I was born at No - The MAN & Other Families

20vacancy in a large East Indian firm in London with a prospect of going abroad. A fewdays later I got a reply asking me to call at the office of a Mr. Dickie in Buchanan Street.This I promptly did and was ushered into a private room where sat Mr. James Dickie andMr. George Bulloch, head of the firm of Bulloch Bros. & Co., London, Rangoon,Maulmain, Akyab, Bassein and Chittagong. It appears Mr. Dickie was a partner in thisfirm, who had retired from the East and was now acting as Agent in Glasgow for the firmof Bulloch Bros.Mr. Dickie was a huge man, over six feet in height and very stout. He wore a beard andwas florid in the face. He was known in Glasgow as the "King of Burma". He was akindly man but of no education, his father having been a gardener at Troon. Mr. Bullochwas also a tall man but slight and distinguished looking and very gentlemanly in manner,although he too was of very humble origin. I believe his mother when a widow kept apublic-house in Govan.Anyhow after a lot of questioning, Mr. Bulloch informed me that I was too young tothink of going abroad (I was 17), but if I accepted a position in Mr. Dickie's office inGlasgow meantime, I would be taken later into the London office of Bulloch Bros. andeventually sent to the East. Of course I jumped at this offer and after a week's notice Ishook the dust of the Scottish Commercial Insurance Co. off my feet and entered into theemployment of James Dickie & Co. The salary was not much improvement on what Iwas getting in the Scottish Commerical, only 18 pounds per annum instead of 12, butthere were the prospects. I was also much happier there. There were only four of us, Mr.Dicke, a Mr. Grieve, a young fellow called Orme and myself. I was treated morehumanely although I was the junior and there was no bullying or snubbing.In the summer I got a fortnight's holiday which I spent very happily at Southsea. On myreturn to Glasgow the Macfarlane's very kindly asked me to be their guest at Helensburghfor a month, an invitation which I gladly accepted and travelled up and down to Glasgowby train every day as did the Macfarlanes, father and two sons and the numerous businessmen whose houses were in Helensburgh. I enjoyed staying with the MacFarlanesimmensely. Both cousin Robert and cousin Mary were so nice and kind and the boys(Robbie about 24 and Alexander about 20) were full of fun. It was besides a great reliefto get away from smoky and dull Glasgow.That winter I got my orders to go to London to the office of Bulloch Bros. I was met atEuston by my mother who had come up from Southsea to welcome me. We drove by cabto Blandford Place where Aunt Mary lived and here my mother had taken a room for meon the top or fourth storey of the lodging house where Aunt Mary and family occupiedthe first floor. Here I lived for the two years I was in London. On Sundays I used to dineat mid-day with Aunt Mary, Uncle Burney and their two children, Evelyn about the sameage as myself, and Claud, about six. Evelyn used to attend a ladies' College in BakerStreet and Claud went to a kindergarten somewhere in the vicinity.Apart from my satisfaction at getting away from Glasgow it was a great pleasure to benearly self-supporting and less dependent for financial aid from my mother. My initial