Orkney Image Library

That's wan wey o' keepin' time!

John Budge! I went to North Walls school with Stanley Thompson and Julie Groat long before they were married. The teacher was Charlie Rioch,that was in the early 1970s.

Charlie Rioch was the teacher after Mr and Mrs Allan and I worked for them at the North Walls School House. They left in January 1969 just before the Lifeboat Disaster and I think Rioch started shortly after it. He can be seen here: picture #25565 Stanley was at school with my brother Mervyn Gillespie. Fiona Bichan who was doing her two years probationary teaching and Willie Black filled in until Mr Rioch arrived.

[Miss Bichan then moved on to educate this group of people: picture #36 . I think we were her first class and she was our first teacher. Only 13 out of the 26 of us in Orkney these days - Steven]

No winder I wiz tired look at the time and I can assure you hid wisna in the efternoon.
Oh buey buey hid was a hard life being in such demand fur me TALLANT!! dis though ken!!.
Whit a load o tosh that is.

dear john that looks like a very fancy accordion you are playing there.

Yes it was very odd that the black and white keys were the opposite way round. It was a Gallanti and was owned by the late Angus Walls who sometimes played along wae us but maybe by the time o night on the clock Angus had gone into "Liquidation".

I mind Angus Walls and his late brother Colin and mother Daisy! They were very good friends of my ex husband Laurie Sutherland and his mother Agnes Sinclair. Colin met a sad end when he was hit by the propellor of a Loganair Islander plane on the Longhope airstrip, was that 1979 or there abouts? I mind the whole island being in shock at such a horrible accident. Colin was a well known local personality and a very good singer and guitarist who often accompanied Laurie when he played his fiddle, the whole walls family were musical. Mother Daisy was a very good fiddler and gave Laurie his first fiddle when he was just 7 years old. As far as I know he still has it nearly 60 years later.He still lives in Kirkwall.

I have seen a Gallanti like that before. I think it might have been played by Bertie Stockan in the 50s/60.

Did you have the only dance band on Hoy John?

There was the Legion Band No: 24866 - Mrs Walls and her son Colin had a band and John being a young chap then his band was a bit later on, he'll can keep me right but more 1966 onwards I would say.

Ah ha that could rile the man fae Longhope. Hoy indeed

There was the Haybrake band in the 50's. Bandleader was Mrs Miller and the band consisted of Mrs Miller, Sheila Miller, Elma Miller, Jock O Doonthroo and I think Sandy Begg on the drums.
They were a cracker of a band and used to play every Saturday at one of the clubs in Lyness, as well as at other dances, mainly in the North side.

My first violin was bought for me by my father, the second was bought from Daisy Walls by my mother, and the third one was bought by myself. Yes, the Walls family married into my family and both families are very good friends and very good musicians, also lifeboat people and farmers. It is a pity but Elaine died two years ago of a massive stroke. She married a retired teacher south who died of cancer before her own death. I on the other hand am well and to correct playing with Colin he played accordian with me and many others. I was indeed in John Budges band on Hoy for about a year. As Elaine asked for a divorce I gave her one but later she remarried a retired teacher who died before her but that is life and death. Now you know the true story, and Max Collop was the person who played guitar with me at Rock o'Cleary, which Elaines mother set a poitry with the last piece of toilet paper and I put it to music. I think by now you have guessed who I may be, good luck.

Truth is Colin Walls and I never played together once, it was in fact Max Collop who played guitar with me at his home at Rock o'Cleary and I played with John Budges band in my time on the island. I have played for the Reel and Strathspey Kirkwall for about 30 years and was made a life member. Elaine has got the facts wrong so I have corrected them for you my name was changed from Laurence Sutherland to Laurence Le Beu St.Clair in 2000, this was the wish of my mother if she died before me so it was done properly by my lawyer. Our marriage did not work out well and we were in fact the wrong match from the start. Having no family there was no issue with the divorce, but Elaine married a second time a retired teacher south, but he died before she did but not long between. Sad to say never knew her husband but life goes on and so does the music. The Walls family married into our family so we were very good musical friends as well as very good friends going a long time back in both families.

My own family on my mother's side came from Stroma to Brims, and my father comes from Park Hall Shapinsay. I was brought up in 18 High Street, Kirkwall, Orkney. then the house was sold when I was eight and moved to council houses then after. I should never have married as am married to my violin not to any woman that was biggest mistake in life but only for one year which did not work out so nothing lost really but have fond memories of my many friends and relations on the island which I meet now and then. Life goes on.

I Laurence Le Beu St.Clair am the 6th generation from Stroma so have many more family than thought. My Granduncle Wilson Nicholson form Brimms had two Stroma yawls which are great sea boats for these waters in the Pentland Firth. He was also on the Longhope lifeboat which had an inboard motor and oars- so was his father. My father was on the Thurso lifeboat and my many friends were on the TGB Longhope lifeboat so very much a lifeboat family

It's a good photo of John on his accordian. We played every weekend for the dance, it was great.