery.
No case is described as dangerously ill.
A further case, described as mild, was admitted to hospital from Argyll
on Saturday (25 July 1942).
The Scotsman, 27 July 1942