There were two John Palmers (father and son who lived at Kirkandrews)
John Palmer Snr. (Father)
John Palmer (father) c1915 who received the family photo with the inscription ‘best love from us all, dearest’. He carried it through the rest of his war service in France and Egypt. A copy of the photo was also sent to their eldest son Tom, who was in the Royal Flying Corps.
John Palmer (Son)
John Palmer (son) wrote that he had followed his father as the working tenant of the meal mill at Kirkandrews. However, when the machinery in the mill had become worn to the extent that it was not worth replacing, the mill was closed down completely. So he accepted the offer of employment in the gardens of Knockbrex, working there until he volunteered for national service during World War I. At the Battle of Gaza he was injured in the right arm by a bullet and although he was handicapped to some extent, he was able to resume his work in the gardens, eventually becoming head gardener there. The formal gardens were renowned for their roses.
Do you have any pictures of the old meal mill at kirkandrews. As a resident for a few years in the. 50s and 60s
Hi Adam,
Here’s a photograph of Kirkandrews in the early 1900s, shortly after the kirk was built. The meal mill buildings are on the left, in front of the newly-constructed kirk building.
Regards,
John Shields