Anyone remember???

[YokerBloke]

This is going back maybe to the 1960's 'til about the early 80's.

I wondder if anyone remembers 'Jimmy', a downs syndrome sufferer who used to go around glasgow in the buses (trains too maybe?) with his mouth organ playing, and getting people on the buses/trains to put some cash into it after he finished?

I remember him vaguely as he used to live in my area.

[YokerBloke]

Jamsey Barr, that was his name! Thanks

[viceroy]

This has brought the past flooding back to me. I worked on the buses for a while in the late nineteen sixties and I remember this guy. He used to get on and off at Merkland Street in Partick so I presume he lived in that area. Nobody ever bothered to take his fare and the inspectors turned a blind eye to this. I have to say he was a bit manky though, I don't think his family took much care of him and he was more or less left to his own devices. Not much in the way of social services in those days, either. Didn't realise he was still around in the nineteen eighties.

[YokerBloke]

I'm pretty sure he lived in Langholm St. (now Speirshall Road) towards Blawarthill st.

His younger brother, Stu, was in my year at school.

[Pgcc93]

I'm sure theres a picture of him in a book taken in the Rosevale Bar in Partick c.1990.

I think the book was called Glasgow: 24 hrs in the life of a city??

[viceroy]

If he lived in Langholm St. he would have been able to get a 64 along Dumbarton Road. The bus crews used to change over at Merkland St. with Partick Garage being just round the corner in Hayburn St. and I remember he used to hang around a lot there.

[George]

I remember Jamsie Barr well. I used to see him regularly. I kind of got bored with him, like a previous poster, when he traded his 'harp' in for a tranny, which he stuck in your face and expected a 'donation' in his hamlet tin. Latterly he had diversified to filling lighters for 50 pence. He was a real mug on the 'puggies' and most cash went in them..the rest I heard went to his mother. He used to wear a purple velvet jacket with a ruffled shirt and bow tie. Poor old Jamsie Barr.

[Apollo]

I'm sure theres a picture of him in a book taken in the Rosevale Bar in Partick c.1990.

I think the book was called Glasgow: 24 hrs in the life of a city??

It is indeed, an impressive feat of memory.

Large pic across pages 86 and 87, complete with fag, red bowtie and ruffled shirt, but not the velvet jacket, looks like sports check.

[Dexter St. Clair]

I'm sure theres a picture of him in a book taken in the Rosevale Bar in Partick c.1990.

I think the book was called Glasgow: 24 hrs in the life of a city??

It is indeed, an impressive feat of memory.

Large pic across pages 86 and 87, complete with fag, red bowtie and ruffled shirt, but not the velvet jacket, looks like sports check.

Sports check was day time wear when working. His mother took most of his money and is there something wrong with playing the puggies. Is it illegal or do we just know better how others should live their lives.

And what's with the poor old Jamesy Barr. What did you want him to do, slave in an adult training centre, and get dressed in a golf jerkin and farah trousers with sensible shoes? The boy worked and and at least made some of you count your blessings. Nothing of course compared with the great contributions made to humanity from some of the above. I wonder whom he patronised.

[viceroy]

Quite. But there is a difference between being patronising and being concerned about exploitation. At the time I was talking about - going on for 40 years ago - there were plenty of ratbags around who would have been only too ready to take a rise out of somebody like Jamesy Barr or abuse him in some other way. After all, who showed him how to play the puggies? I doubt whether whoever imparted that knowledge to him did so for altruistic reasons. Perhaps it is true that that if he was growing up in this day and age his life would have been overcontrolled, with various social work agencies crawling all over him. But at least now he might be given the opportunity to realise his own potential instead of becoming what he was, which, not to put too fine a point on it,
was basically a figure of fun for the amusement of other people.

That's my opinion anyway.

[Vinny the Mackem]

Jamsie Barr! Bloody hell, I'd forgotten about him.

I remember him from the late 80's, early 90's around Partick etc.

[Seamey]

Poor old Jamsie Barr.

he's still alive - saw him about a month ago

[George]

That is genuinely amazing. I remember 20 years ago people were saying he would not live much longer. I hope he is healthy. Anyway, I retract the 'poor old Jamsie Barr'.

[The_Clincher]

Was he the same wee fella i used to see ootside the bingo hall at Anniesland playing the moothie?

[mustardman]

Is that the same guy who lived in the Kingsway flats??