Cromarty Archive

Danny McBean of Shorelands

Danny McBean of Shorelands

Date Added: 23 March 2005 Contributor: Bright Gordon Year: 1975 Picture No: 1111

Danny's father was a ploughman. During WW1, Danny's ship was torpedoed at Gallipoli on his 21st birthday and he was lucky to survive. He left 3 sons in 3 farms.

Albums: Farming

6 Comments

He got washed ashore at a place called 'Suvla Bay' in Turkey. Comment left on 08 April 2005 at 14:34 by Danny McBean (Grandson)
Danny was a real character, so much part of the Cromarty scene with his milk pony Polly, when I was a young lad. He frequently had to ask my help, along with others of my age to walk cattle from Cromarty to Kirkton, with the promise of a tanner!! My father regularly hired horses and carts from Danny, to enable us to unload our coalboats coming in from Sunderland. During the milk round the pony also had two special 'whisky' stops, the Royal & the Cromarty Arms!! Another tanner was given if you helped him fill & cap the milk bottles off the 'cooler'. Hay 'stook' recovery from the various sites on the field to the main stack, was Danny's forte, he roped the 'stook', and the Clydesdale pulled he, & I along on top of it!
All in the days when farming was simple!! There is another photo of him with the milk cart on this site.
Comment left on 02 November 2005 at 16:44 by Clem Watson
I also remember Danny had a pony called Patsy, whom Gracie used to take on her rounds. Comment left on 03 November 2005 at 23:20 by Sue
For Polly, as the pony's name READ 'Patsy' Sue has he better memory!!! Comment left on 04 November 2005 at 12:55 by Clem Watson
Yes that's right, PATSY was the pony's name, I can also tell you my granny Gracie loved Patsy, and still had tails to tell about them days even in her 90s. To this day Patsy's shoe remains in our family, and as for the whisky stops, well they carried on long after Patsy was gone - both my granny and John enjoyed them well into the 1980s/90s, so thanks to everone past and present who made their stops so welcoming, may they both rest in peace. Miss you Gran, Selma. Comment left on 11 March 2009 at 11:25 by Selma Brown (Mary Grants daughter)
Reference to the whisky stops, Gracie also had her 'social service' stops! When my dad Jack Mackay died in 1980 Gracie stopped every morning around 8a.m. to have a cup of tea and a Matheson's roll with my mam, Babs. I later found out that Gracie did this for people sick, bereaved or lonely and I loved her for it.

Recently I added another verse to the song Our Cromarty
Gracie Anda walked the streets from dawn to darkness
Delivering the milk her daily chore
With the sick and the lonely she would blether
While Jock stood patient waiting at the door.
Comment left on 11 March 2009 at 14:54 by Jane Patience
Form Goes Here