A wonderful collection of over 700 photographs by William McMurray were the subject of a fascinating talk given by David Steel at the Stewartry U3A April meeting.
The collection, which was only found in 2012 after the death of McMurray’s daughter, is treasure trove to local historians. The photos, on glass plates, date mainly from the period 1905-14 and show Gatehouse of Fleet and its people.
William McMurray (1882-1966) was the postman, Registrar of Births, Marriages and Deaths in Gatehouse, and also a semi-professional photographer who captured daily life as well weddings and special occasions. Examples are the Macdonald brothers in their blacksmith shop in Digby Street; the Ayrshire Yeomanry exercising in Ann Street prior to the outbreak of war; and the McMichael family (who had a butchers shop) including the young boy who became famous for groundbreaking research into heart failure, Prof Sir John McMichael.
Studying the photos gives insights into the times portrayed; the dress at weddings – not a kilt in sight; the splendid vegetable garden at the Murray Arms Hotel, and a table set for a celebratory meal.
David has spent many hours scrutinising the plates to tease out clues to the identity of those pictured and has made contact with some of their descendants to fill in the gaps. He is investigating the events that are recorded and has searched the vehicle registration records for cars shown to establish their make and ownership.
Anyone interested in seeing the photographs can find them on the Gatehouse Folk website. As well as putting a name to a face, people may help identify locations, to save a little piece of Gatehouse’s history before the memories are gone.
Stewartry U3A’s next meeting will be at 2pm on Tuesday 24th May at the parish church in Castle Douglas, when Maureen Kerr will talk about St Kilda, Art and Landscape. Members and visitors alike are always welcome.