Nothing Without Work: A Film About Govan (1980s)

Nihil Sine Labore (Nothing Without Work), the motto of Govan Burgh and now Govan High School. Footage of Govan and the Govan Fair procession with commentry and interviews. Film features past members of the Govan Reminiscence Group. Original source unknown but made in 1982 or 1983 and recently digitised from VHS.

[@ambergreen9614]

Oh my! Thank you for posting this video. My dad was a proud Govanite, and a member of the Govan Reminiscence group for many years until he passed away in 2015. I still have some of his little stories that he wrote to read out at the group, and I was proud to meet other members of the group who came to his funeral. Ever since a child he would tell me stories about working in a barber shop as a young boy to earn a few pennies to take home to his mum, and he would take me round Govan to visit the streets he grew up in, or see the hogback Viking stones in Govan Parish Church, or visit the Pearce Institute for a pie and peas, or point out the stone cat high up on the wall of the Brechin Bar across the road…
I also have home movies he took of us going on the Govan ferry as children and playing on the swings in Elder park. Happy memories of the best dad in the world.

[@GG-im1cb]

Thanks for uploading this. I grew up a stones throw away in Ibrox in the late 70’s, 80s, and 90’s and this is exactly as I remember Govan at that time. I used to be dragged to the Govan Market as a Wean on a Saturday morning with my maw or my granny and I remember the vast areas of waste ground where the tenements and works had been demolished. I even seen one of my dads pals Jim “Jumbo” Docherty at 35 mins, who passed away a few years ago now. We also stayed in Ibrox Street in one of the tenements that were re-developed.

[@Retrospective.]

This brought back many memories, i was born in Burleigh Street, but moved round to 20 Howat Street, right down at the big wall end. Growing up in Govan was a tough paper round, it wasn't an easy place as a child, but i have happy memories of Hills Trust school, and seeing Star Wars in the Lyceum in 1977, and i remember the Sunday morning the big crane fell down, it could have flattened the entire street. Great wee video this :)

[@albertmcareavey8055]

WONDERFUL THANK you
I was born at Govan Cross 19 44

[@jameshanley9102]

i was aboot 15/16 years auld and i stayed in this area i know a few faces here ,good memories

[@autumn101000]

Govan was a great place when I a wee lass. Best times of my life.

[@acumfaegovan1]

Great footage

[@davidbutler4363]

👍👏👏👏

[@richiec9077]

"The only way ye can tell if they're Catholic or protestant is by the way they look at ye"..... "Ye can tell by the way they look at ye" ..... Waw man people actually believed that shit.

[@johnmclean1046]

Jimmy Reid done alright for himself eh? How many others can say the same?

[@johnmclean1046]

@@Clydesider711 is that why Govan became desolate? What other communities?

[@johnmclean1046]

@@Clydesider711 delayed the inevitable? Jimmy Reid is like the nhs, a sacred cow that you can’t criticise but as per did he stick around? Did he spend his working life in the yards?

[@johnmclean1046]

@@Clydesider711 your right I’m just a cynical old grumpy party pooper, I need to lighten up I’m just bitter maybe being brought up next to the yards and never even getting an interview for a job or any job in my youth, I’m just too negative.

[@johnmclean1046]

@@Clydesider711 i accept that things change they have too but what saddens me when I walk through Govan is the fact that there is no light in peoples eyes, no spark of life and ambition, there’s generations of corner boys doing as their dads and grandads done and stood at corners wae no ambition to see what lies ahead or round the next corner. Guys like Reid escaped they set their kids and grandchildren free of the corner via their success. I suppose it’s the story of 10,000 communities laid waste.

[@thomasshepard6030]

@@Clydesider711wtf are you talking about there is only two yards left on the Clyde and they are both owned by England if govan were to close govan would be a ghost town

[@1gerard47]

Clyde built,so sad now,who caused the demise of the shipyards ?

[@thomasshepard6030]

Jimmy Reid I worked in YARROWS in the 70s and they had us out on the streets because there was no toilet paper in the bogs 4 days out on strike

[@Clydesider711]

@@thomasshepard6030 You really are a stupid as you look. Jimmy Reid didn't work on Yarrows. He was a convenor at John Brown's in Clydebank. Obviously the idiots, like yourself, were stuck in Yarrows. He got out of the industry, and cretins, like you, ruined it.

[@papapiers1588]

This type of reminiscing is for L