Category: Kilbirnie / North Ayrshire

Glengarnock Steel Works: War Memorials unveiled (including Kilbirnie) November 1922.

 

To avoid confusion, let me explain:

  1. There was a Plaque for both wars  inside Glengarnock Church (demolished) and details can be found here on the Imperial War Museum´s site and it resides now in the Auld Kirk of Kilbirnie along with another plaque for their own Kilbirnie parishoners.
  2. A memorial for WW1 was a plaque attached to a building at the steel works.   I have seen it as a boy and I recall that it was on the back of one of the steel works offices. I do not know if that contained names of the second war also. The Colvilles staff magazines in the early 1920s contained a pull out glossy souvenir about those employees who died during the first world war. Details are on this site.
  3.  A new Plaque was unveiled at Glengarnock Primary School for WWII only but that school has since been demolished  – it may have been transferred to the replacement secondary school at Glengarnock. The outdated Imperial war museum entry is here for that one. 
  4. A separate war memorial exists in Kilbirnie at the park gate covering both wars for people who lived in Kilbirnie. The Imperial war museum reference is here.

Here is the roll of Honour from the staff magazine about Glengarnock with the Steel works Employee names on there:

 

Hamilton McQueen – Glengarnock Steel Works 1921

Extract from Colvilles Staff Magazine, 1921, (two pages) other names mentioned, An´ra MacDougall, Robert Breckenridge, PA Abernethy, E. Sharp, Avil´s Cottage, Ed Kerr, W Anderson, John Drysdale, GP West, Robert Ferguson, James McArthur, John Busby, Andrew Millar, James Millar, John McGhie, Hugh Aitken, James Robertson,  James MacBride, John MacBride,  Irvine Clifford, Hugh Blue, Alex McMurray, Robert Irvine, (there are other pictures of him around Kilbirnie and his work with the Salvation Army, if its the same person) John Colville, David Colville,

Glengarnock Steel Works Magazines 1920-1960.

I recently visited the Mitchell Library Glasgow where the entire collection of the staff magazines for Colvilles are held. For those of you who dont know, Colvilles owned not only these steel works at Glengarnock but many others across the region. They issued a staff magazine between 1920 and the 1960s. At which time it became British Steel. The continued with magazines which are likely around somewhere. These bound magazines can also be purchased  if you google them, online.

The Colvilles magazine contains many bits of information, photos, stories and letters about and from the Glengarnock Steel works Employees.  I started to collect some of these  by using the camera on my phone before the library assistant stopped me and said I need to photocopy them instead. I am posting the ones I found which are a few extracts of the earlier magazines with news of Glengarnock.  The early copies seem to focus a lot on regular contributors like William Allan or Allen who was a gifted poet and photographer, and Robert Stevenson, a photographer and writer who seemed to finally leave in the early days, both locals. There also common surnames like Blue, McTaggart, Milligan, Geddes,  and many more in these 1920s editions.  If you are researching a particular North Ayrshire name, tell me and I will try to help. They also talk about the social events which the employees went to, such as dances, talks and classes, particularly in the Orange Hall (now demolished) which if I remember correctly may have been owned by the Steel works or at least built on steel works land.

I will post each one separately, in the coming days to ensure I cover and transcribe all of the relevant information in there.

 

 

History of the County of Ayr : with a genealogical account of the families of Ayrshire

This book has a lot of detailed information about the Auld Kirk in Kilbirnie, River Garnock, Place, Fairs,  as well as the history of  prominent families and findings of the area,. Barclays, Crawfurds, Cunninghame, etc History of the kirk etc including names of early people serving there.

You can read it here

This book has also  very detailed sections about Parishes: Dundonald, Dunlop, Fenwick, Galston, Girvan, Irvine, Kilbirnie, West Kilbride, Kilmarnock, Kilmaurs, Kilwinning, Kirkmichael, Kirkoswald, Largs, Loudoun, Mauchline, Maybole, Monktoun, Muirkirk, Ochiltree, Riccarton, St Quivox, Sorn, Stair, Stevenston, Stewarton, Straiton, Symington, Torbolton.
Appendix.

The Waiting Hour – A Sunset in Paisley

Oh the joy of the waiting hour at sunset, upon the White Cart as she shines her yellow light to say goodnight

Another moon comes and shines on the same river, like two old men, never to meet.

The hours pass and the children play and scream, while the ghosts of the Abbey chants of the night still heard, yet unheard.

The Town Hall clock lends its eyes and chimes the 9th hour,

The young men stumble home from the pub and the old men light up their cigarettes for their walk home.

faded memories of Victorians in shaded statues, casting  long shadows and tales.

Laus Deo – it is done, and higher we are lifted.

 

 

 

Poem for Arran and the Holy Isle

Oh draw near, Great Love Divine,  and sooth my waiting mind.

Whiting Bay and Holy Isle, surely all are thine, within my heart appears the long forgotten saints.

Passing holy hours, like a tired monk I wait to find you in the maze of liturgies and pathways.

My naked head does burn, like earthly passions turn, to a higher calling, to vistas set eternal.

With a yearning voice so strong, I turn to what I long, to find my peace in thee.

May the mountains of the isles teach me humility of heart, to see beyond the peaks of shortcomngs to higher views of Love.

The sweeping vistas of Love, higher than the highest peak, swirling winds appear.

The joy of meeting departed ones, to commune again on the shores of thine Isles, I wait, I come.

 

 

“Memories of the Rows. The Fading Breath of The Past”. By John McFarland of 29 Long Row Glengarnock

Many of you are asking if I have this booklet which was originally written in the late 1970s I believe.  It captures many names of people and places which vanished in the 1930s but has information going back into the 1800s. There is a little extract of it which is still around and can be found at http://www.kilbirnie.uk.net/toppage4.htm

I do not currently have a copy of this booklet but it is still circulating within the town. I last came across an audio version of it back in the 1990s  which was being used by the local blind society as part of their library they shared with locals. If it got that far then I´m sure it must be around somewhere perhaps in the local history dept of North Ayrshire library.

If anybody has a copy, please send it to me and I will put it up here.  Use the “contact me” button on this site please.

thanks

Joe

 

 

Poem about Kilbirnie #NorthAyrshire: The Mossend Mine

The Mossend Mine

While walking near the Mossend mine
I chanced upon a flower
I stopped and stared at beauty spent
and passed away the hour

Her leaves were yellow daffodils
where bees would pass the time
watching men go underground
While entering the mine

Her stem did sway with summer breeze
she slumbered on the brink
like a burdened miner walks
whilst thirsting for a drink

Suddenly a voice I heard
transported back in time
young men with blackened faces walked
deep inside that mine

Awaking, flowers, buttercups
Blessed me on my way
Whilst haunting thoughts of distant past
I carried through my day

So if a flower does call you back
to places, lands of yore,
dwell not in the realm of dreams
take only what is yours

Perhaps your flower is yet to come
in mountain, thoughts or clime
ne’er mind the times of centuries old
now is your only time

Martha Warnock Brisco, Kilbirnie.

Martha Warnock Standing by Knox´s mill where she worked, living at 12 Muirend Street, Kilbirnie during the 1930s. Her husband Charles Brisco died in Newcastle in 1906, at that time she brought their Children back to Kilbirnie.

They were:

Esther married Neil McTaggart, (Kilbirnie)

John, married Agnes K Docherty, (Johnstone / Paisley)

Mary married William Dignan (Kilwinning)

Margaret (Kilbirnie)

Joseph (New York and Dalmuir)

Martha married James Knox (Kilbirnie)

 

Poem at Dalry Cemetery June 2019.

At Sunset. Dalry Cemetery.

O gracious peace and silence, where voices lose their power.

The setting sun brings darkness to the last awaiting hours,

With Lords and paupers  stilled, together till the light

Where ‘er they are in consciousness, God speed to them tonight.

By Biggarts’ son or Uncle John. Youth and age does lie,

For the wall between the old and new, lies strong in earthly eyes.

But somewhere else upon the shores, Dalry does rise again,

where no walls or  tombs pervade, religion, class or kin,

And as our thoughts rise higher, away from bricks and stone.

That new Dalry will one by one come to take us home.

There at the crossings full of folk who long ago were ken’t.

Again the tears of union declares the time well spent.