My Childhood Years

I was born in Gorebridge, Midlothian on 5th October 1940. My family moved to a rented house in Rosewell, Midlothian. My sister Elma was born there on 29th November 1943. My father was a barber. My parents knew that something was wrong with me, so they took me to see the doctor. He examined me and told my parents to take me to the School for the Deaf. This happened when I was six years old. My mother took me to the boarding school for the Deaf in September 1947. The teacher taught me to write, read, speak and lip-read in a classroom. She never taught us sign language. All of us deaf children used our own sign language while we played outside. I found it difficult to speak and to lip-read. When my mother came back to take me home, I was happy to see her and cried tears.
    Years later, Elma grew up and went to another school as a pupil. She is different because she can hear and talk. I was aware we were not the same.
    In September 1948, mother took me to the boarding school again and left me there. I learned different things. I loved to draw with pastels on brown papers and newspapers in the classroom. This is how my love of art began. My favourite artists are Constable and Marjorie Blamey, who is an excellent botanical artist. Before the long school holiday in 1952, I had a watercolour picture of tulips hung on the wall on Prize Day. I won a prize with it and it was the best memory of my life.