ARPINO Palma Anne 1929-2011

Palma shortly after was born with her natural mum Mary Arpino. Mary gave her up for adoption with her parents legally adopting Palma shortly after baby’s birth. Palma’s natural father however had also been wanting to bring her up with the help of his sisters. Eventually her natural father James Curran remarried and had another life in Gorebridge.

Palma Curran was born on 31st December 1929 when her mum Mary Arpino 1912-2008 was still a tender age. Being unmarried, things were not as they are now and Palma was legally adopted by natural grandparents Angelina Quilietti and John Arpino, and brought up as Maryâ€™s youngest sister. Things were not easy for Palma as she spent nearly all her spare time after her school day was over working in the family run fish and chip shop in Pathead. It was expected in those days for everyone to ‘chip’ in to help and there would be no payment in return. But she did on the other hand get to meet the many locals and passers by to the village.

It was not a glamorous life, scrubbing and chipping the tatties with no machines or otherwise to help. So your hands would be cold and chaffed with working with the cold water all day. Sometimes the chips were stored in an old tin or enamel bath in the premises and it was a job in itself to keep the chips fresh as the water would soon glaze over with the starch from the tatties. The chips would get scooped out for frying and it was a non-stop job.

When Palma was 17 she met a handsome Italian Carmelo Accolla who was a POW in Scotland. He had popped along to the shop presumably to buy some chips, and it was from this meeting that their romance blossomed. They used to meet up in an old farmhouse near to Pathead where the Italians were working the land. Baby Pricilla Anne Arpino was born in 1946. The Italians of course had been deported back to their homeland by this time and Palma was left with Pricilla to bring up on her own.

The ruins of the Farmhouse today 2021. This is where Palma and Carmelo would meet up.

Palma’s adopted parents decided that the best option for her at this time was to have the baby adopted. They found two American Doctors who were willing to pay for her and take her back to the USA and bring her up there. It is said that the money had changed hands!!!. However the story goes that when Palma got wind of this she created and WW3 nearly erupted in Pathead. So in the end they had to cancel the adoption and return the money. Palma with baby Pricilla went to live with Aunty Emily in Edinburgh where they remained for over a year. In time they moved back to Pathead.

To the left is Palma’s Italian boyfriend Carmelo Accolla, he was Pricilla’s dad.
To the right is Lex in his Navy Uniform

It was perhaps in the same Chippy that Palma met the love of her life Alexander Slater 1927-2015. He took them away from the shop and they went to live with his parents for a while after he came out of the Navy. Then they married in 1949. Their children came along Tamara, Trudy and Palma.