The Kintyre Forum

Hi, I'm a new member here and posting on behalf of Peter Nowson, who was recently diagnosed with terminal Mesothelioma (a rare form of Asbestos induced Lung Cancer).

Peter worked on the refurbishment of Crosshill Reservoir in August & September 1975 as the Site Engineer. The works were to line the edges of the Reservoir, build a new Concrete Overflow, and replace some of the old pipes & valves in the Valve House, which was also demolished.

He doesn't remember any surnames of the people that he worked with but remembers them as :

Big Duncan – the Site Foreman who worked as a Bouncer in a local bar / night club & who could pick up a bag of cement in each arm & then run uphill.
Mick (possibly), his mate who was also a Bouncer but not as big as Duncan.
Two or three ground-workers who did all of the stone work to the reservoirs
The Excavator driver, a youngish owner, who got the machine bogged in a soft peat area up to the top of its wheels but who managed to get it out with again..
Two carpenters from Glasgow area, one older one young who did the reinforcing & shuttering for the concrete works as well as helping with other things
The Engineers’ on Site Representative (possibly Colin) known as the RE is believed to have worked for Messrs Robert Cuthbertson, Engineers who have subsequently been taken over by AECOM of Edinburgh.

If you are one of these or know someone who is, particularly anyone who worked on freeing up and/or changing the two valves in the stone built little Valve House, then do please get in touch or ask them to contact me.

Peter also suggests that if you have not done so recently, please ask for a CT scan at the local hospital to see if there is any sign of any lung or pleural cancer forming or already formed. Hopefully not.

With thanks and best wishes to all who Peter worked with. Kind regards EricLinkman@yahoo.co.uk

Hi Eric

Thanks for your post and sorry to hear about your friend Peter. We have published your post on here and also link to it on our Facebook page too to see if anyone else can provide information.

With regards

"Big Duncan – the Site Foreman who worked as a Bouncer in a local bar / night club & who could pick up a bag of cement in each arm & then run uphill."

That is Duncan McGeachy, I believe?

KFN

Thanks Admin3 for joining me up and for reply to my post looking for Big Duncan and others.

I'm not sure of the best way to ask this but, is Duncan still with us and if so do you have any idea of how I can reach him.

Thanks, Eric

EricLinkman wrote:Big Duncan – the Site Foreman who worked as a Bouncer in a local bar / night club & who could pick up a bag of cement in each arm & then run uphill.
Mick (possibly), his mate who was also a Bouncer but not as big as Duncan.

Was Duncan's mate possibly Jimmy Fowler? He worked the doors with Duncan.

Hi Robert B and thanks for replying.

Sorry Peter really can't remember the names, but never has been good at that - much better at faces & places but Duncan's name did stick.

He remembers Duncan's mate as being shorter than Duncan & more wirey build with darker hair and he remembers sitting in one of the bars in town (after an enforced drink abstention of 6 months because of a previous illness) with them throwing back Tequila shots.

If this fits with Jimmy Fowler then he's the one that Peter is thinking of and hopes that he is well.

Because he has Mesothelioma which he believes was contracted on site at Crosshill, he wants to contact as many of the people he worked with there as possible, to warn them to seek a CT scan to check their lungs.

If Jimmy can contact me please it would be great to pass that on to Peter who may be well enough soon, now that his chemotherapy treatment has recently completed, for him to make direct contact rather than through me-

Many thanks again Robert for passing this on to Jimmy, and if you can please pass on Best Wishes to Duncan as I today heard that he is not doing very well sadly.

Cheers Eric L