Douglas Campbell, 1912-2007

An appreciation by his son Duncan Campbell (May 2010)

�ORIGINS

My parents were brought up in England, but both had family ties to
Scotland. Douglas was born in Dumbarton, where his father worked at
Denny's shipyard; while Kathleen was a Cowie, whose family tree goes
back to Dunfermline. They met at a Scottish Country Dance Club.  How
more appropriate can you get!


Both were keen on the outdoors, hiking, biking and rock-climbing at
every opportunity. They married in Rugby in 1941; despite wartime
shortages and restrictions, they were able to spend their honeymoon in
Glen Lyon, walking the Perthshire hills.


As a result of the Coventry blitz, Douglas's factory relocated to the
north of England, where I was born in 1946. I was too young to remember
it, but my first home had a wonderful view of the Lake District.  In his
free time, Douglas walked the high fells, accompanied by the family dog.


The Cumbernauld Years

Scotland wasn't far away, and that was the next move.  We came to
Luggiebank in 1948, soon after my sister was born. It was a quiet place
in those days, surrounded by farmland; and the air was clean. The house
had ample room for a flower garden, and, like his father before him,
Douglas took pleasure in planting and improving the soil.


As its name suggests, Luggiebank lay next to the River Luggie, which
formed the county boundary. Administratively, we "belonged" to
Lanarkshire, went to school there, and voted there. But, in practice,
our lives were defined by Dunbartonshire: our telephone exchange was
Cumbernauld, the nearest church was in Cumbernauld, the nearest post
office was at Cumbernauld Station, our mother belonged to the
Cumbernauld SWRI (Scottish Women's Rural Institute), and so on.


Summer holidays in those years were spent in the West Highlands - places
like Torridon, Ardnamurchan and Lochinver - close to the big hills. As
we children grew, weekend outings in the car meant picnics and walks:
the country roads and hills were still very quiet in those days.


Douglas always carried a camera on family outings. But his photo "bug"
really took wing in 1955, when he began taking 35mm slides. The colour
pictures were so much more enjoyable than black-and-white ones; and
projecting them in a darkened room had all the excitement of a cinema,
with an added "plus" -- we had been to those places!


For the rest of his life, Douglas was a loyal Kodak customer. He
photographed his workplace, his home, his family, places he visited and
people he knew: just to show, never for publication or sale. 
Photography was a hobby, but a serious one, that he adapted to his
interests, which were wide-ranging -- to name a few: wildlife,
landscapes, gardens, farms, buildings; plus anything out of the
ordinary. Unwittingly, perhaps, he became a visual historian, both close
to home and far afield.


When work started on creating Cumbernauld New Town, in the late 50's,
there were large, sweeping changes, new roads and schools, whole acres
of houses and factories -- prime material for Douglas's camera, storing
a glimpse of the way things had been B.C. (Before Cumbernauld).


The Photo Collection

Years went by, decades. Kathleen died in the early 80's. Douglas
remarried and moved to the US. As his travels continued, around North
America and beyond, the slide collection grew to 35,000, all neatly
organized and labelled. This became my inheritance.


By 2007, photographic film was obsolete. If my children and their
children were ever to see this collection, it would have to be brought
up to date for the 21st century. Fortunately, conversion technology
exists, and I have the time and the patience to take on the challenge of
digitization. As of now (June 2010) the job is already halfway to
completion.


Although I live far from Scotland, this project has made me a "virtual
tourist": thanks to the Internet, I can travel with Douglas on his
trips, and share his photo legacy with my family and the rest of the
world. I am pleased, as he too would have been, to offer these vignettes
from Cumbernauld's past to today's residents.


To start viewing Douglas Campbell's photo collection, please visit this
link:

DOUGLAS CAMPBELL ENTIRE PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION

To View Douglas Campbell's Cumbernauld Collection please click below

DOUGLAS CAMPBELL CUMBERNAULD COLLECTION