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. […]
About 9 o’clock on the morning of Sunday 13th October 1867, the body of man named Matthew Arneil was found laying face down in the Calder River under Newhousemill Bridge, on the boundary with East Kilbride Parish (back roads). Matthew was a miner residing at Newfield, Blantyre. When found quite dead, he appeared to have […]
About 5 o’clock on Monday 17th June 1861, a collier named William Bishop, aged 17 went into the River Clyde at the riverbank about 300 yards west of Haughhead Bridge and didn’t come out alive! He entered the river on the north side and swam towards the Blantyre side, but unfortunately about only 6 […]
This story has been pieced together using several news reports. This is the tale of a Burnbank girl tortured by scandal, and featuring heroic actions of 2 Blantyre men. In 1924 Mary M‘Gladdery was a young woman who lived at 309 Glasgow Road, Burnbank and for many years until then had been the merriest […]
The people of Blantyre have had a comedy week of events presented to them owing to the supposed drowning of a young man, who resided in Low Blantyre. The drama opened when one night in April 1928, the man had a “scrap” with another at the river bank on the Clyde at Blantyre. This […]
I’ve lost count of the amount of people who drowned in the Clyde at Blantyre, whether accidentally (or indeed deliberately through own actions). Not a nice story to dwell on , but this newspaper report from 27th July 1931, told of another body being discovered in the water. “WOMAN’S BODY IN RIVER. The body of […]
A drowning tragedy took place on Saturday 25th June 1932 at the Blantyre Weir, which spans the River Clyde, between Low Blantyre and Bothwell. Along with several companions 10-year old Alex, McDermott, who resided with his parents at 45 Murray’s Building, High Blantyre, was walking across the upper ledge of the dam. He lost his footing […]