1932: 1933: John Aitkenhead and William Boyd
Glasgow University
Although
John Aitkenhead’s politics and affiliations have been presented in an
accompanying article, I consider that his later political stance would have
been shaped by experiences in childhood. He would tell of hearing stories about
male relatives who had gone off to the First World War heads held high, proud
to be fighting for King and Country. Then later, after end of war he would hear
just how many had been killed or maimed, fathers and brothers of his school
mates, and hear stories of the horrors of war, the futility of war. John had
grown up in a large working-class family where he and his siblings had gone,
outside of school hours, to earn money where they could, in John’s case farm
labouring.
During
the Depression, his father had left the Scottish shipyards to seek work in the
USA utilising his skills as a ship’s carpenter. Although he wished the whole
family to emigrate, John’s mother refused, and the family relied on what money
could be sent from the States and any money the children could bring into the
household.
Education
was held in high esteem by John’s mother, and this was not spared, even though
the family existed in financial difficulty. As detailed elsewhere, John won a
scholarship to the University of Glasgow to study English and Classics, and he
was to return a second time to study the newly formed degree of Education.
In 1933
John attended a series of lectures, presented by Dr William Boyd on the History
and Theory of Education. Boyd, as discussed elsewhere, not only opened John to
many aspects of education he also had an influence on his social awareness.
During
this time William Boyd organised and ran soup kitchens for those in dire need
amongst the families of Clydeside. John would volunteer his services to aid
Boyd in setting up and serving up bread and soup to all who needed.
Although
I have no knowledge of John joining any particular political organisations
before the Second World War I think it a likely outcome of his earlier
experiences that he would seek an organised political group to join at some
point.
It is
not easy to be definite as to why he became a Nationalist, but he was well
aware of the decline of the Gaelic language and the efforts of the Scots
Education Office, as it was then called, to eradicate the national language
from the classroom. The native tongue of his forebears.
From 10th October 1932 until 15th May 1933 Aitkenhead attended lectures presented by Dr William Boyd on the ‘History and Theory of Education.’
