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NewsScots couple discover 60-year-old photograph lodged behind skirting board - and return...

Scots couple discover 60-year-old photograph lodged behind skirting board – and return it to subject’s son

A SCOTS couple were left stunned after stumbling across a 60-year-old photograph lodged behind skirting boards in their home – and are returning it to the subject’s son.

David Wilson and Allison Laurence from Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire were mid-DIY work yesterday when David stripped away a section of flooring and skirting board.

When the 52-year-old removed the piece of skirting though, an image fell out from behind which shows four young men encaptured forever in black and white.

David and Allison
The couple found the picture while they were renovating their home. Credit: David Wilson

The managing director immediately showed partner Allison the picture and the pair tracked down the son of the previous couple who had lived in the home, who confirmed it was his dad in the image.

The son has confirmed that one of the young men in the image was his dad in his early 20s, snapped whilst out with friends collecting berries.

In the image, the four young men pose for the camera, dressed in a variety of clothing typical for the era, including one in a leather jacket and two others in cardigans and sweater vests.

One of the four also has a bucket hanging from his belt, cementing that the group was indeed out in the fields collecting berries.

The 60 year old picture
The image shows four young men berry picking in the 1960’s. Credit: David Wilson

Speaking today, David said: “My partner and I moved into the property about 18 months ago.

“We decided that we wanted to make it into an open plan so I’d be removing the flooring and then when I took the skirting away this picture fell to the floor.

“We have done a wee bit of investigating as it was the previous couple’s family home for 40 or 50 years.

“We contacted his son as we still had details from the house sale and asked if he knew anything and he confirmed it was his dad.

“It’s obviously disappeared down the skirting years ago and at some point the skirting has all been replaced apart from that section because it’s underneath the radiator.

“We spoke to the son yesterday and he said he’ll pop by and pick up the picture that he’s never seen before.

“The whole time I’ve been renovating I’ve just been thinking ‘Wow, this is filled with history’ from the moment I’ve started.

“I started stripping the wallpaper and there were newspapers from the 80s, it’s just incredible coming across the history of the house.”

Berry-picking was a common pastime enjoyed over the summer months by countless Scots growing up.

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