Edit Songwriter Matt McGinn
Born in 1928 in the Calton area of Glasgow's east end, he was one of nine children, in a family of Irish descent.
After a troubled childhood, he became interested in socialism and trade unionism, and joined the Communist Party, but became disaffected with party politics.
He found himself part of the folk music revival of the 60s after winning a song contest with The Foreman O'Rourke. Famous for his songs, books and plays, he died in 1977, aged just 48, in a house fire. A few years earlier, in 1939, Matt McGinn (of the Calton, the renowned folk singer) was a pupil at St Aloysius in Green-dyke Street when, on September 2, a fleet of buses ''swooped down'' to uplift evacuees.
Matt was billeted in elegant Newton Mearns, where he tasted, for the first time, ''sweet, dew-stained fresh air''.
Later, at the age of 12, his embryonic career as a shoplifter was to land him in another educational establishment - St Mary's Approved School - for 18 months.
Having lived iin the Calton district during the 39-- 45 war years Iwould like to know if there is any information re. the night the building at the corner of London Rd and Kent St was bombed I am now aged 74yrs and my home adress at that time would be 31 CALTON ENTRY
I remember my mother Sarah Parsonage telling of how she and Bennie were down in an air raid shelter near the Glasgow Humane Society House in Glasgow Green. When the bomb fell on London Rd/Kent St, the noise was so loud that Sarah turned to Bennie and said, "Well that's the house gone, at least the children are safe." George Parsonage
John Wright with a reply George I was also in these shelters that evening and my most vivid memorary is entering the Green from the London Rd the whole area was lit up the light coming from flares dropped by the German aircraft I can fondly remember my Grandfather refering to Bennie as ""BEN""Parsonage and your familys work on the Clyde is legendary
I was in the same shelter that particular evening and have a vivid memoraryof on entering the Green from London Rd the sky was lit up this was the result of flares being dropped from the German aircraft I can recall my parents referring to "BEN PARSONAGE"a legendary family on the Clyde. JOHN WRIGHT