Gagarin Way

Out delivering presents to the family on my day off and the drive took me out to Lochore to visit my auntie and uncle, where a braw plate of home made soup awaited me with a crusty roll!

In between Cowdenbeath and Lochgelly lies the little village of Lumphinnans. There aren't too many streets but one of them is the brilliantly named Gagarin Way. The street is named after Yuri Gagarin, the Russian cosmonaut and first man in space and has been made famous by the play of the same name by Gregory Burke. The village was once nicknamed Little Moscow due to the pocket of Communist elected representatives in the area and there are a few other streets named after communist figures including Willie Gallacher who was the local MP for nearly 20 years from the 30s through the 50s.

Someone remarked a few years ago that the communists in this area are long gone and have been replaced by commuters who work in Edinburgh. But there is still a Communist Councillor, Willie Clarke representing nearby villages of Lochore and Ballingry.

After orbitting the earth in the 1960s, it was a local communist councillor, Robert Smith that proposed a street be named after Gagarin in recognition of this feat. Smith now has a street named after him, Robert Smith Court, just along the road from here.