The Orkney Image Library
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You'll recognise this man at the front John!
Tommy Groat, Barry Sinclair, Alan Isbister and in the front Mr Moncrieff the music teacher.
He sat down beside me on the old Hoy Head offered me a swig out of his halfie and said " Do you know who I am?" I knew fine who he was although I had never seen him since I was about 8, who could forget his old duffle coat with a strap in the pocket that he never used, his nice motorbike and that blasted "Death March" that he always played before lessons.
I declined the swig of his whisky! :-)
Picture added on 10 March 2012 at 21:00
Davie had a stammer and said to me as we played at the wedding "my !!!John you have fairly come at the !!!music" to which I replied "Hid wis no bl**dy thanks tae you "
Added by John Budge on 11 March 2012
I remember his motorbike, somebody who will remain nameless stuck a tattie in the exhaust, he kicked a while then there was a bang and the tattie flew oot, he wore gloves wi the fingers cut off , even when he played the piano, same old songs all the time.. hated it, and got the belt for saying so.
Added by Jimmy Hamilton on 11 March 2012
Your right there John it would been no thanks tae him. lol Mind me and Kathleen Kirkpatrick rolling up bits of blotting paper and dipping them in ink and dropping them in his big rubber boots. You've been a right bad boy Jimmy us South Siders never got the belt fae him, as you say the songs were some boring.
Added by Beryl Simpson on 12 March 2012
Mind buying that peedie bike off him when he left Orkney. Mind his songs weel, my goodness they were mournful. We used to call him owld Crabbie owing to the fact that he made crab paste at home and selt it in peedie jars, oh dear how disrespectful was that.
Added by Allan Besant on 12 March 2012
What make of bike was it? The snag is looking at this photo he widna been owld back then at all. We called him Bir Bike if I mind right so no fairly so bad a name at South Walls. :-)
Added by Beryl Simpson on 14 March 2012
I'm going to have to try and get in touch with Charles Corbett about the photos Steven for it was ones he sent me and they were awful small so don't know if he can improve on them.
Added by Beryl Simpson on 14 March 2012
Davie would be classed as a drugs baron if he still had that tobacco mix he made up, between the verses of "Little Brown Jug"
Added by Stewart Taylor on 14 March 2012
Oh he widna hive been an owld man at all, just to us cheeky peedie wags lol. The bike I bought off him was a 125cc BSA Bantam a puttering peedie two stroke thing that nearly went backwards in a gale o wind.
Added by Allan Besant on 15 March 2012
Alan afore "Creefie" hid the BSA Bantam he had an Ariel Twin bit shae wis by her best, wae hid tae shivv him doon the brae tae git him away, something wae were very willin tae do if yae get meanin .
Added by John Budge on 16 March 2012
What a memory John I had forgotten that but right enough we pushed him downhill. It must have been a poor thing o' bike right enough you would have thought a downhill road would have been enough without bairns hivan tae push! lol
Added by Beryl Simpson on 19 March 2012
I beat Tommy Groat at a darts match between Lyness and Longhope held at the Longhope Hotel. It was 1970 I think and Eric Heddle and I were the only people in the Lyness team to win our matches. It was my greatest sporting triumph and I was almost carried around on the shoulders of the other team members after my heroic performance. I do not remember who our other team members were, but perhaps they will come forward!
Added by Charles Corbett on 22 March 2012
tommy played for the royal hotel most of the team were farmers but a very good team .
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Added by Brimsman on 23 March 2012
Hoy and Walls
They were:
1971 Eric Heddle with the mall putting up a new fence
1971 St Ola
1971 Malcolm Eben Wilson, Jackie Irvine, my auntie
1970 I think this is when the BBC were filming "A Time...
1970 Queen Mother's helicopter landing on the Island
1971 Another of Charles Corbett's photo's. A mystery group