THAT July of 1949 was largely excellent, in terms of weather, with lots of sunshine. Beekeepers in the west and south of Scotland reported that the heatwave had brought the finest quality of honey ever known.
Hillfires were reported to have spread rapidly on the 16th of the month, endangering private woodlands and plantations of the Forestry Commission. Water was pumped from the sea to put out one fire. Early in the month, some rural areas were affected by drought. Reservoirs in Lanark were below half their normal level.
Otherwise, on the roads and the rail network, it was business as usual. On Monday the 18th, the rail stations at Queen Street and St Enoch were hectically busy.The attraction of a two-day race meeting at Ayr helped make the town especially popular, and by 11am it was estimated that some 20,000 people bound for Ayr and other county resorts had passed through St Enoch Station. Waterloo Street bus station saw a Fair-Monday record amount of buses for Ayr.
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Herald DiaryNine thousand people left Central Station that Monday morning for Gourock. ‘Doon the watter’ sailings from the Broomielaw were also popular.
The Glasgow stay-at-homes made the most of the terrific weather. Some basked in the sunshine in the city parks; others (above) enjoyed a chimp’s antics at Calderpark Zoo.
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