Orkney Image Library

Stuart Harcus(woodstock) between Dennis and Barbara....that's three of my four brothers..Stanley, Stuart and Dennis

Jack,
I don't suppose you have any photographic material of myself, Stephen or any of my Sinclair Grandfolks from the QUOYS, across the road from WOODSTOCK? I used to visit the QUOYS every summer school holiday between 1948 and 1951 and used to play with Stephen. 1951 was the year Grt. uncle Peter died and Grandfolks David and Mary returned to Glasgow and Bill & Ida Gorn bought the Quoys. Every year, since 2000, I visit my relatives on my Grandmothers Morrison side, i.e., Cloustons, Foubister, Slater, also Dorothy and John Robson and Lily Joyce, who sadly passed away recently, I will be visiting again soon on the last week of May this year. Just as a matter of interest, would you know of any other school photo's of any of the Sinclair's probably at this school ?
Kind Regards, Gordon James Sinclair. 22.03.08

Looks like I missed Stuart's name when I was adding names. Edith Matches stayed at Benshall not Bendhall another typing error. Blame old age!!I haven't come across any relevant photos .

Hi there was hoping that u might have a photo of this school around 1951/1952 or after, my dad went to the Holm East school and probably started around this time. I would love to see it, my dad's name was James Foubister and moved to caithness in 1958. Thanks very much any information or photo's would be appreciated.

I think I do have a school photo

This is my older sister (Shelia) front row right.
Now Mrs D Crighton New Deer Aberdeenshire
How the years have flown!

Sheila Petrie is my Aunty and now living in New Deer, Aberdeenshire. Elder sister to John (Jackie), Sidney, Thorphin, Marion and Billy Petrie - daughter of Annie (nee Laughton)and John Petrie. Wonderful find - many thanks.

Great to hear from the Petrie clan. My father William Harcus bought Muttonhall from John Petrie back in the early 1950's. It has now been renamed Churchill. Shiela and Jackie stayed at Muttonhall.

Jack,
I presume you still stay in orkney! My wife, daughter and her partner and myself are hopefully having a nostalgic return sometime in Sept. My daughter has got the ancestry bug. Thank you for your reply

wow.......Hi Jack and family what a blast from the past!! Thorfin was the one that I remember the best as we used to meet up at the Roy cottage in Holm....his 1st cousin (Amy Foubister) stayed there and Amy and me were good buddies...oh dear that is decades ago do you know where Amy is at now?..lol.....sadly not many in that photo still around

Yes it is all getting too far back . But really good to catch up with lost friends.I have no knowledge of wherabouts Amy is these days but maybe someone will track her down. I stay in Shetland these days. Been here almost 30 yrs now. I remember Hugh Budge when he stayed at the Roy. Amy stayed in another cottage at the Roy with her parents?

Hazel, I am sorry that I do not remember you, but it is now so long ago, I have not been in touch with Thorfinn as we have been on holiday but I will ask him if he remembers you when I do. The last I heard of Amy was that she was in the WRNS in Portsmouth but that was at least 30 years ago All this is certainly a blast from the past. Amys parents were my aunt and uncle----obvious really. Keep the information coming or it will all be lost.

Sheila Petrie is my Mum, daughter of the late Annie (Laughton) and John Petrie. Wonderful to see what Mum looked like in her younger days and to see the faces of those she speaks about.

I hope the Cletty Sands still exist!

I thought it was called "Claddy" sands but that may just be a youngsters rememberance of these far of times. I hope to walk these sands in Sept where I spent many hours when I was much younger.

Is the Cletty or Claddy sands the area in front of the Holm churchyard?..fancy a Holm Hobbler having to ask that question!!

For Hazel, we'll call it Cletty Sands. It is the beach area in front of what was Muttonhall (now called Churchill I am informed by Jack Harcus) Spent many summers there.

According to the 1881 OS map 'Cletty sand' is along the coast to the north west, below Mutton Hall. Wester Sand is just to the west of the kirk and Howes Wick to the east.

Zoom in to the area on this page

Added by Dave Smith on 01 August 2008

Can anyone say why Jackie Kirkness (North Dawn) was at the Holm East school, I thought that North Dawn was right next door to the Holm West school.

No, it's a peedie and bonny stretch o' sand doon it the shore atween "the Pairk" and Muttonha'(as was). John o' Seaview kens th'm weel.

Had a wonderful few days in Orkney in Sept. Stayed at the Sands Hotel in St Margrets Hope-lovely place and the weather could not have been better. Did all the schools, graveyards and ancesteral homes. Plenty of photos to add to the Family Tree. Thank you, all the people we met and who kept us pointed in the right direction.

Dad - Sands Hotel was at Burray! We had a fantastic time - weather gorgeous and Orkney looking at its most stunning. I can now visualise the places I'm coming across through my research - Petries at Burray (Southbreck, Klondyke, Krusebrake) and Laughtons at Vigga and Park, Holm. Could have stayed much longer but we crammed in a lot in the short time we had - will definitely be returning at some point in the future.

Does anybody remember Dorothy and John Robson, siblings of Cathie in the picture ? They had the shop, now a dwelling, "Seaview", on the corner of what is now Woodstock Road. My ancestors were born up the hill at, "Qouys", my Grandfather, David Sinclair, was the last survivor of the Sinclair's of the Quoys. His older Brother, Peter was the last to actually stay at the farm, he died in 1951 and the farm was sold to the neighbors, Gorn of Towerhill. I visited the farm for about 4 years in the school holidays, 1947 - 1951 and then again every year since June 2001, exactly 50 years after my last school holiday. Not much had changed but I was lucky enough to take some photo's from the actual locations my Father had taken 50 years previous. I hasten to add that very little had changed, only the guttering on the quoys roof and a hen hut added !!

Gordie. You're quite right, North Dawn is alongside the West school. Jack Kack as he was nicknamed was a janitor at the school for a while. There were some tales to tell about his janitorial times in the days of outside loos!

Glad to hear that Susan and her dad Jack had a great time in Orkney. You can never fit in all your family research in one visit!

Hi all. This is Kath Harcus, Dennis Harcus' widow.
Just wanted to say many thanks for the lovely photos of my late husband.
Would love to see any more.....certainly made me smile when i stumbled across this site.
Kath

Kath. Glad you enjoyed seeing Dennis as a peedie boy. Trust you are getting your life back in order without Dennis. Cousin Jack

Heya. I have newer memories of the school. I lived in it from when I was born in 1986 until I was 12. My mum and Dad, Kerrie and John McCallum ran a ceramics company, JoKer Jewellery, in the school half and we lived in the school house part. Great place.

any photos of the petrie family from burray Southbreck, Klondyke........!!!!

My gran, Margaret Petrie still has some photos and i think there were some of school days in Burray. will have to ask her to look them out

Coming back for a visit at the end of May 2011 with my wife, her brother and a friend from Thailand-hope the weather is good

I am the daughter of Lillian Croy. Her mother was Helen Croy nee Laughton. My grandmother had sisters Annie, Eva (Amy Foubister's mother), Patricia, Jessie Jean. I think she had another sister. She had a brother too Billy Laughton. We are also wanting to know where Amy Foubister is. She is my mums cousin. Also many of the people here are part of my family. I would be so happy to hear from you.

Welcome to the family Marie. Annie,my mother was Helens sister so your mother Lillian was my 1.st cousin.I don't know where Amy is but I believe she was in the WRENS somewhere in the south of England Margret Rendall is the missing sister and lives in Inverurie in Aberdeenshire,the only surviving Laughton.

Re-photo Shelia Petrie (front row right) is my elder sister Info for Marie Lavery

Hello Jack. I am delighted to hear from you! I have shown this picture to my mum. Mum does keep in touch with Sheila. I have also found a Laughton family website from our American relatives, which I see you and Sue have given information to. Thanks for the info on Amy too. Thanks also for reminding me of Margaret's name. It is lovely to know of everyone. Mum was delighted about the American website and saw photos of her grandad William and Annie Kirkness, Hope all is well with you and your family.

Hello Jack. Thank you for replying. I am so pleased to hear from you. Thanks for the information you provided me. I have found a website set up by our Canadian ancestors which I see yourself, Sue and Hamish Crisp provided information for. I will show mum your message. I know she will be pleased. I am actively looking for Amy as She visited our family when I was very young and my parents were in their twenties. We have not heard from her since. It is great to see this site.

Hello Jack. Thank you so much for replying. It was just great to hear from you. Thanks for the information too. Have told mum that you replied and she was delighted. I am afraid I have become very interested in our family and have found information from our Ontario relations in Canada. It is quite a big family over there. I want to visits Orkney in the next year or two. I want to see Vigga and Many other places mum has told me about. I see you have taken a few trips too.

Hello Marie. Glad to be of help. The family does seem to have spread around the world. My sister Marion married an American and lives in North Carolina so I have a niece and nephew there . Her husband Joe sadly passed away in 2006.Will follow the site to keep in touch

That's great Jack. Will keep in touch through site. I am hoping to visit Orkney next summer so I will let you know how I get on. There are places that my gran and grandad spoke about. I want to see them. And my mum Lillian has told me of different places too.

Enjoy visit--just hope the weather is kind to you.

I am related to the Laughton's of Vigga, Holm. My great aunt Eva Foubister nee Laughton was married to a John Robertson Foubister. I believe he was a lighthouse keeper. I am interested to know which lighthouse he worked at. Can anyone help?

Thankyou Jack. Don't mind how the weather is. I am excited to go.

Hi Jack (John) Petrie. This is probably not the ideal place to ask, but mum and I have been watching the news and have seen flooding a in parts of Scotland particularly Aberdeen. Hope you and the family have managed to escape the danger. Take care. Marie Lavery

Not flooded Marie---just cold but thank you for the thought. NB. John Foubister looked after Rose Ness lighthouse on the mainland about as far east as one can go in HOLM.

Hi Jack. Glad all ok and flooding has not affected you. Thank you so much for the information about John Foubister. It is great to know this. I have been looking into the lighthouses wondering which one it was. Hope weather gets warmer soon for you. Marie

HI Folks
Been a little remiss lately by not visiting the site.Nothing exiting to report ,just letting everyone know that I am still vertical!!!

Hello Jack. Good to hear you are well. I haven't looked at the site for a while either. I haven't managed to get to Orkney this year due to various things. But I still plan to in the next few years.

Jackie likeness North dawn is my dad

Is there any photos the likeness of North dawn as Jackie likeness was my father and I would like some

You missed my father Stuart Harcus next to Dennis. It is great seeing these earlier photos

Just wondering if Jack Petrie is any relation to Sheila, Dennis and James Petrie?

Hi Jacqueline, there well may be a connection. Can you tell me who are the parents of Sheila, Dennis and James Petrie?