Dugald McIntyre submitted the following comment with the photo on the right to s1millport, and we've decided to give this wonderful wee story its own page! The discussion about the original photo started in Millport Memories in the Area & History section, you can read it all here.

Dugald McIntyre says:
The photograph of the Millport skiffle group was taken on Friday 26th July 1957, at the Strawherry Jetty, where Jimmy Mauchline and Alex 'Scud' Hunter used to hire their boats. A photographer from 'The Bulletin' newspaper had been sent down to Millport to cover the skiffle craze, but could not find any groups performing anywhere, as it was a wet and miserable day.

Those of us who used to hang around helping Jimmy Mauchline offered to put together a group, so that he would have something for his newspaper. The 'musicians' were: on guitar, Billy Aitchison, on banjo, Dugald McIntyre, on moothie, Donald Riddell, and on washboard, Russell Douglas. The photographer insisted on a tea-chest bass, which we cobbled together, and Rae Duncan, who happened to be passing at that time, was drafted in to play it. As we were all more or less Rangers supporters, when we were asked what the name of our group was, we said 'we are Ra Peepel', which was duly inscribed on the placard.

Unfortunately, our success was limited to that photograph, which was on display for a number of years in the People's Palace in Glasgow, although the photograph has appeared a few times over the years in the Evening Times, and in the Largs & Millport Weekly News. At the September Weekend this year, we managed to re-assemble all the original members of the group, 52 years later, to re-create the photo at the same location.

This is a letter Dugald sent to the local newspaper about the new photo:

Skiffle on the Beach, Millport 1957
You may recall the story of the Skiffle Photo, which we now know was taken on Friday 26th July 1957. You may be interested to learn of our attempt to re-create this photo on the Sunday of the September Weekend, 21st September, when we managed to re-assemble all the original members of the group, 52 years later!

We were at the same location, on the slipway which was beside the Strawherry jetty, used at that time by Jimmy Mauchline and Alex 'Scud' Hunter for boat-hiring, and the group, from left to right, comprises Rae Duncan, on tea-chest bass, Donald Riddell, on moothie, Billy Aitchison, guitar, Dugald McIntyre, on banjo, and Russell Douglas on washboard.

The banjo is the instrument used in the original photograph. We had great difficulty in finding a tea-chest to make a bass, as they don't seem to be used any more, but we were lucky enough to be overheard by a lady at the Cathedral shop, who had one at home.

The song that was played was the 'Worried Man Blues', and the whole performance was received enthusiastically by all the friends and relatives who were there with their cameras, and with complete indifference by the passers-by!

Dugald McIntyre, now aged 70, is the oldest member of the group, and was 19 years old at the time of the original. All the members are retired, with the exception of Billy Aitchison, who is an optician in Greenock, and works in Millport once a month. Dugald and Rae both have houses on the Island. Russell lives in Fairlie, and Donald, who now resides in Erskine, has been a regular visitor to Millport every year since 1957, on holiday with his family.

Dugald M. McIntyre