What’s your Hearts Heritage?

[ginger jambo98]

Grandfather and great uncles all jambos. Both great uncles had 100 shares each from pre war which eventually got passed down to me. Both sons pure Gorgie. No Hibs or Celtic in our bloodline 😁

Edited March 27, 2020 by ginger jambo98

[Beast Boy]

15 minutes ago, Jambo-Fox said:

My father went to all HEARTS home games as a boy in the 1930s/40s, never missed a game, a real Hearts supporter, but  bizarrely as was the way back in the day .... an alternate weeks he went to Easter Road!!!  

My grandad on my Mum’s side did too.

[Debut 4]

1 minute ago, Morgan said:

One of my best friends is a Hibby who was born in Stewart Terrace.  

 

Go figure.

My late Uncle, who was married into my Mum’s side of the family, was born and bred Gorgie but a Hibs fan.  
 

He ended up great friends with my Dad. Worked in the same factory and frequented various Gorgie hostelries together.  They’d go to derbies together and my Dad would end up half gassed from drinking out my Uncles hip flask as they’d drink out each other’s flask when a goal was scored by the relevant team.  Needless to say, my Uncle’s flask emptied quicker in those days 😉😂

 

Admirably, and although a Hibs fan, he always said to me through the years at family gatherings Willie Bauld was his most favourite player back then.

 

 

[Jingle Bells]

Great Grandfather, a Stone Mason,  moved to the Chesser end of Gorgie Road,in the 1880's from the Borders, when the tenements were starting to be built. At roughly the same time my to be Great Grandmother's family moved to Gorgie from the Highlands to work in the newly built Whisky Distilleries.

My Grandfather and Great Uncles etc were all big Hearts fans thanks to Bobby Walker and were still praising him in the early/mid 1970''s.

My Late Father was only an occasional visitor to Tynie but still told my sister to **** off and find somewhere else to live, when aged 12 she rebelliously announced that she was going to support the Vermin.

She has since expressed no interest in football at all.

[Nookie Bear]

8 minutes ago, ginger jambo98 said:

Grandfather and great uncles all jambos. Both great uncles had 100 shares each from pre war which eventually got passed down to me. Both sons pure Gorgie. No Hibs or Celtic in our bloodline 😁

Purebloods ✊

 

Those shares are amazing!

[Morgan]

1 minute ago, Debut 4 said:

My late Uncle, who was married into my Mum’s side of the family, was born and bred Gorgie but a Hibs fan.  
 

He ended up great friends with my Dad. Worked in the same factory and frequented various Gorgie hostelries together.  They’d go to derbies together and my Dad would end up half gassed from drinking out my Uncles hip flask as they’d drink out each other’s flask when a goal was scored by the relevant team.  Needless to say, my Uncle’s flask emptied quicker in those days 😉😂

 

Admirably, and although a Hibs fan, he always said to me through the years at family gatherings Willie Bauld was his most favourite player back then.

 

 

Always a good, heartfelt tale from you, D.

 

Always Hearts related, and always a wee bitty touching.

 

One of my favourite posters, you are.

 

Keep good, mate.

[Allowayjambo1874]

Both sides maroon, both grandfathers jambos  closer to my mums father who was born in 1913, massive fan wish I could go back and ask him about his dad. As Hibs were strictly Catholic when formed I think many non Irish Edinburgh football fans at the time would’ve been drawn to hearts (thank goodness times have changed)

[Jingle Bells]

19 minutes ago, Cruyff said:

There’s probably more Jambos in Leith than there is Hibs fans.

Think it goes back to when the Vermin did in Leith Athletic's attempt to gain League status, which caused a lot of bitterness down that way at the time.

[Debut 4]

17 minutes ago, Morgan said:

Always a good, heartfelt tale from you, D.

 

Always Hearts related, and always a wee bitty touching.

 

One of my favourite posters, you are.

 

Keep good, mate.

Thanks for the compliment, mate. Very humbled. 
 

Hope things are good at your end too 👍🏻🍺

[Schevchenko]

My uncle took me to the football, 1st game I remember going to was the 1986 semi 1-0 v Dundee Utd. 

[JimmyCant]

My Dads side we’re all from Sighthill and all Hearts fans, apart from my dad who was a Rangers man. My grandad, a hero of 2 world wars was at the 56 cup final and he survived long enough after 56 to give me the Hearts bug before he died in the late 60’s . A few weeks after he died my dad took me to Tynecastle for a Hearts v Rangers game which Rangers won 1-0. In the 50 years that followed I must have been to well over 1000 Hearts games and I think of my grandad and thank him and curse him in equal measure.

 

Mums side are all Hibs apart from 2 other cousins. As a young lad growing up the cousins and uncles always went to the derby together and stood together at them. Coincided with Hibs good spell against us in the 70’s unfortunately for us cousins but we’ve more than made up for it since.

 

Sadly out of all of them I grew up with and went to games with (sometimes as lads we’d go to Tynecastle one week and ER the next week) I’m the only one that still goes to games. Some of them are dead to be fair so that’s a decent enough excuse.

Edited March 27, 2020 by JimmyCant

[Beast Boy]

I’ll probably get pellets for this but don’t really care. I actually dislike the guys from Hearts heritage and families who decided it was okay to glory hunt Rangers, more than I do any other supporters. Those ***** have tapped in to our support for decades. Hate seeing it still happen, and believe that the palsy-walsy relationship some try and invent between the two clubs is a massive contributing factor.

 

 

Edited March 27, 2020 by Special Officer Doofy

[Bauldrick]

My Grandad was a real Hearts man and his heroes were Bobby Walker and Alec Massie, He also used to talk fondly about Barney Battles, another player who was nicknamed 'Big jean', I've no idea who he was, then there was another called John White, and the story goes that all the young lads would go to the barbers and ask for a John White haircut, (probably along the lines of Peaky Blinders style). My father was a great Tommy Walker fan, and even watched him play for Chelsea when he worked down in London for a few years. My own personal Hearts heroes were Conn, Bauld and Wardhaugh, Alec Young, Dave Mackay and John Cumming and a bit later Gordon Smith who signed when he left Hibs. There have been others I liked since then, Willie Hamilton, Roald Jensen, wee Hammy, Stevie Fulton, the entire George Burley side, and of course John Robertson.

[Bozi]

My grandad was a founding member of the Craigmillar Hearts Club, my dad and his brothers pretty much kept it going during the 80s and 90s 

[Doctor FinnBarr]

No heritage whatsoever in my family, they were all Motherwell fans.I made my own decisions about who to support and the only thing my mum said was "never come home with a green and white scarf". My cousins son who grew up in Kilwinning but moved to Kilmarnock when his mum and dad split up was took to Tynie by his mums neighbour and called himself a Jambo. Not seen him in about 40 years so no idea if he still goes.

[luckydug]

4 hours ago, Nookie Bear said:

That goes back decades! 
 

I often wonder if there are supporters who can trace it back to the 19th Century through grandparents. 

My Dad and his dad were Hearts although grandad would have been a fair weather supporter.

My Dad followed Hearts from the 1920s

even went to away games despite having to work on Saturday mornings if the away game was to far to reach on time (2.00)ko in those days he would soil his boots at ER.

Mum's side of the family were Hearts as well Mum used to go to the games with us.

As regards 19th Century . Grandad on my Mother's side died aged 57 in 1937 so unless he was a late starter he almost certainly followed the club from late 1880s or early 1890s.

He was a very keen Hearts man I remember my mother showing me  a photo taken of him just after he'd picked up his Saturday Pink and Hearts had lost away he did not look a happy man 😀.

[J.T.F.Robertson]

My late dad was Hibs as were most on that side of the family. Late maw's side were pretty much all Hearts and I suspect, though can't be certain, it was an uncle on her side's indoctrination led to my Hearts' "career".

Twin brother is a ST holder at Tynie while my sister has the ER equivalent.

 

I don't remember dad ever trying to "make me Hibs", in fact the only game I actually do remember him taking me to (vaguely, it has to be said) was ironically, a league cup semi at ER against Stirling Albion, and that wasn't yesterday. 

Unless I've imagined the whole thing, we won that night and Willie Bauld was one of the scorers.

 

[The Gorgie]

3 hours ago, Lobey Dosser said:

I'm in the same boat. Only Jambo in an entirely Celtic-supporting, Glaswegian family. 

I say my dad is a Celtic fan but i use the term loosely. He doesn't go to games anymore just looks out for their results and wants them to win. He's been to far more Hearts games as he would take me when i was a kid.

[Punks No Deid]

Strange coz none of my family were Jambos - in the current pc world it’d be questioned about all these “uncles” . 
My uncle Jim took me to my first games if I can remember correctly but he went away to the navy ..  then my Uncle Gordon took me  but him being in the army n getting overseas postings meant that my late great uncle Bob took up the baton... great days n we travelled further than just from Perth to Paisley ...Uncle Bob was a proper jambo legend..Polbeth jambos can vouch for that 

Edited March 28, 2020 by Punks No Deid

[Crete]

6 hours ago, Hairdryer said:

Surprisingly lots of hearts fans from the early 1900s born

and brought up in leith 

My great grand papa,grand papa,and papa and his 11 brothers and sisters all massive Hearts fans and all from leith .

 

 

 

 

[ri Alban]

82/3 Just me, and still just me. Tho my Granddaughter will be a Jambo soon enough.

[Nookie Bear]

8 hours ago, Bauldrick said:

My Grandad was a real Hearts man and his heroes were Bobby Walker and Alec Massie, He also used to talk fondly about Barney Battles, another player who was nicknamed 'Big jean', I've no idea who he was, then there was another called John White, and the story goes that all the young lads would go to the barbers and ask for a John White haircut, (probably along the lines of Peaky Blinders style). My father was a great Tommy Walker fan, and even watched him play for Chelsea when he worked down in London for a few years. My own personal Hearts heroes were Conn, Bauld and Wardhaugh, Alec Young, Dave Mackay and John Cumming and a bit later Gordon Smith who signed when he left Hibs. There have been others I liked since then, Willie Hamilton, Roald Jensen, wee Hammy, Stevie Fulton, the entire George Burley side, and of course John Robertson.

Love that all the guys were asking for a John White haircut. Just shows the celebrity side of it existed, even back then. 

[Marvin]

My dad is from Leith and his dad was always at sea in the Royal Navy and Merchant Navy. I think a friend of his was going to both Tynie and ER. Having an important decision to make, my dad avoided the Darkside and opted for the Famous. 

[John Findlay]

My father, was born in Clydebank into a very very staunch Rangers family. Their tenement got bombed in the Clydebank blitz of 1941 and they got evacuated to Coatbridge. My dad sold programmes at the old Broomfield and in 1949 when he was aged twelve, Conn, Bauld, and Wardaugh came to town. My dad was hooked, much to his family's disgust he said he was a Hearts supporter. He passed it to me and I've passed it to my children.

[ri Alban]

Can I just say in this trying time for the whole wide world fighting this terrible virus.

 

 

[Pans Jambo]

My dad (whose 89) went to school with Willie Bauld. 

[JL47]

I was brought up in Abbeyhill both my father and I supported Hearts unfortunately he died a few years back. I now live in southern England, my three sons support Hearts as do my nine grandchildren, although some don't realise it yet !!

My dad was born in 1909 and supported Hearts all his life, my grandfather supported St Bernards, he died during WW1.

When did Easter Rd become part of Leith? Quite a lot of Leith people will be upset if all Hibs supporters claim to be Leithers.

[Mister Dee]

My Grandfather was a Hearts supporter. I like to think he passed on the ‘maroon’ gene to me!  
He  played 3 games for Hearts in the 1920’s, & one for Liverpool despite being severely injured in WW1.  
Proud doesn't come close to covering it! 

[upgotheheads]

My dad took me too my first game in the very early 50's, he would have been around 30 at the time. His dad, my grandfather, moved to Edinburgh from Arbroath before the first war, I'm not sure if he was already a soldier (in the Gordons I think), and he settled in Portobello with a painter and decorator business after the war, he had been a pow for most of it so that's why I'm here (probably) . He adopted Hearts as his club which explains the connection, unfortunately because of a family rift I only saw him once - on his death-bed.

All this makes my two granddaughters fifth generation Jambos, though they don't know that yet. 

[andyscott82]

Neither of my grandads were Hearts fans - my Dad’s Dad didn’t follow a particular team and my Mum’s Dad was a Motherwell fan. 

 

My Dad is a Hearts fan which got my brother and I into it. I also have a couple of uncles and cousins who support Hearts too (as well as a couple of Sevco and one Dundee Utd)

 

Family connection to the club does go back to 50’s though (although I wasn’t aware of it until I was in my teens) - my Mum’s uncle (married to my Gran’s sister) was on the club’s books in the 50s.

 

His name was Ron Tulloch, he was an inside forward. According to London Hearts he only made five appearances, none of them competitively, but 3 of them were against hibs and he was on the winning side each time. He actually scored the opening goal in the game they had to unveil their floodlights, which we won 2-0. He died before I was born so I never got to meet him. He left Hearts to join the army, but afterwards he ended up playing for Southend and Carlisle, where he apparently did pretty well for himself and was well liked. 

 

My wee man isn’t really into football yet, might never be. But he already has it well drilled into him which way to go if he ever does decide it’s the game for him. 

Edited March 28, 2020 by andyscott82

[luckydug]

4 hours ago, Nookie Bear said:

Love that all the guys were asking for a John White haircut. Just shows the celebrity side of it existed, even back then. 

I can vouch for that.   

Mum and Dad mentioned that often. 

Another one was that Tommy Walker (who was regarded as a hero) 

was often to be be spotted on a bus on his way to training 1930s.

Its the equivalent of Harry Kane nowadays. 🤔

[robbo1874]

My dad(83) was brought up in Brown's Close on the Canongate. Rest of tribe were Blackfriars Street.

His dad before him was a Hearts man as well apparently but I never knew him because he was meant to be a piece of crap. 

I'll ask my dad if he knows any more.

My old man also used to cram as many of us in his car as possible back in the late 70s so he's responsible for quite a few jambos. We'd regularly have 4 of us in the back of the car 🤦‍♂️ and his mate or my big brother in the front.

My dad never had a great childhood through no fault of his so Hearts mean so much to him growing up

Makes me a bit emotional thinking about it especially at the moment as he's in real trouble if he gets this virus

The greatest day was when we beat the Huns, I called him and we both just cried on the phone to each other. 

He's a good man 

HHGH

Edited March 28, 2020 by robbo1874

[robbo1874]

Great thread. Enjoyed reading everyone's stories.

❤️

We invest so much in our club. It's part of who we are. I'm so proud to call myself a Hearts fan. 

[bringonthesevco]

My Grandad used to run the Morningside Hearts Supporters Club (early - mid 70s) he was friends with Bobby Parker, there was never any doubt that I was going to grow up a Jambo.

[leginten]

I don’t really have any. My dad wasn’t really interested in football and almost disapproved of it. I had an uncle who was rumoured to be a Hearts fan, but I’m not convinced he ever went to a lot of matches. I’m pretty much first generation.

[Macros]

I don't know if my Dad went to Hearts games earlier but the first he could remember was the friendly between Hearts and Chelsea on 21st April 1947. He was 12, stayed in Newbridge and was visiting relatives who lived in Ardmillan Terrace, Dad got bored and went for a walk, heard the crowd and got into the ground after the game had started. He said he remembered standing near the pitch and this old man pointing out a player and saying to my Dad "See that player son? Remember this and you'll always be able to tell your grandchildren you saw Tommy Walker playing football". Dad's last game was when I took him to the 2006 semi-final, nice bookends for a life of watching Hearts.

I can't remember my first time at Tynecastle, staying in Ratho Station we didn't have a car and my Dad had to work Saturday mornings regularly. I reckon my first game would have been around 1968, I'm sure Dad said I was 4 when he first took me along. My early memories are of the old stand and seeing the bright green of the pitch through the dark tunnel of the passage way or sitting on the wall at the bottom of the school end terracing with the wee blue disabled people's cars parked at the corner.

[kabermac]

great grandfather won the 1st hearts Scottish Cup in 1891.

[Garry Halliday]

Great thread , made me pick up the phone to my mum

 

Great great grandad born John Ballantyne 1822 lived in White Park Gorgie, had nine kids one of which was my great grandad Andrew Ballantyne born 1870 lived in Hutchinson, grandad Richard Ballantyne born 1910 lived in Dalry, mum Jeanette Ballantyne born 1937 lived in Dalry met my dad (from Hutchison) at the Palais. Both attended Tynecastle High School . Mum, dad, grandad and great grandad all definitely Hearts fans.

 

its in the blood and I was obviously never going to be anything other than maroon.

 

[OldGorgie]

Dad, Grandad, uncles - all confirmed Jambos. Saw my first game in 1957 against St Mirren at home. As part of Dalkeith Hearts supporters club visited most grounds and remember Muirton, Brockville fondly. Worst ground I ever visited was the old Clyde ground with Greyhound track.

[luckydug]

Just now, OldGorgie said:

Dad, Grandad, uncles - all confirmed Jambos. Saw my first game in 1957 against St Mirren at home. As part of Dalkeith Hearts supporters club visited most grounds and remember Muirton, Brockville fondly. Worst ground I ever visited was the old Clyde ground with Greyhound track.

Even when we had great teams Clyde always made life difficult at that dump. 

The only league game we lost in that great season in 57/58 was at Shawfield. 

I think we started going the same season. Were you at Paisley to see us win the league ? 

[superjack]

Both parents are from jambo families. Dad is from gorgie and Mym is from stenhouse. Mums dad was from gorgie, his dad played for hearts just before 1st world war. Only played 6 games, 3 competitive. Only goal for the famous was against hubs.

Dads dad is Irish, family came over in the early 20s. Stayed in the cowgate and all adopted hearts as their team.

[spacerjoe]

My great granddad played for Hearts, 1908 to 1921

[davemclaren]

My dad took me to My first game in 1965 and that was me. I remember my grandad was a big Bonnyrigg Rose man but my dad said that he supported Hearts as well. My mum’s uncle Andrew played for Hearts in the 1920s. 

[N Lincs Jambo]

Great thread! So many posts I would like to quote but I'd add a page on my own so will desist 😂

 

My mother was nominally a Hearts supporter in that if she was pressed on which team she supported she would answer Hearts but in reality she wasn't really bothered about the football. Her brother played rugby for Boroughmuir FPs and was always far more into egg-chasing. Their dad I believe supported Queen's Park as he was from Glasgow and when he would have been a laddie QP were probably still the most successful team in the country (late 1800s).

 

My dad was the youngest of 2 girls and 2 boys born into an RC family from Carnoustie. Unsurprisingly he was a Celtic man (more on him later). His brother Alec wasn't into football at all and followed the rugby. Out of his 2 sisters the eldest was a Hearts supporter however I suspect that might have been to appease her husband who was a die-hard Hearts fan from Leith. My uncle Bill (the Jambo) died in 1969 having been ill for a long time. I hadn't at this point discovered football so never had any Hearts or even football chat with him. The other sister would describe her team as Celtic but in reality she wasn't actually interested in football and probably never even went to a game. Her 2nd husband John was a die-hard Hibs man whose job in the railways allowed him to travel all over to support them during the real hey-day of Scottish football and Hibs in particular the late 40s and 50s. I did have quite a bit of banter with him about football but he stopped going as he got older.

 

Surprisingly, his last game was the only one I ever went to with him - Hearts 4-0 Partick Thistle with a very young John Robertson getting a hat-trick back in 1983. He died in 86 a few weeks after our fateful 7 days.

 

My dad though, despite being Celtic through and through, was probably a football man first, Celtic supporter second and always a total sportsman and gentleman when it came to football. He never wore colours (a casual before his time 😂) and would always applaud a goal scored even against Celtic. He even came back a day early from his honeymoon in 1951 so he could take my mum to see Celtic play Hearts at Parkhead. Unfortunately for him Hearts won 3-1 with the scorers being Bauld, Conn and Wardhaugh!

 

He had played 3 games in goal as a trialist for Arbroath aged 16 in 1930. Arbroath wanted to offer him pro terms but his mother didn't let him sign. His dad had died at Gallipoli in WW1 so I have no idea about his football preferences if any. Found an old diary of my dad's from 1934 in which he describes some of the Arbroath matches he attended. One was v Motherwell possibly from their title winning season?

 

Anyway, it was my dad who took me to my first Hearts game as a 6 year old laddie v St Mirren in Feb 1970. Hearts won 1-0 with Alan Anderson heading the winner late in the 2nd half. That was me hooked and any oppoprtunity I could I would get him to take me to Tynecastle. He would also take me to Easter Road occasionally but although I might enjoy the games I only ever had one team.

 

He died in August 78 after a long battle with cancer. Before he died he toook me to the last 2 games he ever attended - the first of those I know that many contributors to JKB attended Arbroath 0-1 Hearts in April as we won promotion back to the Premier Division. I was personally delighted that the last club game he went to was at Gayfield. Then in May he took me to Hampden for my first ever Scotland game. Unfortunately England gubbed us 2-0 just before we went to the WC in Argentina.

 

Years later I asked my mum why dad had insisted on taking me to Hearts and not Celtic. Celtic at that time were undoubtedly one of the best teams in Europe. Turns out that his decision was based on what was happening in Northern Ireland. He was British first, Scottish second (as many were back then) whose father had died in the 1st WW and he had served during the whole of WW2. No way was he going to expose his son to an environment where I might end up supporting the IRA. So Hearts it was. One Celtic fan I will always be eternally grateful to!

 

 

[SwindonJambo]

Only me, since 1985. I have zero ancestry in Edinburgh and both my parents are from Blantyre, South Lanarkshire.  I grew up in Hamilton but went South with my folks in 1981, aged 14. My original Lanarkshire accent has barely budged! Neither parent is into football but my paternal grandad and my dad's 2 brothers were/are Rangers and my maternal grandad who died before I was born, Hamilton Accies.

 

I came to Tynie for a game in 1985 when I arrived in the city as a student. I was absolutely blown away by Gorgie, Tynie and the patter of the fans around me In the benches under the shed, even though the game was a crap 1-1 draw with Dundee. I bought a scarf from the wee wooden hut in the school end, just after paying my 2 quid cash at the turnstiles.

A fan ever since and FoH member since the beginning.

Edited March 28, 2020 by SwindonJambo

[Nookie Bear]

1 hour ago, N Lincs Jambo said:

Great thread! So many posts I would like to quote but I'd add a page on my own so will desist 😂

 

My mother was nominally a Hearts supporter in that if she was pressed on which team she supported she would answer Hearts but in reality she wasn't really bothered about the football. Her brother played rugby for Boroughmuir FPs and was always far more into egg-chasing. Their dad I believe supported Queen's Park as he was from Glasgow and when he would have been a laddie QP were probably still the most successful team in the country (late 1800s).

 

My dad was the youngest of 2 girls and 2 boys born into an RC family from Carnoustie. Unsurprisingly he was a Celtic man (more on him later). His brother Alec wasn't into football at all and followed the rugby. Out of his 2 sisters the eldest was a Hearts supporter however I suspect that might have been to appease her husband who was a die-hard Hearts fan from Leith. My uncle Bill (the Jambo) died in 1969 having been ill for a long time. I hadn't at this point discovered football so never had any Hearts or even football chat with him. The other sister would describe her team as Celtic but in reality she wasn't actually interested in football and probably never even went to a game. Her 2nd husband John was a die-hard Hibs man whose job in the railways allowed him to travel all over to support them during the real hey-day of Scottish football and Hibs in particular the late 40s and 50s. I did have quite a bit of banter with him about football but he stopped going as he got older.

 

Surprisingly, his last game was the only one I ever went to with him - Hearts 4-0 Partick Thistle with a very young John Robertson getting a hat-trick back in 1983. He died in 86 a few weeks after our fateful 7 days.

 

My dad though, despite being Celtic through and through, was probably a football man first, Celtic supporter second and always a total sportsman and gentleman when it came to football. He never wore colours (a casual before his time 😂) and would always applaud a goal scored even against Celtic. He even came back a day early from his honeymoon in 1951 so he could take my mum to see Celtic play Hearts at Parkhead. Unfortunately for him Hearts won 3-1 with the scorers being Bauld, Conn and Wardhaugh!

 

He had played 3 games in goal as a trialist for Arbroath aged 16 in 1930. Arbroath wanted to offer him pro terms but his mother didn't let him sign. His dad had died at Gallipoli in WW1 so I have no idea about his football preferences if any. Found an old diary of my dad's from 1934 in which he describes some of the Arbroath matches he attended. One was v Motherwell possibly from their title winning season?

 

Anyway, it was my dad who took me to my first Hearts game as a 6 year old laddie v St Mirren in Feb 1970. Hearts won 1-0 with Alan Anderson heading the winner late in the 2nd half. That was me hooked and any oppoprtunity I could I would get him to take me to Tynecastle. He would also take me to Easter Road occasionally but although I might enjoy the games I only ever had one team.

 

He died in August 78 after a long battle with cancer. Before he died he toook me to the last 2 games he ever attended - the first of those I know that many contributors to JKB attended Arbroath 0-1 Hearts in April as we won promotion back to the Premier Division. I was personally delighted that the last club game he went to was at Gayfield. Then in May he took me to Hampden for my first ever Scotland game. Unfortunately England gubbed us 2-0 just before we went to the WC in Argentina.

 

Years later I asked my mum why dad had insisted on taking me to Hearts and not Celtic. Celtic at that time were undoubtedly one of the best teams in Europe. Turns out that his decision was based on what was happening in Northern Ireland. He was British first, Scottish second (as many were back then) whose father had died in the 1st WW and he had served during the whole of WW2. No way was he going to expose his son to an environment where I might end up supporting the IRA. So Hearts it was. One Celtic fan I will always be eternally grateful to!

 

 

This is a brilliant post and I get the feeling you enjoyed writing it as well.

 

Supporting a team through the ages is as much social history as it is just watching a game. 

[Kiwidoug]

22 hours ago, Special Officer Doofy said:

Dad, his Dad, his Dad. Don’t know after that.

 

Mum’s side Grandad went game about, but was from Newhaven and would have chosen Hibs if pushed.

 

Step Dad is 78 I think and his whole paternal line is Hearts like my Dad’s was, I think.

 

Few Huns and a Falkirk fan thrown in there with uncles.

 

Both my kids are being indoctrinated to Hearts. 

First sentence is me as well.  Remember my dad telling me that his grandad was one of the people who subscribed to buy the Scottish Cup.

 

Great legacy if accurate.

[Beast Boy]

22 minutes ago, Kiwidoug said:

First sentence is me as well.  Remember my dad telling me that his grandad was one of the people who subscribed to buy the Scottish Cup.

 

Great legacy if accurate.

It is indeed Douglas. Keep the flag flying in the land of birds! 
 

HHGH 🥝 

[N Lincs Jambo]

55 minutes ago, Nookie Bear said:

This is a brilliant post and I get the feeling you enjoyed writing it as well.

 

Supporting a team through the ages is as much social history as it is just watching a game. 

Cheers Nookie! I did enjoy writing it. With all the negativity around just now this thread allowed me to forget all that for a bit. You’re definitely right about the social history part as well 👍

[SwindonJambo]

23 hours ago, Lobey Dosser said:

I'm in the same boat. Only Jambo in an entirely Celtic-supporting, Glaswegian family. 

Your story's going to take some beating😉