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Robert 'Watson' CRUICKSHANK, born Aberdeen 1870, died Oxford 1940

On the same day as Dr Smallhorn's funeral, the Board of Guardians gave notice to appoint his successor two weeks later.The successor was Dr CRUICKSHANK who had already been working with Dr Smallhorn.

Robert Watson CRUICKSHANK (known as Watson) was born in Aberdeen in 1870 the son of Alexander, who was a grocer, wine and spirit merchant. He went to Aberdeen Grammar School (1880-1884), then served an apprenticeship as a chemist with Messrs Davidson & Kay of Aberdeen (1885-1890) and then graduated from Aberdeen University with an MB and CM in 1895 before eventually moving to Eynsham. With Dr CRUICKSHANK taking over the Shrubbery after Dr Smallhorn's death, patients could continue to come there for their medical care. One of Smallhorn's daughters, Ida, married Cruickshank later in the year of her father's death, 1902.

Dr CRUICKSHANK was a committed doctor, fair but sometimes strict. Tommy Harris (born 1905) recalled quite a few memories of him:
`You get down High Street, where you've got Dr Peterson in the Shrubbery now. Well when I was a kid that was Dr CRUICKSHANK. He was a good doctor, he done it all himself you see. If you wanted CRUICKSHANK you had to wait - 'cause we lived opposite we could see if he hadn't got a queue outside if you wanted to see him. And you'd stand outside - there was no waiting room. If you wanted a doctor you had to stand and wait outside until your turn come whether it was raining or not. He only had one at a time in. And he mixed your medicine before you come out.
`He was strict, no messing. I mean when I had the measles, he told me to go back and go to bed. 'Cause then in our house I could look out to see if anybody was coming. I remember one day I was just looking out the window, I see him coming across the road. I was back in bed like a nipper. He come and had a look and said, "You can get out now a bit." I thought, "I already have." Oh yes, he was very strict.'

Eynsham men, including Tommy and his brother Ern also went to see Dr CRUICKSHANK when a medical was required to join the Cirencester Club (run by.
Stanley Green's father). It cost Tommy half-a- crown and for his money he got a `thorough examination from top to bottom'.

Although for transport Dr CRUICKSHANK initially used a pony and brougham driven by a groom, by the time of the First World War he had a car, a 1912 holly green De Dion Bouton which during the years was looked after by Bill Moby, John Pimm and also Jack Green. Jack Green, who was born in 1902 just after Dr
CRUICKSHANK took over from Dr Smallhorn, recalled:
`I left Witney Grammar School in 1917 I think, and went to work for Dr CRUICKSHANK. He taught me to drive when I went to look after his car. I used to do the rounds with him. Just to mind the car.You sat there frozen sometimes. We used to do Cumnor, Farmoor, Swinford, come back to Cassington, a bit of Bladon, Long Hanborough, Church Hanborough, go to North Leigh a bit, cross the road to South Leigh, Stanton Harcourt, bit of Standlake - there was another doctor come from Witney that shared Standlake. Oh yes, there was nothing else about apart from the horses and carts, pedestrians and cyclists. I mean, when I was out with Cruicky we rarely met another car. `He used to have surgery every morning 9 'til 10, go in and get a bit of lunch or coffee or something, go out and get in the car, go on the rounds 'til about 1, get home have his lunch, get back in the car, go round and finish the rounds wherever he'd got them on, all round the area, get back for surgery at 6 o'clock - 6 'til 7. He was lucky he finished.'

Dr CRUICKSHANK kept his car in the garage round the back on the other side of the entrance gates. Also in that building was a wash-house where Sammy Harris washed medicine bottles every day ready for Cruicky to re fill. Frank Pimm, the postman, helped to deliver the medicine to some of the patients. Jack Green was working with Dr CRUICKSHANK (or "Cruicky" as he called him) during the time of the deadly 1918 flu epidemic. Dr CRUICKSHANK was busier than ever during that time.

John Pimm replaced Jack Green for a while before Moby came out of the Army and resumed his pre-War job. Bill Moby lived up the alley off High Street (now Pug Lane) in the left hand side of what is now Keith Green's cottage. At one time Bill Alsworth also worked for this doctor.

Dr CRUICKSHANK, like doctors today, provided sick notes for his patients. In 1904 on notepaper embossed with the heading 'The Shrubbery, Eynsham, Oxon' he provided a note certifying that Mr Thomas Hanks of the Newland Inn was `suffering from influenzal cold & is unable to work.' A similar note was provided in 1908. It was said that he worked night and day and took no half-day holidays even when he had an assistant. He was even known to visit patients in his pajamas if he was called out for an emergency at night. Amazingly when he took his annual summer holiday and visited his home town, Aberdeen, he would even go to the Royal Infirmary Hospital there to study operations.

He had two daughters, Alison (christened at Eynsham in 1903) and Leslie. Alison, or 'Buffy', nicknamed on account of her ginger hair, died tragically when a young adult. Leslie later married a Mr Gillett. CRUICKSHANK's wife Ida was also one time president of the WI at Eynsham.

He retired due to ill-health in 1933 and moved to 21 Apsley Road, Summertown, Oxford, where he died on the Saturday night of 24 May 1940 aged 70, having spent his final years in and out of nursing homes. However he had still managed to be a deacon of St Colomba's Presbyterian Church (now United Reformed) in Alfred Street, off High Street, Oxford up to the time of his death. His funeral was held there where, by his request, only garden flowers were to be sent. In his will he left £100 to his nephew Thomas Smallhorn (grandson of the late Dr Thomas Smallhorn). Joint executor was his friend the Vicar of North Leigh, Walter John Hornagold Wright. So far I have not managed to locate where he was buried (it was not Wolvercote Cemetery).