They tell a thousand words, but now words are needed for thousands of photos

WHO are the two little girls pushing their doll pram down the road next to Lismore School in Bingham? And what about the crowd of happy-looking children being led on an exciting adventure by their teacher? Or the serious-looking young football team?

These photographs are the mystery shots of Craigmillar – precious snapshots of the past where the details have got lost along the way.

Now residents in Craigmillar are hoping to take a peek at thousands of pictures without an identity in a special local photography exhibition.

Following on from the hugely popular Craigmillar . . . Then show last September, organised by Craigmillar resident Johnni Stanton, Craigmillar enthusiasts have the chance to play Sherlock Holmes for the day at the show, named Forensic Fortnight.

Mr Stanton hopes that the local population will get out their magnifying glasses to provide the detail for more than a thousand photos.

Every participant will receive a Certificate of Forensics from Detective junior grade to Detective Chief Inspector for the person who can identify most of the pictures.

But the community has had an early breakthrough.

Rita Law, 72, from Niddrie, who has been based in Craigmillar for more than 50 years, identified her four sisters in the 1940s picture of Sunday school children heading to their church club at Haywood Hut.

She says: "I was a bit too young, but you can see my sisters Isabella, 5, Janet, 7, Marion, 13, and Cecilia, 15, walking to the hut. The picture was taken during the war, just before we were evacuated to Inverness.

"Every Sunday, the young children in Craigmillar would gather to walk to the class. It was always brimming with activities for children such as cooking, drama and arts, but even a stroll along the streets was good fun because there was such a community feel to the place."

Mr Stanton says he hopes there will be plenty more photographic opportunities in Edinburgh to save for the future generations of Craigmillar following its cultural and industrial developments.

He says: "These old pictures represent the growth of Greater Craigmillar, its constituent parts and the families who made up the community."

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