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collections
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GB 249 SOHC 18 · Collection · 2009

Oral history project, conducted in 2009 by David Walker of the Scottish Oral History Centre at the University of Strathclyde on behalf of Glasgow Museums, interviewing those who had earned their living working at Glasgow’s docks. A total of 17 men were selected as suitable for the project but in the end only 12 participated, with some becoming ill and others unavailable for interview. Although a smaller cohort was used than originally intended it did provide a representative sample of workers with experience of most of the docks that operated along the Upper Clyde at Glasgow and its environs. The group also had experience of many of the jobs undertaken such as electrician, plan maker and superintendent stevedore, plater, winch operator, checker, and crane driver. One additional respondent was interviewed who had never worked at the docks but had lived at Shiels Farm and had witnessed the opening of the still operational King George V dock in 1931. The average age of those interviewed was 72 with birth dates ranging from 1926 to 1947. All of the interviews were conducted at the respondent’s home with one exception which was conducted at the Scottish Oral History Centre.

The interviews were semi-structured in style which allowed the respondents to talk beyond their working lives. Hence the testimonies provide evidence of the daily work and conditions in which their working lives were undertaken but they also touch on other aspects of their lives, including family relationships, early job opportunities and trade union activities. The respondents were not only generous in donating their memories but also in providing photographic images which help illustrate the people interviewed, the types of ships that they worked on, buildings now demolished, and tasks undertaken such as handling large steel slabs, grain, coal or scrap iron. Although each interview was conducted separately there was some overlap in the recollections mainly due to the fact that many of the men knew each other as workmates and inevitably they were exposed to similar events in their careers.

University of Strathclyde | Scottish Oral History Centre
GB 249 LEES · Collection · 2007 - 2023

Digital documents (word documents, Excel spreadsheets, emails, PDFs, JPEGs) all relating to Michael Lees' research of asbestos in schools and the activities of the Asbestos in Schools campaign began by Michael. Michael Lees began researching asbestos in Schools following the death of his wife, Gina, who worked in an infant school and died of mesothelioma. Files are arranged into thematic folders and include:

  • briefing papers;
  • asbestos photos; articles;
  • meetings papers- agenda, questions, minutes etc;
  • photocopies of documents from FOI requests e.g. Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions;
  • Michael Lees articles 2088 - 2023;
  • documents about legal cases;
  • presentation files, Michael Lees, 2009 - 2013;
  • Parliament meetings papers c2008 - 2014;
    And further similar documents.
Lees, Michael, b. 1947, MBE, anti-asbestos campaigner
GB 249 SOHC 8 · Collection · Original recordings, 2005

Conversations between Neil Rafeek and two men who spent their working lives as laggers in the Clydeside heavy industries. Topics covered include childhood and growing up in Glasgow, the Clydebank blitz, housing, domestic life, social life, football, sectarianism, gang culture, National Service, working conditions, trade unions, health and safety, asbestos.

Includes notes and draft publications relating to a project about the working culture and notions of masculinity in Clydeside heavy industries.

University of Strathclyde | Scottish Oral History Centre
Archibald McCunn papers
GB 249 OM/315 · Collection · 2004

Correspondence between McCunn and Andrew Hamnett, Principal of the University of Strathclyde; article on Colvilles-McCunn Flexible Tuyere Stock; photograph of a blast furnace.

McCunn, Archibald Eddington, b. 1927, engineer
GB 249 SOHC 7 · Collection · Original recordings and transcripts 2004-2005

Eight interviews conducted by David Walker in pursuit of his doctoral research on ‘Occupational health and safety in the British chemical industry, 1914-1974’ (PhD thesis, University of Strathclyde, 2007: http://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/6429).

The oral history project was designed to capture the human experience of working within the British chemical industry. The desired outcome was to find respondents with a range of job descriptions that had worked in different types of plant. Although comparatively small, the cohort interviewed represents a good coverage of the industry in that the plastic, chromate, explosive and fertiliser sectors are all represented.

In total, nine respondents were interviewed with one, Richard Fitzpatrick, being interviewed twice (Mr Fitzpatrick was 87 years old at the time and grew visibly tired during the first interview). Three respondents from Cheshire (who were related to one another) were interviewed as a group. Normally interviews were conducted on a one-to-one basis in the homes of the respondents although wives and other family members were also present in all cases, with the exception of one of the anonymous respondents from Dumfries who was alone.

The average age of those interviewed was 71, with birth dates ranging from 1917 to 1945. The employment histories of the respondents ranged from the late 1930s to the late 1970s.

All those interviewed were asked standard questions at the outset such as the respondent’s name, date of birth, where they were born, if they had brothers or sisters, if they had children, at what age did they leave school and what was their first job. Thereafter, in a relatively unstructured manner questions were asked of the respondents about the experiences they had in connection with the chemical industry.

With the exception of one former manager of a chemical plant all the respondents had worked as process workers or were related to family members who also worked as process workers. Why no former directors or technologists came forward to participate in this study cannot be explained by reference to the design of the recruitment material. One reason that may explain the general problem in recruiting respondents was made by two former process workers from Dumfries who admitted that their former colleagues had seen the recruitment article published in the local press but had refused to make contact because they were fearful that Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) would stop their pension if they talked to an outsider. Although ICI would not take such a step it is nonetheless interesting that former employees of the firm offered this as the reason for not sharing their memories.

Walker, David, b. 1956, historian
GB 249 GW · Collection · 2003 - 2004

Recordings and full transcripts of 6 interviews conducted with Wyllie by freelance oral history interviewer Jenny Simmons between 10 December 2003 and 15 March 2004. The interviews follow a 'life story' format, covering Wyllie's family background, childhood, education, work, leisure and later life.

Wyllie, George Ralston, 1921-2012, artist and sculptor
GB 249 SOHC 6 · Collection · Original recordings, 2002, 2004-2005

Oral history project "Coal miners and dust-related disease" aimed to reconstruct the story of the human tragedy of coal miners' respiratory disease. It sought to "write the history of 'black spit' from its early discovery by Scottish physicians in the 19th century, through to the official recognition of coal workers' pneumoconiosis in 1942 and on to the campaigns to recognise bronchitis and emphysima as industrial diseases in the second half of the twentieth century that culminated in the landmark legal judgement in January 1998".

Of a reported number of 52 interviews undertaken, 27 survive as sound recording and transcript (14) or transcript only (13).

University of Strathclyde | Scottish Oral History Centre
GB 249 OF/73 · Collection · 1999 - 2002

Leaflets on undergraduate degree programme in Human Resource Management, 2000-2002; certificate in Personnel Practice course handbook, c 2000; leaflets about Labour Process Conference, 2000, 2002.

University of Strathclyde | Department of Human Resource Management
Dallas Carter papers
GB 249 OM/471 · Collection · 1999-2003

Records relating to Dallas Carter's undergraduate studies in Politics and Scottish Studies at the University of Strathclyde, including: lecture notebooks; essay submissions with tutors' mark sheets; examination papers; class handbooks.

Carter, Dallas Evelyn, b. 1951, student of the University of Strathclyde
GB 249 SOHC 4 · Collection · Original recordings, 1998-2000

27 interviews with sufferers from asbestos-related disease and/or members of their families. Sound recordings and transcripts (17), transcript only (10), or sound only (1). Also questionnaires.

Anonymity was assured to all project participants. Only Owen and Margaret Lilley (SOHC 4/14) opted out.

One recording had been mistakenly aggregated with this oral history project but was found not to relate to asbestos. As a result , there is no interview with the reference number SOHC 4/12.

McIvor, Arthur J., b. 1956, social historian
SOHC 14 · Collection · 1997

Oral history project, conducted by Callum G. Brown, in 1997. The aim of the project was to study the festival of Up-helly-aa, an annual winter-time festival celebrated across the island of Shetland. The interviews were a key part of the research for Callum Brown's book: 'Up-helly-aa: Custom, culture and community in Shetland' (1998).
The collection comprises 9 digital audio recordings of 6 interviews (digitised from original tapes) and 6 paper transcripts (with digital access copies): some labelled as 'partial' transcripts, and others labelled as 'full relevant' transcripts.
There are 9 interviewees. Some were interviewed together.

Brown, Callum, b. 1953, historian
GB 249 T-MIN/40 · Collection · c. 1990 - 2020

Collection of miscellaneous and mostly non-technical writings about John Logie Baird, television pioneer, written and/or compiled by his son, Malcolm Baird. Some of the pieces have been published. The material forms a supplement to Malcolm Baird's more concise technical memoirs entitled “From the White Suit to the Hard Hat”.

Comprises:

  1. Lectures about John Logie Baird
  2. Articles about John Logie Baird
  3. Reviews (book and film)
  4. Sketches of people in John Logie Baird’s circle eg relatives, friends, associates including:
    (a) John Logie Baird's older sister Annie (1883-1971) and his daughter Diana (1931-2016)
    (b) the executor of John Logie Baird's estate (1894-1964)
    (c) Donald Flamm (1899-1998), John Logie Baird's friend and associate in the USA, and an honorary graduate of the University of Strathclyde
    (d) Antony Kamm (1931-2011) with whom Malcolm Baird wrote a biography of John Logie Baird
    (e) John Logie Baird's first love "Alice" (1890-1971)
    (f) A set of short character sketches developed by Malcolm Baird for a proposed film project
Baird, Malcolm, b. 1935, chemical engineer