Alex Birnie â The Scotsman from East London Unlike other former Scottish shipyard workers, prior to playing football for Everton, Alex Birnie did not learn his trade on Clydeside but on the banks of the River Thames in the East End of London. He had been born on 16 May 1883 in the small Aberdeenshire community of Reva and was the first child of George and Elsie. The head of household had previously worked as a shipwright in the nearby seaport of Peterhead when he moved his family to the West Ham area of London where he found employment in the Thames ironworks. He was eventually joined at this location by his son Alex who began âserving his timeâ under the supervision of his father while playing amateur football with both Fairburn House and Commercial Athletic.