Paint Brush Haircut

1940's

I Lived at 20 Poplar st. ground floor right side, next door was the McKay's, daughter Lizzie was nice, she was my girl-friend, but when I looked up at Mr McKay, he seemed 10 feet tall, Bonnet ( Flat Cap ) a scarf that was wrapped twice or three times around his neck, criss crossed across his chest and wrapped around his braces, never smiled, BUT !!! he was everybody's friend, he was the Gibshill vet, everyone took their sick animals to him, then, dogs ran loose, and they were territorial, any dog that entered another's, there was a fight, then, as now I love dogs, and after a fight, any dog that was injured was taken to Mr McKay, he would sew them up, if they had a wound, needle & thread, and the dogs let him, I watched many a time as Mr Kay worked his magic, when people got a pup, everyone thought it right to have their tails docked ( Cut Short ), Mr. Kay did it for you, no charge, I couldn't watch that, I couldn't bare to hear pups yelp so loudly, but another thing Mr McKay done was to cut all the boy's hair, with those dreaded clippers, pictured above, he would clip all your hair off and leave a little tuffty bit at the front, the haircut was known as a Paint-Brush, everyone dreaded having a Paint-Brush, now I had a mop of Blonde Hair, " Awe Mrs Sinclair, hasn't your wee Billy got lovely hair " there was no way Mr McKay was going to be let loose on my hair, so !!! I was warned many a time, " Ya Wee Scunner, dae that again, and I'm taking you to Mr McKay ", that was enough for me to behave, I posted a photo earlier of Craigeknows class of 41, see how many boys had a paint brush.