It’s Gala Day in Blantyre so we need a fitting post today. The annual children’s gala day hosted by Blantyre Co-operative Society (Ltd.) was held on Saturday 31st July 1917. The weather was ideal for such event and war in Europe did not hamper attendance to any great extent. Close on 7000 people most of […]
During WW1, a fete was held at Stonefield, at the large Curling pond, just off John Street. The location of this former curling pond is now where the fields are in the public park, where the modern summer gala is normally held. In Summer months, when the green was not frozen over, it was used […]
This was the Blantyre Community Centre youngsters on a float in the July 1980 Gala day. The youngsters were aboard their decorated float in a procession going through the town. Do you recognise anybody? These kids are all likely in their late 40’s, early 50s now. Featuring Blantyre Project Social Media with permission. Strictly not for use […]
Conditions in the mining towns of Lanarkshire in the immediate post WW1 years were about as bad as it could get. Infant mortality in Lanarkshire was astonishingly high with 22,000 children out of 188,000 born in 1918, dying before they even reached their first birthday! In Blantyre on average 143 babies out of every 1,000, […]
Impressive Scenes took place at Blantyre on Sunday 31st August 1919. Almost one hundred years go, one of the largest parades ever seen in Blantyre took place that Sunday afternoon when a procession of military, demobilised men, Masonic Lodges, and Friendly Societies marched through the principal streets to the Parish Church at High Blantyre. A […]
Here’s another great photo from the Gala day in 1980. These youngsters from Springwells certainly made a nostalgic sight by dressing up as miners. This float from the Springwells Tenant’s Association brought back many memories, especially for older people, of Blantyre mining past.
Alicejan Sweeney messaged me recently saying, “My mum found a photo of the Priory Street Coronation Party. My mum Elizabeth Sweeney (Wright) is the baby in the 2nd back row wearing a bonnet. My Uncle Iain Wright is to the right of her, my gran Alice Wright (Maxwell) is the lady standing on the right, […]
The 5th January 1921 saw one of the most controversial meetings ever seen in Blantyre. Blantyre Parish Council had discussed a motion to provide boots and socks for the children of the unemployed but it was found that this had not been done, despite it being a priority the month before and still in the […]