Jumped in the water and hit him again

Boxer Jim Smith richly deserves the accolade “best since Dick McTaggart” (BwB, Sept. 22), according to Larry King, of Quarryside, Lochee, Dundee.

“He seems to be something of a forgotten man in Dundee,” said Larry.

“I have been amazed at the number of my contemporaries who have never heard of him.

“Jim was a classmate of mine at St Mary’s Lochee and St John’s.

“I met him recently at a reunion of the St Mary’s class of 1951.

“It was the first time I had seen Jim since we left school in 1956 . . 50 years later, Jim was just the same as I always remembered him.

“While we were reminiscing, an amusing story came up.

“We were aged around 13/14 at the time and Jim was challenged to a fight.

“The custom (origin unknown) at that time was that all fights took place after school down at the docks, near where the Cressy was berthed.

“After a bit of initial sparring, Jim knocked the guy into the water, with the reluctant swimmer taunting, ‘You can’t hit me now!’

“Jim replied, ‘Yes I can’, and promptly jumped into the water and hit him again.

“Fortunately both were good swimmers and no real harm was done.”

JIM RECEIVED TWO “LIFE SENTENCES”

Lochee reader JIM McLEAN, who played for the famous Dunkeld Amateurs outfit and also Lochee Hibs, has a query concerning the Hibees.

“In 1953, I remember North End juniors putting up a trophy called the Coronation Cup,” Jim recalled.

“The trophy was won by Lochee Hibs, but I’m trying to find out who they played in the final.

“I’m pretty sure it was St John’s FP, and I also think that Dundee FC legend Bobby Cox played for the Johnnies in the final.

“A friend of mine also thinks the final was played at Craigie Park, but, logically, I can’t see North End putting up a cup and allowing the final to go ahead on another ground.

“Perhaps some of your readers can fill in details of this final, such as finalists, score, venue and other relevant info.”

Jim also relayed the tale of how Lochee Hibs became no more.

“On the day I got married, Hibs were playing a game in which one of our players scored after four minutes,” he continued.

“Running back to the halfway line, the scorer joked with some of his team-mates about the goal and a few swear words were used.

“The referee took umbrage at this and sent the player off.

“The match official wouldn’t listen to appeals that it was just banter between players of the same team and, before long, all the players and committee were involved with the referee.

“The man-in-the-middle then abandoned the game.

“At a later association meeting, all the Hibs personnel — players and committee — were banned sine die.

“Despite me not being there as I was being married, I was also banned as it affected the whole club.

“So you could say I got ‘two life sentences in one day’!

“That was the end of Lochee Hibs.

“The ban was eventually lifted some time later on the players, but the committee remained banned for ever.”

TOMMY INFO WANTED

CATHERINE CUNNINGHAM has turned to BwB readers for information about her father Thomas (Tommy) Smith.

“He died as a result of a road accident in 1953 when he was 47,” said Catherine.

“He was the Scottish gymnast champion with YMCA, and I think he also was a member of the BGHS Club (Brown, Gilroy’s, Henderson’s, Scott’s).

“I think members of that club were workers in the Dundee mills.

“He was also a junior footballer in Dundee with a couple of teams, but ended up at Lochee Violet.

“He was employed by Briggs as a roofing foreman.”

STRIKERS APPEAL

Joanne Smith is keen to hear from any of the ladies who used to play for the Dundee Strikers in the late 70s and early 80s for a reunion.

She said, “I’m looking for people who played alongside Joan Munro and Jean Smith (nee Grant), who travelled from Aberdeen to play for the Strikers. In particular, I’m searching for a Mrs O’Neil and her two daughters Mary and Maggie.”

Anyone who turned out for the Strikers at this time and is interested in meeting up again, should contact joannesmith@studentshow.co.uk as soon as possible.