Re: Looking Back - Herald files
Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2021 11:04 pm
From the Archives of the Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald published on September 7, 2008
100 YEARS AGO on September 4, 1908
AT THE annual meeting of Saltcoats Swimming Club last Friday, office-bearers appointed were: Pres, Bailie RS Brown; Vice-President, Bailie Christie; treasurer, Percy Greig: secretary, H Gaul; committee - Messrs JL Myers, D McCall, Ex-Baille Miller, RH Watt, G Tumbull, John Miller, James Beattie, William Mathieson, Andrew Serv. ice, JB Mathieson, James Miller Junior, Joseph Keys, Andrew Fleck, Robert Borland, Alex McCall, Hugh Hunter and William Morrison.
ON Saturday last the pond at Saltcoats was occupied by a few of the Glasgow swimming clubs who held their annual captaincy, and other races.
THE ancient parade and races of Beith Cadgers took place Tuesday. Accompanied by Beith Instrumental Band, the procession paraded the streets and in the afternoon racing took place at Hill O' Beith.
THE Ayrshire Amateur Brass Band Championship competition was held last Saturday in the grounds of Place, Kilbirnie; Saltcoats band being placed second in the second section.
DALRY Public Hall was occupied last Friday by Mr John Clyde and his Company who presented the play The Manxman to a large and enthusiastic audience.
THE cycle race for the West Kilbride Merchants Cup was run last Saturday over two miles, the winners being: 1. John Brand: 2, T Muir: 3, A Wilson
50 YEARS AGO on September 5, 1958
AN EXPLOSION at Ardeer Factory, Stevenston, on Friday morning of last week shook five neighbouring towns - but apart from a few cases of shock or slight cuts no one at the factory was injured. A spokesman at the Nobel Division HQ in Glasgow said that the explosion had not occurred in any of the factory's process buildings but in a magazine in which explosives were being stored. After the mishap a pall of smoke hung over the blasting area of the factory and many anxious wives and mothers of workers watched it from Stevenson shore. It could also be seen from Irvine and from Ardrossan.
Several women gathered at the factory gate anxious for news, and three local clergymen were among people who called to offer their assistance if the incident were particularly serious. The blast shook windows and houses in neighbouring towns and one woman in Stevenston was standing outside her home with her child, holding a teddy bear, when the toy was blown out of her hand. In Kilwinning windows rattled and several in houses in houses in the vicinity of Eglinton Place were reported to have been broken. At Irvine, the blast was felt by people out shopping and here, too, windows shook violently, and eyes turned towards Ardeer. Housewives in Saltcoats and Ardrossan ran into the streets on hearing the explosion, and many people, fearing a disaster, phoned Ardeer Factory and local police stations.
MESSRS Fisher and Sons, Saltcoats, have completed the demolishing of the buildings at Stanley Farm, Ardrossan. They have started to demolish the Co-operative stables behind the Post Office, in Glasgow Street This building has in turn been a tenement, a printing work, engineering shop, masonic lodge, Joiner's shop, plumber's shop and stables. This firm are also demolishing a tenement building in Kilmahew Street.
THE attempt to beat the world's record for piano playing is, at the time of writing (Thursday) still in progress at Saltcoats Beach Pavilion Nineteen-year-old Glenn Dale, who was one of the artistes in the summer show at the Pavilion, and who began his piano-playing marathon at 9am on Monday moming, will require to continue playing until 10.30pm tomorrow (Saturday) to equal the existing record of 133 hours. He hopes to be able to beat the record by another half hour. Glen does not have to play all the time, but may of course, relax by merely playing one or two notes. He is maintaining his interest by playing requests for members of the public and enjoys conversing with sympathetic patrons.
25 YEARS AGO on September 9, 1983
A FORMER Army bomb disposal expert was rushed to hospital on Friday after a blast at Nobel's Explosives plant in Stevenston. Brian Reid (54) had his left arm ripped open, two fingers badly smashed and suffered shrapnel wounds to his face when a detonator when he was inspecting exploded. Mr Reid who lives at 27 Norman Crescent, Irvine has worked with explosives for the last 33 years and received the George Medal for his bomb disposal work during hostilities in Malaysia.
His wife Elizabeth said: "During the war when we were living in Hong Kong. I used to keep the phone near my bed, worrying that something might happen while he was defusing a bomb. "I never thought anything like this would happen after we moved back to Irvine." After the accident, Mr Reid was taken to North Ayrshire District General Hospital for emergency treatment to his injuries. This week he was said by a hospital spokesman to be doing fine". A spokesman for Nobel's Explosives said an inquiry had been launched to find the cause of the accident. A laboratory, in which the detonators were housed, was extensively damaged in the blast.
BOMB disposal experts rushed to Arran on Thursday to defuse a mine which was found outside Lamlash Bay the previous day. The fishing boat Mayflower discovered the mine at 2pm on Wednesday and, under instruction from the Coastguard, took it into the mouth of the Bay where it was slowly and carefully dropped into the water and marked with a buoy. As we went to press the bomb disposal team was travelling to the island and it was not known if the mine was still live.
CUNNINGHAME South MP David Lambie is all set to defy his own constituency Labour Party in the forthcoming leadership election. On Sunday, Cunninghame South Constituency Labour Party took the decision to support Neil Kinnock for leader and left-winger Michael Meacher for deputy leader.
But only two days after the meeting, Mr Lambie insisted he will not toe the Constituency Labour Party line. Instead he will be voting for the socalled dream ticket of Roy Hattersley as leader and Neil Kinnock as deputy. It is the first time since the formation of the new constituency that Mr Lambie and his local labour Party workers have come to "blows".
ARRAN Police are keeping a close watch on the island's shores. Last Thursday at 3pm a trawler was reported to be fishing illegally off Catacol and the police were asked to keep watch over it. They reported to the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and a fisheries protection boat was sent to scan the coast. This is the second ...
Thanks to Tom McGrattan for the original
100 YEARS AGO on September 4, 1908
AT THE annual meeting of Saltcoats Swimming Club last Friday, office-bearers appointed were: Pres, Bailie RS Brown; Vice-President, Bailie Christie; treasurer, Percy Greig: secretary, H Gaul; committee - Messrs JL Myers, D McCall, Ex-Baille Miller, RH Watt, G Tumbull, John Miller, James Beattie, William Mathieson, Andrew Serv. ice, JB Mathieson, James Miller Junior, Joseph Keys, Andrew Fleck, Robert Borland, Alex McCall, Hugh Hunter and William Morrison.
ON Saturday last the pond at Saltcoats was occupied by a few of the Glasgow swimming clubs who held their annual captaincy, and other races.
THE ancient parade and races of Beith Cadgers took place Tuesday. Accompanied by Beith Instrumental Band, the procession paraded the streets and in the afternoon racing took place at Hill O' Beith.
THE Ayrshire Amateur Brass Band Championship competition was held last Saturday in the grounds of Place, Kilbirnie; Saltcoats band being placed second in the second section.
DALRY Public Hall was occupied last Friday by Mr John Clyde and his Company who presented the play The Manxman to a large and enthusiastic audience.
THE cycle race for the West Kilbride Merchants Cup was run last Saturday over two miles, the winners being: 1. John Brand: 2, T Muir: 3, A Wilson
50 YEARS AGO on September 5, 1958
AN EXPLOSION at Ardeer Factory, Stevenston, on Friday morning of last week shook five neighbouring towns - but apart from a few cases of shock or slight cuts no one at the factory was injured. A spokesman at the Nobel Division HQ in Glasgow said that the explosion had not occurred in any of the factory's process buildings but in a magazine in which explosives were being stored. After the mishap a pall of smoke hung over the blasting area of the factory and many anxious wives and mothers of workers watched it from Stevenson shore. It could also be seen from Irvine and from Ardrossan.
Several women gathered at the factory gate anxious for news, and three local clergymen were among people who called to offer their assistance if the incident were particularly serious. The blast shook windows and houses in neighbouring towns and one woman in Stevenston was standing outside her home with her child, holding a teddy bear, when the toy was blown out of her hand. In Kilwinning windows rattled and several in houses in houses in the vicinity of Eglinton Place were reported to have been broken. At Irvine, the blast was felt by people out shopping and here, too, windows shook violently, and eyes turned towards Ardeer. Housewives in Saltcoats and Ardrossan ran into the streets on hearing the explosion, and many people, fearing a disaster, phoned Ardeer Factory and local police stations.
MESSRS Fisher and Sons, Saltcoats, have completed the demolishing of the buildings at Stanley Farm, Ardrossan. They have started to demolish the Co-operative stables behind the Post Office, in Glasgow Street This building has in turn been a tenement, a printing work, engineering shop, masonic lodge, Joiner's shop, plumber's shop and stables. This firm are also demolishing a tenement building in Kilmahew Street.
THE attempt to beat the world's record for piano playing is, at the time of writing (Thursday) still in progress at Saltcoats Beach Pavilion Nineteen-year-old Glenn Dale, who was one of the artistes in the summer show at the Pavilion, and who began his piano-playing marathon at 9am on Monday moming, will require to continue playing until 10.30pm tomorrow (Saturday) to equal the existing record of 133 hours. He hopes to be able to beat the record by another half hour. Glen does not have to play all the time, but may of course, relax by merely playing one or two notes. He is maintaining his interest by playing requests for members of the public and enjoys conversing with sympathetic patrons.
25 YEARS AGO on September 9, 1983
A FORMER Army bomb disposal expert was rushed to hospital on Friday after a blast at Nobel's Explosives plant in Stevenston. Brian Reid (54) had his left arm ripped open, two fingers badly smashed and suffered shrapnel wounds to his face when a detonator when he was inspecting exploded. Mr Reid who lives at 27 Norman Crescent, Irvine has worked with explosives for the last 33 years and received the George Medal for his bomb disposal work during hostilities in Malaysia.
His wife Elizabeth said: "During the war when we were living in Hong Kong. I used to keep the phone near my bed, worrying that something might happen while he was defusing a bomb. "I never thought anything like this would happen after we moved back to Irvine." After the accident, Mr Reid was taken to North Ayrshire District General Hospital for emergency treatment to his injuries. This week he was said by a hospital spokesman to be doing fine". A spokesman for Nobel's Explosives said an inquiry had been launched to find the cause of the accident. A laboratory, in which the detonators were housed, was extensively damaged in the blast.
BOMB disposal experts rushed to Arran on Thursday to defuse a mine which was found outside Lamlash Bay the previous day. The fishing boat Mayflower discovered the mine at 2pm on Wednesday and, under instruction from the Coastguard, took it into the mouth of the Bay where it was slowly and carefully dropped into the water and marked with a buoy. As we went to press the bomb disposal team was travelling to the island and it was not known if the mine was still live.
CUNNINGHAME South MP David Lambie is all set to defy his own constituency Labour Party in the forthcoming leadership election. On Sunday, Cunninghame South Constituency Labour Party took the decision to support Neil Kinnock for leader and left-winger Michael Meacher for deputy leader.
But only two days after the meeting, Mr Lambie insisted he will not toe the Constituency Labour Party line. Instead he will be voting for the socalled dream ticket of Roy Hattersley as leader and Neil Kinnock as deputy. It is the first time since the formation of the new constituency that Mr Lambie and his local labour Party workers have come to "blows".
ARRAN Police are keeping a close watch on the island's shores. Last Thursday at 3pm a trawler was reported to be fishing illegally off Catacol and the police were asked to keep watch over it. They reported to the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and a fisheries protection boat was sent to scan the coast. This is the second ...
Thanks to Tom McGrattan for the original