Thomas Young

Thomas was born at 5.00p.m. at the Royal Northern Infirmary in Inverness on the 7th August 1936, he was delivered by cescarian section. His father was Thomas Ross Young, mother was Elizabeth Miller and sister and sister is Elizabeth Eileen. Tom's first home was Crown Street, Inverness, but he had no memories of this house as the family moved to 89 Ballifeary Road when he was just a toddler. Tom's earliest memory there is being in a pram with squeaky wheels. This house had a back garden which bordered the Bught Park and the vast green belt beyond. World War 11 was on at this time so most of the dad's in the street were away at the war.Tom's dad had been wounded so did not go back overseas. For a period he was based in Edinburgh and sometimes got home for a few days, his suitcase was always crammed with sweets and chocolates as his job was guarding sweet factories. There was rationing of all food in these days so when the kids in the street saw him coming it was magic. There was also an Army Camp in the area near where the Icerink is now which housed German prisoners of war, the kids were always hanging around there and got friendly with the men. There were corrugated iron huts on Ballifeary Road for storage of emergency food for prisoners. At the time there were nurseries for vegetables at the Bught but Tom could not remember if the vegetables were for patients in the Royal Northern Infirmary or if they were Council owned. Tom's best friends at this time were Willie Nairne and Ian Macdonald. The river and the canal were favourite haunts and Tom learned to swim in the canal. They had rope swings in the trees at the river and Tom ended up breaking his arm there. They also used to play on rope swings on the Islands. The lads also built a hut He was a corporal in the Cameron Highlanders No 23458234.