Every now and again, a great little piece of memorabilia turns up. Like this card from August 1912, an invite for William Haig and his wife to attend the opening of Calder Street School.

The invite went out from Blantyre School Board for William Allan Haig and partner to attend the opening of the Calder Street School, then called Blantyre Intermediate Public School on Tuesday 13th August 1912. (not 31st of August as you may have read elsewhere).

Wanting to know more, I found William Allan Haig in the 1915 valuation roll and was surprised to see during WW1, he was living in Hillhouse Cottage, Hillhouse, Hamilton, just over the boundary. The card therefore proved some guests were invited from outwith Blantyre. William Haig was a gamekeeper, working in the Earnock area but clearly was a reputable person, sufficiently known to the Blantyre Parish School Board and respected enough to be invited along to the school opening in Blantyre.