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Madeline Campbell

Madeline Campbell was born on 16 March 1931 in Glasgow. Her mother (pictured below left) died in 1939. Her faint memories of her are that she was a very nice and loving person; when she died, Madeline remembers the sadness she felt. She only learned recently that her mother had been a waitress, through her half brother's study of family history. She was very fond of her father, who took her all around Glasgow with him, instilling a love of walking (and Glasgow) in her to this day. She remembers going to the Empire Exhibition and the Kelvin Hall with him. He was a labourer in the Fruit Market before he went into the railway. She once went to the market with him and met a big man with a bowler hat. He asked her name, and when she told him he complimented her and gave her a pear. She thinks that is why she likes pears to this day!

Madeline's brother is married and lives in Wales; he has two daughters and a son, all married, but his eldest son sadly died of cancer. She doesn't see them, but they exchange cards at Christmas. Her half brother, who is married with two sons and a daughter, was in the haulage business. His family is in Elgin, but he is down south; she keep in touch with him. She also sees her half sister (along with her two daughters and grandchildren), whose house she goes to for Christmas.

Madeline's mother Madeline attended primary school in Possilpark. She then went to Carnwadric, where she remembers being quite happy, and Strathbungo Senior Secondary School, where she was happy and respected all her teachers. She would have liked to stay in school but was not encouraged to do so at home. She took evening classes for shorthand and typing in the evenings, then started work in a chartered accountant's office as "office girl" for 2 years. She went on to a rubber merchants' and blacksmiths' supplier for a number of years. She then worked for 13 years with coal exporters, where she was extremely happy - in fact, the happiest of her working life. Reluctantly, she had to think about earning more as she was in digs, and left there to work in motor insurance. She spent a number of years there, and then worked for a year at Glasgow University. Finally, she went into the Health Service (NHS) for 24 years until she retired 8 years ago. She never married.

Madeline lived in council houses in both Possilpark and Carnwadric, then moved on to various types of houses while she was in digs - semi-villas, bungalows, etc. She thinks buying the house where she lives now was the best thing she ever did. She has been connected with the Church from an early age. She was a member of the Girls' Association of the Church of Scotland, which took up a lot of her time. Most of her friends today are from this organisation. She was also in the Girl Guides and was a Cub mistress. She hopes for peace in all the world, and also a quick cure for cancer and other illnesses.