Kemnay Kirk Strike 1938

Norman Edwards contacted Kemnay Community Council on 24 January 2017 offering to donate some of his photographs of Kemnay / Kemnay Folk in the 1920s and 1930s, to the community.  Norman being the grandson of Henry J Edwards who was the bank manager at Kemnay until 1953 and then retired to Coreen in Bridge Road – both his father, Harry, and aunt, Jean, were brought up in Kemnay and went to the Academy and then Aberdeen University.  Norman’s photos can be viewed here:

Albums: Norman Edwards

Norman also enclosed a photocopy of some material collected by his grandfather on ‘the Kemnay Church Strike’ in 1938.  Norman says that he fits into this story because between 1951 and 1953 he lived in the Bank House with his parents and grandparents.  The strike was a result of the retiral of church organist Miss Bremner and a new church organist being employed, first of all the Choir went on strike and shortly afterwards they were joined by eight Kirk Elders.  The amusing story is related below in a mixture of letters and newspaper cuttings.