On 31st July 1917, during WW1, a number of small boys were amusing themselves at the River Clyde riverside at the former Blantyre Works Mills.

It was quite common in those days for groups of 5 or 6 year olds to be out on their own but this was a day to end in tragedy. Their games took them to the sluice at the mill lade and it was a surprise to all when Thomas Todd aged 5 fell into the deep water. Unable to swim, his 2 little companions somehow managed to grab his arm, but to no avail. Thomas, from Bothwell slipped under the water and drowned.

The shocked boys ran off to raise the alarm and the wee body was recovered 2 days later. This post remembers little Thomas Todd and the heartache and grief his poor family and friends must have felt afterwards. Rest in Peace Thomas.

This photo from 1903 shows how dangerous the former mill lade would be to anybody, let alone a child.