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‘This is a precious gem of a story and an important contribution to the crown of fairground history. In turns - it is funny, sad, and at times achingly poignant. It demonstrates beautifully the difficulties and merry-go-round of emotions and prejudice of marrying into the fairground community, but also … the support and camaraderie of the travellers through tough times and the struggles faced by fairground travellers after WW2.’ David Slattery-Christy (award-winning playwright and author) Did you enjoy the fair when it came to your town or village? Did you ever wonder about the showpeople… the families who travelled countrywide, and perhaps envy them? My family were Scottish Travelling Showpeople, and during the 1940’s/1960’s we opened at almost every highland games event and miner’s gala day (yes… this was before Mrs Thatcher!) across Scotland. This is the story of how we lived, and the culture of the showpeople of that time, who set out every spring in good faith, hauling everything, homes, families, stalls, from place to place, praying that the weather would be kind and the season profitable. But more importantly, it is the story of our mam who met dad, a serving soldier during World War Two without knowing he was a showman. As an incomer (flattie) she quickly learned that the life was not all bright lights and candyfloss. She would also learn that her young husband, despite his promises, refused to leave the business, not really understanding why she wanted to live in a house… and not a bus! This the story of our travels, the heartache of a family divided by prejudice, and mam’s odyssey.

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9781803136257

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As an ‘itinerant scholar’ Jean Stirling attended over 50 different schools, leaving at 15 with no qualifications. She worked in Local Government for over 40 years, first with the police, then as a social worker, gaining a BA degree in Social Sciences with the Open University.  This memoir is her tribute to a loving family and the unique lifestyle which played such an important part of her childhood and teenage years.

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