Dalmarnock Primary 'Sprays'

Aug.2009 received this fabulous cartoon from Les Jolly a fomer pupil of Annfield Primary School, he emailed: "I’ve attached a cartoon which may be of interest. It was written by an artist, I think his name is David, who was a pupil at Annfield Primary. I left the East End in 1973 and used the “Spray Baths”, it’s definitely part of our social history. Regards, Les." Webmaister: yes indeed Les a part of our social history, I remember getting the 'sprays' at Dalmarnock Pimary School A fabulous cartoon be great if we could get the artist's full name. Sept.2016 Success !!! received this email ..... I'm the author and artist of the cartoon that appears on your school photos page. It's from my Kindle book 'Walking doon the Gallowgate'. I was at Annfield Primary in Cubie Street from 1955-1962. Best wishes, David Moffat Webmaister: Lovely to hear from David and to credit him for the wonderful cartoon and indeed his Kindle book.... Walking doon the Gallowgate Walking doon the Gallowgate is the humorous story of the author’s childhood in 1950s Glasgow. Told in words and pictures (over 300 drawings, and photographs) the book looks at family, school and life in general, through the all seeing, unblinking eyes of a pre-teenage boy.

Webmaister
I remember at Dalmarnock primary school late 1950s , early 1960s. A big lorry would park in Albany street and silver 6ft by 6ft panels were carried in and assembled into portable showers, only sides with no roof, built in the playground near the toilets. We were assembled and then sent in to get a shower. Carbolic soap, a towel and scrubbers were given to you. Outside school toilets too of course in the playground.
I attended Dalmarnock Primary from 1959 till 1965.

June 2015, John Brown, Glasgow
Aye as if it were yesterday I also went to Dalmarnock primary in the early fifties and remember the showers think it was quite unique maybe not at the time though

June 2015, Christine Gallagher, Glasgow

Set up in the boys playground, we called them sprays and rain or shine we were out there lol
I lived in 37 Fairbairn Street, all of us either lived in a room & kitchen or a single end, with ootside toilets, though my Granny in Finnart street had an inside toilet, which was a treat - I dont remember how often the sprays came to Dalmarnock, but the big grey van was seen driving into the boys playground and assembled into cubes, no roof that I remember, and I take it there was a rota of class to class, an you were handed a wee bit of carbolic soap and a Corporation Towel the size of a tea towel lol - and you were rushed in and out, no fancy shampoos in those days and back to class, all with soaking wet hair, but feeling squeaky clean, besides this, we kids sometimes went for a 4d bath to the steamie in Ruby Street on a Friday night, when your Da got his wages, and you sat in the queue, I think it was an extra penny for a bit of soap and again a wee towel, but every time an adult came in you had to give them your place, no arguing there, as they would have been going to the dancing on a Friday night, and I remember when they replaced the white baths with the silver massively deep slippper baths, oh bliss, as the wee woman ootside didnt have control of how much water you got them, as she used to bang the door and say 'that's enough water' and her constant banging the door - come oan get oot - a bath was never as good as those days,
We always called them 'sprays' didn't we - don't think we had ever heard the word 'shower' except for rain.

Webmaister : superb Christine !

June 2015, James Donaldson, Glasgow
Remember it well when they faced into the old sheds bloody cold in the winter

June 2015, Harry Turner, Glasgow
mind we used tae use the panels as goals at playtime and thon big grey lorry used tae take a batterin wen we took penalties n missed the goal.lol.memories eh.

June 2015, Billy Hart, Glasgow
loved the sprays cos we didna have a bath in the house

June 2015, Patricia Alexander (nee Docherty), South Africa
Webmaister William we went to the same school and I'm worried now I can't remember that!!!!!!!!!!!

Webmaister:- Yes Patricia not many folk do remember the 'sprays' and I've not heard of many schools that got them

June 2015, Rod Gall, Australia
we used to get them a St.Marks Primary school in the 50s

June 2015, Margaret Reid, Melbourne, Australia
it was mobile showers we had in our school in Springburn too..

June 2015, Mary Farries, Australia
We had outside DRY toilets at St Luke's School in the Gorbals. Attached to the back of the school was a school for special needs children. Every Friday morning we were taken there & a green lady checked us for nits & if we needed a 'spray' we went into communal showers

Jan. 2020, Gordon Clark, Age 70, Fort William, Scotland
Came over the stories of the Glesga Sprays. This is close to my heart as the man in charge of the sprays and the "GREEN LADIES" was my dad. His name was George Clark and he worked up to retiral in1973 at which point the "MOBILE SPRAY BATH UNIT" as it was called was also retired. If I can work out how to, I will post a couple of pictures of the unit for amusement. Aw ra best.