In August 1903 Mr James Brown Junior, an accomplished bowler from Blantyre won the Scottish Championships. The bowling championship category was won single handed and as you would imagine when word spread of his achievement, the community wanted to do something in recognition. James was one of the youngest bowlers ever seen in Blantyre, which […]
Apologies for the rather dark photograph in this article but it was the only one I could find of local man, Mr James Brown Junior. James was the President of Blantyre Bowling Club, (certainly in season 1905/06) and was until then the youngest ever President, enjoying a similar popularity and respect of any of his […]
On 19th November 1909, the Blantyre F Company of the 6th Battalion of the Scottish Rifles celebrated their 50 year anniversary. The Jubilee event took place in Stonefield in Blantyre and the F Company, affectionately known as the “Blantyre Blazers” were in good spirits. The event marked 50 years of drill practice, military training and […]
The following is an extract of a letter sent by Captain James Brown in June 1915 to Mrs Bannatyne at Milheugh, Blantyre. A letter from the frontline telling the story of brave Blantyre soldiers. Just one month later, James Brown himself had died in battle. I’ve recently discovered that the soldiers in this letter referred […]
This is F Company of the Scottish 6th Rifles taken in Falkirk in October 1914. One of four Territorial Battalions of the Regiment, the 6th Scottish Rifles covered Lanarkshire and had its headquarters in Hamilton. The officer seated in the centre with a mousache is James Brown the School Teacher from Blantyre, killed in action […]
David Reddiex shared this transcript of a letter from WW1. He told me, “I thought your readers may be interested in this type written letter from the trenches, in 1915. It depicts some of the brave tales of Auchentibber/Blantyre soldiers. My mother, Katherine , was a Strang and my father, James, was a Reddiex…both sadly […]
Thank you to Wilma Bolton who gave me this nice poem. Written by William Park of Blantyre in 1915. James Brown was a former Pre WW1 headmaster of Auchinraith Primary School and Captain of 6th Scottish Rifles. (Cameronians based in Muir Hall, Hamilton). James, who was in F company, sadly received his fatal wound cheering […]