With The Broon's and Oor Wullie's 70th birthday approaching fast there has been a steady drip of news stories in the media with various 'revelations'.
One significant 'revelation' (that will feature in the BBC Scotland TV documentary Happy Birthday Wullie!) is that Wullie's surname may be Russell. The basis of the claim is in this strip:
While it is reasonable to say there is a 50% chance that if Wullie's uncle has the surname Russell then so has Wullie. However, I am doubtful that it is true. Uncle Watty made two more appearances that I can think of and both times it seemed clear he was the brother of Wullie's Ma - well I thought so anyway. Make your own mind up.
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The one on the left is from The Sunday Post 24 December 1939 and one on right is from 14 April 1940.
In the early years Wullie had plenty of aunties and uncles; Auntie Jean, Auntie Jeannie, Auntie Mabel, Auntie Jessie, Uncle Watty, Uncle Jock, Uncle Tam, Uncle Fred, Uncle Joe and who knows how many more.
I think I know what happened to him..................................................................... The social worker took him away!
In a recent Sunday Times, while discussing the language of The Broons and Oor Wullie, Tom Morton claimed "it’ll always be “onion” on the page, not “ingin”." This one is for you Tom.
On Monday 27 February on the tea-time news, BBC Reporting Scotland reported that PC Murdoch was based on a Fife policeman one PC Sandy Marnoch (I tried to record it but the report was over before the valves warmed up in my DVD recorder). It was essentially the story from the Fife Constabulary web-site that I noted on my News Page back in January 2005.
There was always a policeman making an appearance in Oor Wullie, sometimes he was Bob or Joe McTosh and sometimes he was 'the bobbie', 'the slop'or 'the polis'. I think he first appeared as Murdoch in August 1943 (but he may have appeared sooner).
Story Links:
Sunday
Times by Tom Morton on The Broons and Oor wullie vernacular
The
Daily Record asks what happened to Wullie's wee brother
BBC
Scotland News Broadcast video file link - Real Player required
Sunday
times article on the real PC Murdoch
The
Scotsman article on the real PC Murdoch
PC
Murdoch story on the Fife Constabulary web-site