Margaret Baird Paxton was born on 17 February 1902 at Drum Lodge, shortly after her parents and elder sister Jessie had returned to Scotland from Texas, where her father was a rancher. Two years later her younger sister, Isabel, was born and in 1907, the fourth sibling, Emily, completed the family. The Paxtons bought their long-term home, named Homelands, in 1908. As a young teenager, during the First World War, Margaret would have been involved in the Red Cross Work Party which was based in her home and co-ordinated by her mother. The piece below, from the 17 September 1914 Leven Advertiser, tells of an early consignment of gifts from the local group. By the end of the war, over 12,000 garments had been supplied by the work parties in Largo.

The Paxtons were involved in many charitable activities and supported several improvements to the district. For example, Mr and Mrs Paxton provided and equipped a hut to act as a social club for ex-servicemen in 1920 and funded a pitching and putting course at Lundin Golf Club in 1923. The Paxton ladies frequently ran stalls at fetes for various causes. The Royal National Lifeboat Institute was a cause that they supported regularly. Margaret was a frequent cast member in the productions of the Lundin Links Amateur Dramatics Group and was active in Largo S.W.R.I. One cause that was especially close to Margaret's heart, however, was the Girl Guiding movement. She was captain of Largo Girl Guides for many years, going by the name "Eagle Owl", and was for a spell Girl Guiding's 'Camp Secretary' for the whole of Scotland.

In 1926, Margaret's parents gifted the community a cottage for the residence of the Largo and Newburn District Nurse. The cottage stands behind the Parish war memorial (in a location chosen because it was as close as possible to the centre of the nurse's district). Robert Paxton passed away in October 1926 before the building was completed, so Mrs Paxton and her three daughters saw the project through to completion. 

When the District Nurse's Cottage opened in March 1927, the Leven Advertiser (12 March) noted the sunny southern outlook towards the Bass Rock, the telephone which was installed "so as to facilitate communication with doctors and patients" and the way in which the nurse's rooms had "been furnished with a completeness and comfort which leaves nothing to be desired." The report continued "the forethought and care which Mrs Paxton and the Misses Paxton have lavished on the cottage are evidence of how much it has been a labour of love to them". Two small gardens were laid out - one for the nurse and the other for the caretaker. The nurse's garden was tended by the Largo Girl Guides, under Margaret's direction.
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Margaret was very close to her sisters, so when elder sister Jessie set up a pioneering nursery school in Methil in 1935, Margaret supported her. Having gained experience in the nursery, Margaret was inspired to take action to meet another great need - for residential accommodation for children. She set about planning a children's home. Such a home would be for those requiring full-time care, perhaps because their parents were ill or because they had been rendered temporarily homeless. 

Margaret enlisted the help of a large committee to support her plan and in due course an Executive Committee (see above) was set up to administer the business of the home. Upper Largo's Dr William Eggeling acted as honorary medical officer. A large dwelling close to Homelands had become vacant, called Aithernie House (today known as the Old Manor Hotel). This was owned by Silverburn's Sir David Russell. Aithernie had four public rooms (all facing south), ten bedrooms, three bathrooms, electric light, modern central heating and a wash house with laundry. The map below shows how close Aithernie was to Homelands. 
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In December 1936, Margaret wrote to Sir David Russell to say that she was "very anxious to start a children's home in Largo" as "there is no place in Fife to which necessitous children may be sent and there is a very great need for such a home". She stressed that she had "come across some very deserving cases recently". ​The initial plan was to accommodate up to 36 children. The first year's expenses were covered by friends of the Paxtons, and the hope was that wider public support would be secured once the home was up and running and could demonstrate its worth. 

In turn David Russell wrote to his lawyer enclosing the letter from Margaret Paxton. In it he emphasised that he had known the Paxtons for many years and found them to be reliable. He also referenced Jessie's good work with the Methil Nursery. He closed by saying that with regard to the proposition "he was inclined to consider it favourably". Soon afterwards, all was signed and sealed. The 11 September 1937 St Andrews Citizen below tells of the imminent opening of Fife Children's Home. 
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Six months after opening, there were twenty children in residence between the ages of 2 and 11, along with six staff (Miss Paxton, her assistant, a cook and three nurses). Margaret and her assistant Miss M. Scrymgeour Wedderburn were voluntary workers. Below are descriptions of some 'typical cases' at that time. 
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Above is a photograph of some of the early residents of the children's home. Meals were taken outdoors, when possible, to get the benefit of fresh air and sunshine. The benches and tables were no doubt hand-made by local people and the children's bibs hand-made too. One of the glasshouses in the Aithernie garden can be seen. The grounds would have been carefully nurtured over many decades and at one time would have produced a great variety of produce.
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The piece above is from 19 February 1938 Fife Free Press. The work of both Jessie and Margaret Paxton was innovative and was followed with great interest. Of course, in the 1939, the outbreak of war brought new pressures on both ventures. At Fife Children's Home there were new reasons for children requiring assistance, as fathers were called up to join the armed services. One example was a widower with six children who went to serve in the Navy on a minesweeper. Three of his children went to stay with grandparents, while three came to reside at Aithernie. Two refugees from Austria, aged 2 and 4 also came to the home. Their fees were paid by two members of the home's committee.

In July 1940 another brochure was created to highlight the work of the home in the hope that further support would be forthcoming from farther afield. Below is an extract from this brochure. While daily life had continued much as before, gas mask drills and air raid precautions were now required. 
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1941 proved to be a difficult year for Margaret. The headline above, from 6 August Leven Mail, reports on the Annual Meeting of the committee. The clear message was that the home may have to close if not better supported. In the October of the same year Margaret's mother, Margaret, died at Homelands aged 78. Unsurprisingly, all those circumstances combined, took their toll on Margaret's health and in 1942 she had to spend some time in a nursing home to recuperate.

The sixth AGM for Fife Children's Home took place in 1942. The health of Miss Paxton was referenced, as were the direct and indirect impacts of the war. Ongoing challenges included food rationing, meeting blackout requirements and air raid precautions, staffing shortages and financial issues. While day nurseries were eligible for a war-time grant, the home was not. Yet somehow the home continued to function.

However, early in 1943 the home had to close for a six-month period. This had come about because Margaret had suffered a breakdown, having had do the cooking and attend the children at night, on top of her usual role as superintendent, due to staff shortages. In July 1943, Fife County Council made a grant of £100 to Aithernie Home and it was able to reopen. At the seventh annual meeting a few weeks later, Margaret expressed her regret at the circumstances which had necessitated the closing of the home. Now, however, the home was full up and had a long waiting list. Thirty-eight cases had been dealt with during the year, nearly all being the children of service men. The health of the children had been good and they had been vaccinated against diphtheria. 

​At the eighth annual meeting of the subscribers to Fife Children's Home in 1944 it was once again noted that Miss Paxton's health had not been so good. It was likely that Margaret continued to be overworked and was unable to give herself the time she really needed to rest and recover from earlier ill health. There had also been "very serious staffing issues". Above is an advert from 1944 for a cook for the home. Nevertheless, splendid work had been done with a considerable number of children benefitting from a stay. The war was still ongoing and sadly two key committee members had died during that year - ex-Provost Barron of Leven and Mrs Rowand of St Andrews. 

The ninth annual meeting took place in 1945. In the summary of the year, it was noted that several valuable subscribers had been lost by death and that staffing difficulties persisted. There were a few vacancies on the General Committee. Seventy children had been cared for over the year, with the waiting list remaining long. The "absence of so many men overseas had produced a very serious social problem" and many mothers found themselves having to work. The clipping below from the 12 September 1945 Leven Mail shows some of the year's highlights. An insight into the support given by local people was also given when Margaret described a "constant supply of vegetables" from Mrs Fleming and the "many friends who darn and re-foot socks and make and mend the clothes" as well as knitting, sending food and holding fundraising events.

Each year this blog pauses to remember the men of Largo who fell in the two world wars. Rather than focus on any one particular individual or story this year, below is the full list of names that appear on the Largo War Memorial, as unveiled in 1921. There are 51 names upon the Celtic cross-topped monument, designed by Sir Robert Lorimer.
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After the Second World War, panels were added to a wall behind the original memorial, containing the names of those who were lost between 1939 and 1945. These two panels contain 16 names between them.

We will remember them.

The Society of One-Armed Golfers was formed on 12 November 1932 in Glasgow, when sixteen men met at the inaugural meeting, held the offices of solicitor Archibald Pollock. The previous year had seen the first national meeting of one-armed golfers, when a contest at Moor Park attracted 38 competitors. Initially established for golfers who had lost limbs in the First World War, the Society, which is still active today, has since evolved to include those who have been affected by any condition, accident or incident resulting in the person being able to play with only one arm. 

Membership of the Society had reached around 75 people when events were paused during the years of the Second World War. Activity resumed in 1946 with a full meeting at St Andrews, involving 34 players. A pattern was established whereby an annual World Open Golf Championship was played in June on rotation between England or Wales, Scotland and Ireland. ​Back in 1949, the championship was held at Lundin Links. The photograph shows the competitors with one of trophies being played for, with Lundin Golf Club House in the background. Circled in the version of the photograph below is James Hunter Aitken (1896-1982) who was aged 54 in 1949. He lost his right arm in the First World War. It was his grandson who kindly shared this fantastic image.
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The 15 June 1949 Leven Mail reported on the occasion and some key results are given above. Mr G. Jackson of Kent triumphed in the main championship, while Australia's J.B. Todd won the President's Prize. A Team Championship Cup was also played for, and Scotland triumphed in that (see 9 June Dundee Courier below). The whole series of events was rounded off with a dinner at the Lundin Links Hotel, at which the awards were handed out by the then Captain of Lundin Golf Club, Fred Horne. Present at the award ceremony were representatives from the Royal and Ancient Golf Club and 'Golf Monthly' magazine.

The Team Championship Cup was displayed in the window of a Kinghorn butcher's shop, as local councillor John McDougall had captained the Scottish winning team. Councillor McDougall was also elected President of the Society for the year ahead. Below are more-detailed images of the group. The British One-Armed Golf Championship returned to Lundin Links fifty years later in 1999.  If anyone has further information about either event held at Lundin Links or any of the individuals seen in the photograph, please do comment or get in touch.

Interestingly, half a century before this 1949 event, earlier one-armed golfers had been photographed on these links. More on that in the next post....
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Part three in this series about the Lundin Links Hotel ended with the outbreak of the Second World War. Hotel owner, Freddie Muriset, had already served as a gunner with the Royal Field Artillery in the First World War. He immediately signed up to serve again, becoming a Captain with the Royal Artillery Territorial Army from 1939, progressing to a Major later during the war. In his absence, the hotel remained open, with his wife Jean Muriset at the helm, supported by long-term member of staff Miss Margaret Cameron who lived on-site.

The postcard image above features the air raid shelter which was created by the entrance to Fir Park (see brick feature at far left of image). This is shown in more detail below. The hotel continued to host functions such as weddings, and to welcome guests, while dealing with blackout restrictions and rationing. The advert below dates to 1944 and names Jean as the proprietor. As it became clear that the war was close to an end, fund-raising events such as dances were held in the hotel in aid of the 'Welcome Home Fund'. In the years immediately following the war, hotels across the country found stocks of items such as sheets, towels, furniture and curtains in short supply. Mr Muriset commented upon this in the press in June 1948, adding that the cut in spirits allocation and limited petrol rations, on top of other supply issues, would mean that many small hotels would struggle to make a profit.

However, as the post-war years gave way to the new decade, the Lundin Links Hotel was on the up once more. Each week in the local press there were reports of dances, celebrations, meetings and dinners held there. Moreover, a string of famous faces visited the hotel. Firstly, on 14 March 1949, child actor John Howard Davies, pictured below, who was aged 10 at the time, was a guest. The star of the 1948 film 'Oliver Twist', stayed at the Lundin Links Hotel with his mother for three days, while making personal appearances at cinemas in Lochgelly, Kirkcaldy and Dunfermline. He also paid a surprise visit to a school in Methil. ​

June 1952 saw His Highness Omar Ali Saifuddien III, the Sultan of Brunei, and party lunch at the Lundin Links Hotel as the guests of Cameron Bridge Distillery. The Sultan had arrived in the UK on 20 May for a two month visit (his first to the country). The photograph above from 11 June Tatler shows him (centre) at an event just days prior to his visit to Fife, where he attended the Cupar Highland Games. A second Sultan dined at the hotel just one month later. On this occasion it was the Sultan of Perak (a Malaysian state) who enjoyed the hotel's hospitality.
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The following year, another celebrity dropped in for lunch at the hotel - Maurice Chevalier, the French actor, singer and entertainer. The 64-year-old, who was also a keen golfer, visited in February 1953 while in the UK touring his one-man show (which included dates at King's Theatre in Glasgow and the Lyceum in Edinburgh). His lunch followed a visit to the John Haig factory in Markinch.

The hotel now used the phrase "Scottish Riviera" extensively in its advertising and this became the hotel's telegram address. An advert even appeared in The Tatler suggesting the hotel as a place to go for 'Northern Nights' away. A good balance would seem to have been struck between catering for both visitors and locals alike. Parties thrown for children are fondly remembered by some. The 9 November 1955 Leven Mail reported on a Hallowe'en party where "a hilarious time was had by all". Tea was served, a conjurer provided entertainment and then a real witch "whisked in on her broom, complete with cat". A 1950 Christmas Social comprised "a programme of games and dances to suit young and old", Christmas carols then an appearance by Santa Claus who presented each young guest with a gift.

Above is an unusual novelty postcard sent from Largo during the First World War. The image of warfare seems an odd choice for a holiday postcard, as does the pun 'things are booming at Largo'. However, it was topical and someone saw fit to send it to their nephew.  Here is what was written on the reverse...

Dear Tom, 
We are spending our holiday at Lundin Links this time instead of Largo. Robert does not spend so much of his time at the shore. He is so taken up with the soldiers. There are a lot of them here. I should have written your mother before this but will do so soon. Glad father keeps busy and trust you are all well. Grandma took a bad turn two days ago and gave us a fright but she is feeling better now.
Trust you are all well. With best love from all to all.
I am your loving Aunt Kate.

This message suggests that Robert is a child who is fascinated by the presence of many soldiers around Lundin Links at the time. We know that the Highland Cyclist Battalion had men in Lundin Links and that soldiers were billeted in houses such as Fir Park and St Catherine's. Many of those soldiers would not have survived the conflict. Of the 284 men of Largo Parish that served in World War One, 51 lost their lives and have their names inscribed on Largo War Memorial. 

The postcard has a flap on the front, which conceals a pull-out strip featuring twelve small black and white photographs from around Largo. These include the usual suspects of the Standing Stones, Crusoe Statue, Upper Largo Kirk, Largo Harbour, Kiel's Den and Lundin Tower. Below are two of the less widely-used images, showing Lower Largo from the sands (west and east views).
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The above image clearly shows the bellcote of Largo St David's Church to the right and the old 'Butter's Buildings' to the left of White House. Below is the stretch between the (almost) the Orry to the left and (almost) Cardy House to the right. 

Born in Keith, Banffshire on 30 August 1867 to general labourer Joseph Ripley and his wife Margaret Cassels, John Ripley was working as a wool spinner by the age of 13 at Isla Bank Mills in Keith, for G&G Kynoch tweed manufacturer. Two years later, he and his brother moved to Montrose, where they undertook an apprenticeship as slaters. However, at the time of the 1891 census John was in Bonhill in Dunbartonshire and his occupation was recorded in the census as railway porter. However, when he married Jane Laing in 1895 he was a journeyman slater, residing in St Andrews. His marriage was where John's connection to Largo began, as his wife hailed from New Gilston.  Many will have heard of John Ripley (pictured above) as a recipient of the Victoria Cross and some may know that he is buried at the cemetery in Upper Largo. 
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​John and Jane were married in New Gilston on 21 June 1895. Jane had been born there in 1867. Her father Alexander Laing was a coal miner, as was his father before him, Andrew Laing. Jane's mother was Agnes Gatherum, whose father Thomas was also a coal miner. This side of the family lived in neighbouring Woodside. According to A.S. Cunningham's 1907 book 'Upper Largo, Lower Largo, Lundin Links and Newburn', New Gilston was built around 1700 and owes its existence to coal mining. Gatherum was a common name around the area at that time. As well as Jane's mother being a Gatherum, her grandmother on her father's side was too.  When Jane Laing married John Ripley they settled in St Andrews and that is where their son Alexander was born in 1896.

As well as setting up his own business as a slater, John was also a long-term member of the St Andrews Fire Brigade and the Rocket Brigade and was also a volunteer with the Black Watch territorials (which he had joined in 1884). By 1901, John, Jane and Alexander had taken in Jane's widowed father Alexander and also her sister Catherine Laing. All were living in College Street St Andrews and John was still working as a slater. in 1909, the family moved from College Street to North Street. The notice below from the 5 June St Andrews Citizen advises customers of the relocation of John's business as a slater and chimney sweep.

It was also in 1909 that John was awarded the Volunteers’ Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. He had served for many years in the 6th Volunteer Battalion, Black Watch, becoming a sergeant and one of his company's best shots. Three years later he retired from the Volunteers, after completing 18 years service. The Ripley household was now only John and Jane and their teenage son Alexander. At that point in time none of them could have foreseen the events that would unfold over the next few years.
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It was on 9 May 1915, while a corporal in the 1st Battalion, The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) at the battle of Aubers Ridge, that the following deed took place for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross (below is how it was reported in The Gazette):
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John was one of four men to be awarded the Victoria Cross (shown below) in that particular battle. One of the others was David Finlay from Guardbridge, close to where John lived in St Andrews (also of the Black Watch (Royal Highlanders)). Finlay was later killed in action in Mesopotamia on 21 January 1916. 
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The Victoria Cross is the highest British award which may be given for gallantry in the face of the enemy. Instituted by Queen Victoria on 29 January 1856, this decoration may be conferred upon officers, non-commissioned officers and members of all the armed forces. The medal itself is a cross pattée of bronze, having almost triangular arms, narrow at the centre and broadening to squared ends. In the centre is the Royal Crest over a scroll bearing the words For Valour. The date of the act of bravery is given on the reverse and the recipient’s name is engraved on the back of the bar.  The holders are entitled to add the letters V.C. after their name.

On 14th July 1760 the British were victorious over the French in the Battle of Emsdorf, which is depicted in the above painting. This battle took place during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) - a struggle for world supremacy between Great Britain and France which is considered to be the first global conflict in history. At Emsdorf, the newly raised British 15th Light Dragoons, along with six battalions of Hanoverian and Hessian infantry and some irregular cavalry fought against the French side (which were five battalions of the Royal Bavière and the Anhalt regiments, German mercenaries, and a regiment of hussars recruited from Hungary). The two forces were roughly the same size at around 3,000 men. The British and Hanoverians wore red. 

Part of a campaign to disrupt the French line of communications, this particular battle's objective was to capture Marburg to the west of Emsdorf (a village in Hessen, Germany, north of Frankfurt) where a French supply depot was situated. The French force were settling down to lunch when the British alliance surprised them. The Anglo-Hanoverians ultimately captured over 1650 prisoners, mostly due to several charges by the British 15th Light Dragoons into the retreating French force. A map of the battle is shown below. 
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The fledgling regiment's victory at Emsdorf caused a sensation back in Britain. They were awarded the first ever Battle Honour (the right to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on flags, uniforms or other accessories), thus beginning a system that continues to this day. The 15th Light Dragoons began to wear the words “At Emsdorf” on their light dragoon helmets (see image below) and, as a result of this victory, the regiment acquired the new nickname of “The Fighting Fifteenth”.
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​William Erskine (pictured below) was knighted for his performance in Emsdorf by King George III. Nicknamed "Woolly" Erskine, he went on to be posted to America and spent three years participating in the American War of Independence. He later saw action in the wars of the French Revolution. The Erskine Baronetcy, of Torrie in Fife, was created in the Baronetage of Great Britain on 28 July 1791 for William. In 1793 the baronies of Torrie and Lundin were entailed by Sir William Erskine. When he died on 19 March 1795, he was succeeded by his eldest son William.

So by the beginning of the 1800s, General Sir William Erskine, second baronet of Torrie (1770-1813) was proprietor of the Lundin estate. With the death of his father was still relatively recent, when it came to forming plans for the development of a new village to the south of Lundin Mill, he decided to name it Emsdorf after his father's famous victory. The brief entry (no. 6334) in the Sasines of 1802, shown below, is the earliest reference to the name 'Emsdorf' within the Largo Parish. It records James Crawford as the first to take possession of a feu in the newly established village on charter by Sir William Erskine of Lundin. 

From then, further feus were taken up and Emdorf grew into the village seen on the 1854 map below. Many of the early residents of the village were linen hand loom weavers. At the time of the first census in 1841 there was a concentration of weavers in the streets of Emsdorf. The sound of the shuttle would have emanated from many of these houses, as a local nonagenarian commented in 1931.

The younger Sir William Erskine, the second Baronet, died in 1813. The title and estates passed first to his brother James, until his death in 1825 and then to youngest brother John, fourth baronet, who lived until 1836. The Baronet of Torrie title became extinct upon his death. The property of Sir John Erskine of Torrie then passed to the son of his late sister, Frances Erskine (1773-1798). This was Rear-Admiral James Erskine Wemyss of Wemyss (1789-1854), whose maternal grandfather was Sir William Erskine of Battle of Emsdorf fame. James Erskine Wemyss sold the Lundin Estate to the Standard Life Assurance Company in 1852, shortly before his death (see notice from 27 May 1852 Fife Herald below).
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Although Emsdorf no longer exists as a village, the street names of Emsdorf Street, Emsdorf Road and Emsdorf Crescent survive to this day within Lundin Links. The unusual name often prompts questions. Although like several other streets and settlements around the country the name recalls a long-ago battle fought in a foreign land (other examples being Waterloo, Trafalgar and Maida), the full story of Sir William Erskine and his role in this battle remains relatively unknown. 
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In addition to the Largo War Memorial which stands at the crossroads at the top of Harbour Wynd, there are beautiful memorial plaques within Largo Kirk to those who lost their lives in the two world wars. Like the main stone memorial, the memorial plaques took some time to discuss, design and raise funds for. Both memorials reach their centenary this year, as both were first unveiled in 1921, bearing the names of those lost in the First World War. The main war memorial was unveiled in June (see photograph below) and the plaque in the Kirk (shown above) in December.

Designer of the First World War plaque, William Walker, died suddenly on 7 February 1923, aged 39, from heart failure. Born in Cupar in 1883, son of a wine merchant there, Walker served his apprenticeship as an architect at the offices of Gillespie and Scott in St Andrews. He then formed a partnership with Andrew Haxton and set up an office in Leven, at 3 High Street. When the war came along, Walker mobilised with the Highland Cyclists' Battalion. He was stationed at Lundin Links and at Cupar prior to being sent to India. He rose to the rank of Captain but was eventually invalided home. Upon demobilisation, Walker set up his own office in St Andrews and was admitted to the Fellowship of the Royal Institute of British Architects (F.R.I.B.A.). As well as the Largo Kirk memorial, Walker designed war memorials at Dairsie Parish Church and Pittenweem Public School.
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Manderlea is a substantial building on Links Road, Lundin Links, overlooking the 18th green of Lundin Golf Course. The above postcard view shows Manderlea in the inter-war years. Note the many large windows facing towards the sea. Below is a photograph showing the building today (on the far left), next to its neighbours to the east. Like several other large dwellings in the village, it began life as a boarding house, before being restyled as a 'private hotel' and ultimately undergoing conversion into flats.
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Back in 1905, when Lundin Links was experiencing a spell of development, as a fashionable summer resort, a Mr Robb commissioned Walter Horne to build an eight-bedroomed house immediately to the west of Westhall (a villa built in 1894 which had stood alone for a decade). The small insert from 11 August 1905 East of Fife Record below pinpoints the date.

​The work on this house kept Mr Horne's men busy all through the following winter and an update appeared in the 15 February 1906 Leven Advertiser (below) as the work neared completion. This specified that the house was to be a boarding house to be run by Miss Robb. In fact, the establishment was run by sisters Janet Dall Robb and Mary Ann Robb. They were the daughters of ploughman James Robb (who was born in Kilconquhar but whose mother Janet Dall was from Largo).

​The sisters had previously worked in domestic service in Edinburgh but some change in fortune seems to have enabled them to establish their own enterprise. Manderlea was ideally situated, close to the station, the golf links as well as the beach. The Misses Robb remained at Manderlea throughout the First World War, although it was unclear how the boarding house was used during that period. Perhaps the premises were used as accommodation for soldiers, as was the case at nearby St Catherine's and Fir Park. However, soon after the war ended, the boarding house passed into new ownership.
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Interestingly, the electoral register of Fife for Spring 1920 shows both Mary and Janet Robb and future owners of the boarding house, John and Jane Balmer, living at Manderlea. After this brief handover spell, the Robb sisters moved on. John Balmer and his wife Jane (nee Short) became long-term proprietors of Manderlea. The advert below appeared in the 1925 Post Office Directory.

The Balmers had married in 1904 at Coates House in Newburn, where Jane had been born in 1880. Her Dorset-born father William Short had long been the gardener there. John Balmer was born in Westmorland Cumbria and it was there that the couple initially settled there after their marriage. Eldest daughter Nora Jane Fernie Balmer was born there in 1907, followed by second daughter Phyllis in 1909. At the time of the 1911 census, John was a 'confectioner' in Cumbria.
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Several years later, the family returned to Jane's Largo roots, where John and Jane ran Manderlea for the rest of their lives. Over the decades many visitors enjoyed their hospitality and the view from Manderlea. During the Second World War Polish soldiers were billeted at Manderlea, as they were at other large houses and boarding houses in the village, such as Lindisfarne. The Misses Balmer became regular attendees at the Scottish-Polish Association events, held from the 1940s onwards.

John Balmer died at Manderlea on 17 November 1954 aged 75, with Jane passing away just two months later, also at Manderlea, on 14 January 1955 aged 74. While daughter Nora went on to marry in 1956, to Robert Gemmell, younger daughter Phyllis remained at Manderlea and was still living there when the large house was converted into five flats and renamed 'Manderlea Court' around 1974. Phyllis died in a car crash on the Leven to St Andrews road on 5 August 1989, aged 79. Nora had died in 1984 aged 76. A few years ago two of the Manderlea Court flats were combined back together. Below are images of the building from the 1970s (in black and white) and as it is today, looking very fresh and modern for a building that is now well over a century old.

As a follow-up to the recent post about the history of Largo Curling Club, I am grateful to a reader who has shared the above artefact. It is the programme for the Centenary Dinner of the club. Note that, although the actual centenary would have occurred in 1940, the Second World War disrupted life so greatly that it was not until a full seven years later that this event was finally able to take place. 

It certainly appears that, although delayed, the occasion was marked in style and with all the appropriate traditions. Below are the 'Bill of Fare' and the 'Programme and Toast List' - both rich in detail and with many interesting turns of phrase. Let's have a look at these in more detail....
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The layout and content of these pages closely mirrors the style used at key dinners from Curling history such as the Jubilee Dinner held for the Royal Caledonian Curling Club, in Edinburgh's Waterloo Hotel, on 28 Nov 1888. It was similarly "garnished with sundry curling phrases to help the digestion". Verses from the curling poets, such as Henry Shanks of Bathgate and Rev. J. Muir of Leith are also typically included. Even the food chosen for the menu is traditional. 'Beef and greens' in particular has been the traditional fare of the curling dinner for centuries.

Here are definitions for some of the curling phrases that pepper the menu:

"Soop, lads, soop" refers to sweeping (the ice) in the path of a curling-stone in order to assist its progress;
"Kiggle-Kaggle" means to cause the stone to make a succession of zig-zag movements or inwicks up a port or space between curling stones, to reach a certain object;
"Clap on a gaird" relates to playing a stone to lie in front of or “guard” the tee or another stone lying near it;
"On the pat lid" suggests a curling stone lying right on the tee.

Note also the reference to the temperance movement - "ginger brew for Templars sae true" - within the poem at the top. This was a significant movement nationally and locally in the late 19th century and early 20th century (more on this to come in future posts).

Below, the toast list includes all the customary toasts, including one to the Royal Caledonian Club (the sport's governing body), one to neighbouring clubs and others to new curlers, to skips and to presidents. Several songs are also included in the programme, which no doubt would have been sung with gusto!

More about the traditions surrounding curling can be found here - ​electricscotland.com/history/curling/.