Alexander Dunn 1883-1966

Birth: 16 Mar 1883
Birth: Village of Killearn
Death: 8 Mar 1966 Age: 82
Father: Angus DUNN (1852-1926)
Mother: Elizabeth BAUCHOP (1859-1941)
Spouse: Maggie Williamson

Children:
Anna Ewing DUNN (1920-1981)
Angus McKay DUNN (1921-1990)
George DUNN (1923? - 1988?)
Alexander 'Alastair' DUNN (1925-2007)
Andrew DUNN (Confidential)
Alan DUNN (1933-1989)

Occupation: Baker - originally had 2 bakery shops in Clydebank

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Andrew Dunn:
Alec’s family came from around Killearn, Balfion and Buchlyrie, and his grandfather lived at Boquhran, so Lewis connection seems unlikely (Helen had suggest that his family might have come from Skye).

Alec worked as a baker in Stranraer at one time. Had two bakeries - one in the Holy City district of Clydebank, opposite the Singer’s Sewing Machine factory, and the other in Govan. As Meg lived in Langlands Road, Govan, it is likely that he met her there.

One year, he set up production in Clydebank, and crossed to Govan to start there. He found that the bakers had been drinking the ‘barm’ and were too drunk to work (a yeast culture used in the days before compressed yeast was available. It was made by adding some of the previous barm to a medium of water, gelatinised starch and malt. The yeast multiplied and the liquid was used in fermentations. It  tasted nice and had quite a high content of alcohol.). He told me that after that disappointment he decided to give up the Govan branch.

Memories of Grandpa:

I don't remember him much. Just a vague recollection when he visited us at Aultbea when I was about 3.

Shortly before her death, I asked Alison why they had moved to Aultbea. Apparently, with a growing family, Alastair had asked his father for a wage rise and Alex had refused. Sounds quickly over, but I suspect there may have been some bitterness and friction, before Alastair and Alison looked for an alternative home and work. As it is, the move to Aultbea wasn't a success work-wise. They moved largely because the local shop had said they'd take all produce of the bakery, but then they reneged on this once the family had moved. This must have been a terrible shock, and made things pretty desperate. They must have looked at every avenue for a way to earn more money to feed themselves and six children.

For Alastair this simply meant more work of the same kind - long hours, hard work - baking, then delivering by van all over the West, often to customers (such as the National Trust for Scotland at Inverewe) who didn't pay their bills for months. For Alison it must have meant worry and stress. It was at this time that she started doing decorated bought-in white pottery, and decorated ties as a way to earn a little more money. Finally they'd had enough - they were really struggling to make a living, and Alison hated the place and the very unfriendly people in Aultbea, who seem to have been distant at best, and downright cruel at worst (bullying of Helen and Fiona at school was particularly bad and vicious, especially by the MacLean children). They took a trip over to the east (don't know how or why, or how they afforded it) saw Cromarty, and that was that. Bakery and house were sold (I suspect at a a considerable loss), and the family moved to Cromarty South Sutor.

Alison and Alastair always said that we lived in the tin hut on the Sutor for a year while they looked for a suitable property in the town. This might have been partly true, but I also suspect that this time allowed them to re-group and sort out their finances - a chance to pause and look at the best way ahead. It was shortly after this that they tossed a coin to see who should return to college to retrain for a better paid job. Alastair won, and went to Grays School of Art in Aberdeen to train as an art teacher.

Know more about Alexander Dunn? Please email me with information. Thank you.