SCOTLAND V IRELAND

Bill Forbes was his name, and he was forever talking about his Scottish Heritage...and his family TARTAN! 

I had been living in London for 2 years when Bill phoned me from Melbourne to advise that he’d booked a flight to London and wanted to tour with me. 

When he finally arrived, he was adamant that we had to visit Scotland for a few days.

Coincidentally, an English mate had a broken-down blue Ford and I offered him 50 Pounds but he said it wouldn’t reach Manchester and so he gave me the van for nothing and wished us Good Luck! All it needed was some TLC, petrol and patient driving! 

Well, the van was small, old and battered, but it never looked like stopping. We slept beside it or under it and we visited just about half of all the well-known cities and towns in Scotland. 

Bill went close to wetting his pants when we came across 2 Scotsmen playing Bagpipes beside a lake with beautiful mountains looking on! 

Name it and we saw it...Edinburgh, Inverness etc. 

We eventually turned south and after buying a car battery, our van continued to roll on. 

We crossed to Northern Ireland, arriving at Larne. Police guards everywhere. We could feel the Police attention and the tension as soon as we arrived in Belfast. After buying some groceries, we walked back to our van but were immediately stopped by the Police and searched! This occurred 3 times in Ulster before we drove to Donegal. Guinness quickly became our favourite alcohol drink! There was a Folk/Rock band playing every night and almost immediately they broke into an Aussie song after being tipped off that there were 2 Aussies in the audience. Bill was amazed at this welcome and didn’t want to leave!

West Coast of Ireland was beautiful, and Bill never mentioned Scotland again. He didn’t think it was very funny when I asked him if he wanted to buy any Tartan! 

Approximately 40 years have flown by now and Bill and I have lost touch. He built a successful importing company and moved away from the family home in Camberwell, which has since been sold. 

If you can help with any information, please contact me via this website or phone 0455495664. Thanks, but no Scottish jokes please! 

John A. Wilson Pottsville.

February 2024

Note: Bill Forbes and I have reconnected. Just a few weeks ago through the help of my sisters investigation. Bill now lives on the Sunshine Coast and we plan to catch up soon