This photograph shows Donald and Gladys, second from right, front and back rows. They are with Gladys' cousins Amy, Barbara and Irene (the daughters of Sarah Ethel Knibbs) and their husbands.
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In 1901, we see Donald and his family living at Bedlay Street, Glasgow, Lanarcshire:
William L Cameron Head Mar 31 Law Clerk Fossoway Kinrosshire Scotland
Jessie J G Cameron Wife Mar 29 Boat of Quartin(?) Invernesshire Scotland
Jessie G Cameron Daur 5 Glasgow Lanarcshire
Donald A Cameron Son 1 Glasgow Lanarcshire
Elsie Grant Visitor 58 Former Domestic Cook Aberlour Banffshire Scotland
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From The Scotsman - 21 October 1929:
GLASGOW UNIVERSITY
Graduation in Medicine
97 DEGREES CONFERRED
A graduation ceremony , principally in the Faculty of Medicine, took place in the Bute Hall of Glasgow University on Saturday . The occasion was attended by circumstances rare in the history of Gilmorehill, in that the ceremony was carried through while there is neither a Chancellor nor a Principal or Vice-Chancellor of the University. Such a situation , however , is provided for in the Ordinance, which lays it down that, such a ceremony is to be taken by the senior Professor by appointment . Thus Professor Becker, Ph.D., of the Chair of Astronomy , whose appointment dates from 1893, should have presided, but, in his unavoidable absence, the rostrum was occupied, and the graduands capped, by Professor Stockman, M.D., next in seniority by appointment and the senior Professor in Medicine . In all 97 degrees were conferred , all in medicine, with the exception of two in Science and two in Arts. Eight ladies are included in the list of 93 new Bachelors of Mcdicine and Bachelors of Surgery.
The following is tho list of degrees;—
M.B., CH.B. (WITH COMMENDATION)
Stanley James Scott, Charles Mann Fleming, M. A .; Archibald Brown Kerr, B.Sc; David Miller Cathie, Leslie Fletcher, Isobel M'Arthur Brown,...................etc.
II. ORDINARY DEGREE.
William Blane Adam, B.Sc.; David Agnew, David Minto Airlie, Ann Turnbull Allan, James Gourley Allardice, Margaret Winifred Anderson, Margaret Coupland Banon, Neil Beaton, Robert Bewick, George Gray Binnie, William John Blackley, Craig Andrew Borland, Maurice Cullen Brogan, William Stevenson Burnet.
George Frederic Arthur Caldwell, Donald Anderson Camero ,. Ian Maule Christie, Robert Coehran, Richard Olatunde Taylor Cole, Edward Cecil Boss Couper, Eileen Gillespie Craig . __________
I am extremely grateful to Donald's son Ian for providing me with the following information:
When Donald left school in Glasgow he became an apprentice at Kelvin, Bottomly and Baird, a firm of scientific instrument makers. In 1917, he was called for military service and was a private in the Kings Own Scottish Borders. He did most of his training in Ireland.
His younger brother recalls the procedure when he came home on leave. His mother would order him to go to the bathroom and strip. Various items of underwear were passed out and then very carefully examined. A few successes were despatched with a crack between his mother's thumbnails. There was no DDT in those days.
He was home just before his demob when his mother spotted his packet of field dressing, carried in an inner pocket in the inside of the front of his tunic. That was not the time of the affluent society and his mother was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, so she nicked the dressing "it'll come in handy some day." Well, so Willie his brother reports, it was never opened and has been handed on from one medical box to the next. It was a memento of a dreadful time.
After his military service Donald returned to finish his apprenticeship with Kelvin, Bottomly and Baird, and was sacked the next day - the war work had dried up.
After a spell of being idle he got a job as a clockmaker with Davidson, Henderson & Sorley, one of Glasgow's swell jewellers in Buchanan St. He then started to study. Latin was a bugbear and he eventually sat and passed the University Prelim. He then embarked on a medical course and for more than five years he worked on part time. He also did a lot of clock repairs at the weekends. His wages plus the Carnegie grant paid his fees. He graduated MB ChB and latterly spent his doctoring career in the Great Western town of Swindon.
The above contributed to Ian by Donald's younger brother Willie.:
In Swindon he had joined the practice of Drs May & McDermot at the Brow, Victoria Road. In 1936/7 he went ice skating at Oxford and answered the call 'Is there a doctor in the house'. A young lady (Gladys Knibbs) needed attention for a cut, so that was how they met. They were married on July 15th 1937 at Christ Church, Swindon. It was the wettest wedding the photographer (Maylotts) ever attended! They lived at 33 Marlborough Rd, although at around 1948 they moved to 201 Marlborough Rd, the house built for John Auld, Assist Chief Mechanical Engineer, GWR.
The medical practice eventually moved further down Victoria Road, though for many years Donald ran a surgery at Cricklade Rd in Gorse Hill. He did not retire until January 1975, but his cancer was then quite advanced and after a brief time in Cheriton Nursing Home, which he had set up with several other Swindon doctors in 1947, he died on 4th July 1975.
After graduating with MB ChB in 1929. he became House Surgeon at the Royal Maternity Hospital, Glasgow and then in 1931, he did a period as a ship's doctor with the Henderson Line on SS Sagaing earning £20 a week.
He practiced for some time in Rochdale, Lancashire, England in 1931-1932 and then in 1932 he joined Drs MacDermot and May to practice medicine at the Brow, half way up Victoria Rd in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. He ran a surgery at 47 Cricklade Rd, Gorse Hill Swindon until he retired in Dec 1974
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See image of the
ship on which he served as ship's doctor in 1931..
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We see Donald in 1939 living at 33 Marlborough Road, Swindon, Wiltshire:
Donald A Cameron 31 Aug 1899 Medical Practitioner Married
Gladys E Cameron 22 Oct 1904 Unpaid Domestic Duties Married
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From around 1950 family holidays were usually at Sandown on the Isle of Wight, England. In the mid-1960, Gladys' cousin Harold Knibbs moved to the isle of Wight with his wife Pearl so Donald used to visit them.
Gladys and Donald are buried in Christ Church, Swindon, Wiltshire, England. Plot 1517
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Our gratitude goes to the members and volunteers at
Find A Grave web site for recording the details,
in memory of Donald.
Click on the image to see a larger version showing Gladys on the right with her parents, sister Doris and two brothers Frank and Frederick. It was taken at her father Harry Knibbs' house "Aynho", Blunsden, Wiltshire, England in about 1946.
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From the North Wilts Herald - 22 June 1923:
FETE AT POOLE KEYNES
Helping the Church Restoration Fund
A very suyccessful fete, organised by the Rev. and Mrs. R. H. Wells of Poole Keynes Rectory, was held on Saturday in the Rectory Grounds, in aiud of the Parish Church Restoration Fund. The weather was rather dull, but fine, and the conditions were in favour of the whole of the programme being carried oiut without a hitch.
The varied and attractive events were excelentky arranged by a willing band of workers, hailing from Oaksey, Somerford Keynes, Ashford Keynes, and Crudwell, not forgetting the invaluable help rendered by the village folk. ................
............The two "Human Bran Tubs" were Miss Gladys Knibbs (Swindon) and Miss Vera Messenger. __________
It is understood from Gladys' cousin Barbara Stacey that Gladys was a school teacher. She drove around in a little Austin Seven car. Gladys and Barbara were bridesmaids together in 1931, so I 'm guessing it was probably for Barbara's sister Irene, when she married Hugh Walker.
Gladys went to Southlands Teacher Training College in Battersea, London, England and then taught at Pinehurs (?) until she married Donald Cameron on July 15th 1937. Their wedding is on record as the wettest the photographer had ever experienced.
She played tennis when she was young, but later graduated to bowls. In mid age was a keen Scottish Country Dancing fan with Swindon Caledonian Society. In her latter days was a keen bridge player
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From the North Wilts Herald - 02 September 1932:
Tennis
Southbrook Tennis Club beat Purton by 121 games to 71 at Southbrook on Saturday. Details:
W. Watts and Miss G. Knibbs beat Seager and Miss Bishop, 7-5; drew with Leggett and Mrs. Leggett, 6-6; beat Cox and Miss Kibblewhite, 10-2; beat Kibblewhite and Miss Woolford 8-4. __________
Her son Ian told me that in about 1950 she rode a Swallow motorised scooter, but eventually traded this in for an Austin 7 car which must be the same one her cousin Barbara told me about. .
Gladys and Donald are buried in Christ Church, Swindon, Wiltshire, England. Plot 1517.
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Our gratitude goes to the members and volunteers at
Find A Grave web site for recording the details,
in memory of Gladys.
