‘Physically the well water could play an important part. Socially there

would always be full employment with the quarries, the paper mill at

Guardbridge, the land and the proximity to the town of St. Andrews; as

thrift was much admired, any opportunity of a second job would not be

ignored.

‘It is also important to remember the interest and kindness shown to the

village by the members of the Younger family at Mount Melville by the endow-

ment of the Youth House, the Men’s Club and the Nurse’s cottage. The first

two served to ease the strains and tensions of cramped living conditions in

addition to providing educational interests, and without the cottage such a

small village might not have been considered for a nurse on the spot These

three buildings of a distinctive type were an ornament to the village.

‘The combination of family, good neighbours, adequate money and a

better pension, thanks to a government which understood the hardships of

the past, may be summed up as: “I have a good bed, a good fire and an egg

to my tea so what more could I want! God has been good to me”... spoken

of course in the direct vernacular of East Fife.

‘It is not often in nursing that any condition causing distress is reported

by euphemism, but indulgence in alcohol was one of these, being referred to

as a weakness, a silent lifting of the elbow indicating the source of the trouble.

One old lady had had this misfortune in her family when her husband in sadness

at being left out of things became an alcoholic causing untold misery at home.

This very old lady nearing her century was silent and withdrawn and long

after her death her daughter told me the reason.

‘It is a well known fact that Scots people enjoy words, and even under the

influence of a friendly dram one will find them enunciating with relish. This

particular pleasure in language probably stems from a long association with the

powerful phrases of the Bible’s English, plus a great fondness for Robert

Burns, at the other end of the scale who, in spite of his personal weaknesses,

had an endearing love of the countryside and the ways of country people’.

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Galloway have written about their early days in

Strathkinness running the village shop:

‘Our arrival in Strathkinness on 29th March 1949 was as a result of buying

the village shop which at that time supplied villagers with their grocery and

newspaper requirements. Under the post-war rationing system the shop had

the grand total of twenty-eight registered customers.

‘Weekly rations, per person per week, were 8 ounces of sugar, 2 ounces of

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