100th birthday: Landmark centenary celebrations for Falkirk woman Pearl Shirra

Anne Shirra - known to all as Pearl - toasted the landmark earlier this month, with a card from The Queen and a visit from Falkirk’s provost. Billy Buchanan.

She was born June 14 1921, and lived in Wallace Street with her sisters Alice and Bunty, and parents John Scott and Alice Cummings.

As a child, ill health limited her education, but she completed her schooling and went on to hold a number of jobs.

Pearl began at J.K. Millers, fireplace company, on Tanners Brae. She started as a typist, and moved on to do all aspects of office work.

She then joined Bargain Kings, a hugely popular store of the time, based at Cow Wynd.

Pearl met her future husband, Robert, at Doak’s Dancing.

They married at Camelon Church on September 7 1940 while he was on leave from the RAF.

They moved into a house at 40 Victoria Road with her mum, in 1945.

Shortly afterwards they moved to a brand new council house at 4 Bantaskine Road, where she stayed for the next 72 years.

October 1947 saw the birth of their daughter also named Pearl.

Pearl continued to work, and was employed as a cutter at Arkana in Camelon - famous for making fibreglass furniture in cruise ships and in toys, and then joined R & A Mains, as a machine press operator, making parts for aircraft, and even hand grenades as part of the war effort.

While working there, Pearl suffered an industrial accident when one of the presses came down on her hand, costing her half of a finger.

She carried on regardless, and the injury was the subject of many questions from grandchildren, and great grandchildren

Pearl finished her working life at Havelocks in Grangemouth - which made clothing for M&S - as a quality control inspector

Her husband sadly passed away in 2006, and in November 2013, her only daughter died.

Pearl also bore a number of health issues and a broken hip, and in 2019 she suffered a stroke, and moved to Thorntree Mews Nursing Home in Falkirk.

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