John and I were single children raised in a small Scottish town in the 1920s. We started at Primary School on the same day and but didn’t became pals straightaway. We each had our little group of pals with whom we hung out and played. As we got older, these friendships frayed, and John and I found ourselves isolated. Boys no longer included us in their games, and we were usually left on the side-lines when sports teams we...

Mary and Linda met at primary school, became best friends, and supported each other as they grew to womanhood. Both married at twenty. Mary's daughter Julie was born a year later, and I followed within a few months. For both of us, the first few years were a blissful blur of happy families.  Sadly, this idyll changed when Julie’s Dad, soon to be followed by my own, succumbed to the wanderlust, and sought out pastures or a...

My family moved to a small town in Scotland during the 1930s. On my first day at the local secondary school, I met Peter, who had also recently moved into the area. We’d both had relatively sheltered upbringings, so this all-boys school was a significant shock to the system. The final year class that we joined comprised of twenty unruly and rowdy eighteen-year-old lads who’d grown up together and were in no mood to welcom...

John and I married in 1946. At first, we lived with his parents but then rented a small flat in town. John was caring and highly enlightened for the time. We were partners in every way. He allowed me to continue working after we married. This option may seem obvious nowadays, but back then it was anathema. Although views were changing, the bar on the employment of married women was still in general practice. Legally, wive...

Sissy boy John was petticoated at Secondary School after falling foul of Jenny Tough, a school bully. During his week of penance, John found that he was more at ease and happier amongst girls than with boys. John decided, therefore, to explore his feminine side by trying to live as a girl. John’s Mum was shocked when he first arrived at home wearing a schoolgirl’s uniform but calmly listened to his story. “Well, sweetie,...

In the North East of Scotland, large families were the norm even up into the 1950s.  So, when I attended the local Primary School, there were scores of children of my age there, all shapes, sizes, and temperaments. This meld of kids meant that I didn’t stand out from the crowd despite being a softy. My time at Primary School was therefore quite comfortable and peaceful, but this situation changed when I moved up to the Se...

My best friend Rob and I had discovered the joys of boy-boy intimacy and were actively exploring our sexuality. We thought our world had fallen apart when his Mom caught us in bed together, but to our surprise, she did not freak out or punish us. Instead, she supported and encouraged us. "I'm comfortable with you boys discovering love and sensuality in a safe and let's be honest a delightful way. So, make the best of your...

I met Robert while at Secondary School. In many respects we were opposites; he was the macho athletic type while I was a wimpy nerd. Also, being academically gifted Rob was in the top stream while I was in the lower one. As a result, our paths didn’t cross that often during the first school year. In year two this changed because I did well in the sciences and moved into the top stream for these subjects. I admit that I st...

My mum and I lived on the outskirts of a small Scottish village. John and his mother Beth were our neighbors, and he and I were best friends from an early age, sharing everything as we grew up. At Primary School and then Senior Secondary School, we were an inseparable pair, supporting each other through the good and bad times. This idyll came to an end when we had just turned sixteen. He and his mom moved away from the ar...

I first met Debbie during year one at the university. We shared some classes and lived in the same accommodation block, but weren’t close, just acquaintances. We lost touch in year two because I moved off-campus into a small flat that I rented with Maria, another classmate. This flat-share worked well and continued into my third year. However, during the spring semester, love or lust must have been in the air; Maria decid...

As neighbors, Carol, Karen and I regularly met up on weekends during school term and more often during the holidays. We played many games together, and I happily joined in, despite their girly nature; I even played with dolls. Of course, the kids at school found out about this, and I was bullied mercilessly for being a sissy. I tried to explain that no boys were living nearby to play with, but in truth, I didn’t relate to...

It is difficult for youngsters of today to believe or understand the strict mores that defined female lives in the past. When I was growing up in 1930's Scotland the preached doctrine was that sex was dirty and sinful, except when between husband and wife to procreate; Not for mutual pleasure and forbidden out-with the marriage bed. So entrenched were these ethics that pregnant girls often got thrown out of the family hom...

I was an only child, raised on a small croft in Scotland. There were no young families nearby so until primary school I had little contact with other children. Even then, I remained an outsider because most of the kids already knew each other and had established groups of friends.Mary and I first met during my third year at school. She and her mum Judy had newly moved to the area and were staying in a farmhouse that was o...

Miss Janice Brown had been a pupil at our school and then had a long career here as a teacher, before retiring seven years ago.  I first met her when I was preparing a paper on student experiences at school. Clara (Miss MacDougall) suggested that it would be good to compare the past and present pupil life and Janice was more than happy to help. She lived nearby so I could visit her regularly. Clara warned me that Janice h...

Large families were common in the North East of Scotland. I was one of seven siblings, four girls, and three boys. We were poor but still had a good upbringing. As the eldest, I helped my mother to look after my brothers and sisters and with the running of the house. I started work as a kitchen maid as soon as I could leave school. I was not good looking, and despite my best efforts, I found myself on the shelf. I, theref...