Jimmie Taylor - The Drummuir Shop Vanman
By David Taylor

Up until 1942 Jimmie Taylor had been in farming and that was really his first love. In January of 1942, about a fortnight after his son David (Davie) was born, he went out to shoot Pheasants near Broadfield and had a shooting accident as a result of which he lost his leg. Knowing that he would be unable to continue with the heavy manual work involved in farming he looked around for alternative work and found that Bob Sutherland at the Drummuir shop needed a vanman. He went to see Bob and was given the job along with a tied house, The Old Schoolhouse. His wife, Lizzie, daughter, Margaret and baby David moved with him to the Old Schoolhouse. Alastair was born about four years later.

Jimmie worked as the Drummuir vanman for about 18 years until the shop was sold. Bob Sutherland had retired and moved with his wife and son Robert to Aberdeen. (Robert now has a butcher’s shop in Aberdeen) Some of you may recall that the Sutherlands tragically lost a Daughter, Helen, at the age of eleven years to leukaemia.

Jimmie used to work six days a week, often in atrocious weather conditions. On a Monday he would start getting the van loaded about 8 o’clock and set off about 9 am. His first stop was Midthird, then headed towards Dufftown stopping at several places on the way. In the afternoon he went out via Tullochallum to Auchendoun and beyond to Newley and one or two other places out that way. He then came back and visited all the crofts down the Glacks of Clunymore and Midthird and finished about 7 pm.

On a Tuesday he started off at Forkins and went up the road towards Truffies stopping at most of the places along the way. He then visited all the farms right up to the Slogan.

On a Wednesday morning it was a sort of a “home” round. Up to the Home Farm, Dalroddy, Breezy Brae, down to the main Keith/Dufftown road and home for “denner”. In the afternoon it was down the road towards Keith calling at most of the farms and houses right the way down to Broadfield.

Thursday was the Glass round. Starting off at Truffies on to Blairmore and all the places right out to Bellnaboth, back round and up to Auldyne and then home.

Friday was another Dufftown round but this time he covered the Parkmore lime kilns and then went out to Kinninvie. (It was after he returned over the hill from Kinninvie once on a pretty wild night that he said to Bob that he would never believe the blizzard he had come through – all Bob said was “Did you see any Polar bears Jimmie?)

Saturday was a heavy day. It started off at Buttery Brae and then all the farms out to Drumgrain, Edintore out to Coach Ford, back and up to Hillside in Cairnie before going to Carbrotack and back home again by about 9 pm.

In addition to selling groceries Jimmie had to collect egg-boxes (30 dozen eggs) from most of the farms. From recollection on a Saturday he would have had about 40 boxes, having to unload about half of that number partway through the day. Jimmie knew everyone within about a five mile radius from the shop. As he had a farming background he was often asked to go into the byres to look at beasts about to go to the mart or at a beast that had some ailment. About Christmas time he was often hindered by folk asking him to “pull” hen’s necks. He would also help out on occasions with the shearing on some of the crofts.

On retirement Jimmie moved to Keith and worked with Doddie Burgess among the tatties then went on to the “Coppie” van before retiring. He died in 1987.