night on the town. I certainly saw a stern side to my grandmother on that occasion. She was then in her early seventies but she came at me like a force ten gale. I can only imagine what a strong personality she must have been as a younger woman.
Alf, however, by adopting a far more subtle approach, never experienced her wrath during his college years. She remained totally unaware of his nights of revelry until the end of her days, believing her son to be a virtual teetotaller. The many James Herriot fans were to hear little of Alfred Wight’s memorable days as a veterinary student, but he would often recall those far-off days in Glasgow – and with good reason. That sudden invasion of his life by so many varied and interesting characters, many of whom were as colourful as any he would make famous through his writing years later, impressed him so deeply that he never forgot them, even down to the smallest detail.
The making of so many new friends at the veterinary college did not mean that Alf neglected his others. His great friend Alex Taylor, after leaving school, had not pursued his further education. Instead, he got employment at Drysdales, a big engineering firm where he worked in the wages department, but he and Alf still saw a great deal of each other.
At around this time, Alex and Alf met a young man from Yoker called Eddie Hutchinson. Eddie, like Alf and Alex, was a member of the Yoker Tennis Club where the three played for many an hour through the long summer evenings. Eddie was one who introduced a new level of ferocity into the game, venomously thrashing the little white ball around the court. Off the court, he was a different man, with anattractive, slow, easy-going manner. He just went through life at his own pace. This likeable man, whose company Alf found both enjoyable and relaxing, became one of his greatest friends; photographs taken of Alf, Alex and Eddie clearly reflect the happy times the three young men enjoyed during their years together in Glasgow.
Hiking and camping in the hills around Glasgow was another pastime shared by the three friends, often accompanied by other chums, notably Pete Shaw and Jock Davey. Alf’s love of spending days in the hills was just as strong during his college years as it had been throughout his days at school, but now he had to combine work with pleasure. He would frequently take his books with him and set off for several days at a time to do some studying alone; then, his friends, who were working in Glasgow, joined him at weekends. A great deal of his time attempting to absorb the vast amount of material necessary to pass the veterinary exams was spent under canvas.
Favourite camping sites were near Fintry, in the Campsie Fells – rolling, heath-covered hills to the east of Glasgow – and the village of Rosneath on the Firth of Clyde. This village is situated on a pretty peninsula of quiet woods and fields, overlooked by the big mountains of Argyll, and it was here that Alf was able to work in total peace. Although only a short distance from Glasgow, once he had pitched his tent in one of the green fields that ran down to the seashore, he felt himself to be in another world. In later years, a large naval base was constructed near to Rosneath and some of its charm was lost, but even now it is still a most attractive village.
Despite his ambitions to explore further afield, Alf rarely ventured north to the big mountains of Scotland. They beckoned to him from his camp sites at Fintry and Rosneath but he climbed very few mountains, despite his youthful aspirations to do so. He did, however, undertake one major expedition into the Scottish Highlands in July 1938, shortly after having sat and failed his dreaded Pathology exam at the veterinary college. With his good friends Eddie Hutchinson and Pete Shaw, he ‘conquered’ the towering mountain called the Streap, near Loch Arkaig. The effort, in boiling hot weather, ensured that this was to be the last mountain Alf
Alf, however, by adopting a far more subtle approach, never experienced her wrath during his college years. She remained totally unaware of his nights of revelry until the end of her days, believing her son to be a virtual teetotaller. The many James Herriot fans were to hear little of Alfred Wight’s memorable days as a veterinary student, but he would often recall those far-off days in Glasgow – and with good reason. That sudden invasion of his life by so many varied and interesting characters, many of whom were as colourful as any he would make famous through his writing years later, impressed him so deeply that he never forgot them, even down to the smallest detail.
The making of so many new friends at the veterinary college did not mean that Alf neglected his others. His great friend Alex Taylor, after leaving school, had not pursued his further education. Instead, he got employment at Drysdales, a big engineering firm where he worked in the wages department, but he and Alf still saw a great deal of each other.
At around this time, Alex and Alf met a young man from Yoker called Eddie Hutchinson. Eddie, like Alf and Alex, was a member of the Yoker Tennis Club where the three played for many an hour through the long summer evenings. Eddie was one who introduced a new level of ferocity into the game, venomously thrashing the little white ball around the court. Off the court, he was a different man, with anattractive, slow, easy-going manner. He just went through life at his own pace. This likeable man, whose company Alf found both enjoyable and relaxing, became one of his greatest friends; photographs taken of Alf, Alex and Eddie clearly reflect the happy times the three young men enjoyed during their years together in Glasgow.
Hiking and camping in the hills around Glasgow was another pastime shared by the three friends, often accompanied by other chums, notably Pete Shaw and Jock Davey. Alf’s love of spending days in the hills was just as strong during his college years as it had been throughout his days at school, but now he had to combine work with pleasure. He would frequently take his books with him and set off for several days at a time to do some studying alone; then, his friends, who were working in Glasgow, joined him at weekends. A great deal of his time attempting to absorb the vast amount of material necessary to pass the veterinary exams was spent under canvas.
Favourite camping sites were near Fintry, in the Campsie Fells – rolling, heath-covered hills to the east of Glasgow – and the village of Rosneath on the Firth of Clyde. This village is situated on a pretty peninsula of quiet woods and fields, overlooked by the big mountains of Argyll, and it was here that Alf was able to work in total peace. Although only a short distance from Glasgow, once he had pitched his tent in one of the green fields that ran down to the seashore, he felt himself to be in another world. In later years, a large naval base was constructed near to Rosneath and some of its charm was lost, but even now it is still a most attractive village.
Despite his ambitions to explore further afield, Alf rarely ventured north to the big mountains of Scotland. They beckoned to him from his camp sites at Fintry and Rosneath but he climbed very few mountains, despite his youthful aspirations to do so. He did, however, undertake one major expedition into the Scottish Highlands in July 1938, shortly after having sat and failed his dreaded Pathology exam at the veterinary college. With his good friends Eddie Hutchinson and Pete Shaw, he ‘conquered’ the towering mountain called the Streap, near Loch Arkaig. The effort, in boiling hot weather, ensured that this was to be the last mountain Alf
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