Elizabeth & Janice Hannan

Janice Black and Elizabeth (Liz) Bowers are twins. Before they were married ‘The Hannan twins’ lived in Bellrock Street - born in 244, and later moving to 281 and 239. Their Granny Robertson lived in Newhaven Road.

Their memories of Cranhill are bright and vivid - whether its about helping in the house, the shops, the vans, the ragman, the schools or street games.

The twins started school in Lamlash Primary School in 1958, before moving to Milncroft and then Cranhill Secondary. Both have fond memories of their primary school days - despite the strictness and the formality of the classes.

Janice recalls, “you had to put your hand up. They were quite strict - even in primary one - you had to put your hand up. The teacher had a habit of throwing the duster if some of the boys were misbehaving - even in primary one. She would just throw the duster up to the back of the class. We didn’t wear uniforms. Being twins my mother would dress us the same. I remember my mother taking us to Selwyn’s and we got these nap coats, which I hated, because they made your neck itchy.”

Both sisters remember the games they used to play, including ‘kick the can’, 'skipping ropes', ‘Chinese ropes’, ‘peever’ and ‘jumping the middens'. They also had hoola hoops - and even got into their picture in the Daily Record (see photo gallery). Some of the neighbours weren’t best pleased about them making ‘chalk beds’ on the pavement to play peever. The neighbours were also less than happy with the noise when the girls played ‘balls’ in the back close - bouncing the balls off the cellar doors.

Liz, despite being acknowledged as the more sporting of the two, remembers collecting and swapping ‘scraps’ - especially the ‘big angel sets’. The Bunty and the Judy comics with their cut out dressing doll sets provided lots of fun. In due course the wall posters of bands such as ‘Amen Corner’ from the Jackie became the focus of attention.

Liz and Janice have differing views of their move to Cranhill Secondary. Liz’s experience was much more positive than Janice’s. Janice left in fourth year, while Liz stayed on till sixth. Liz became really involved in a lot of school activities. She captained the first eleven hockey team, was sports champion three years in a row, a member of the school’s sailing club at Blairvadach near Helensburgh - and went to summer camps at Castle Toward for hockey coaching. She met her husband-to-be at Cranhill - which re-inforces her fond memories of the school.

Janice was less sporty than her sister. “I couldn’t even ‘tumble my wilkies’, and the teacher would ask how can you not be more like your sister? I was better than Liz in the cookery class. As soon as I did my ‘O’ Grades, I was out.”