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From the archives
Kilsyth Anderson Church minister Reverend James Ross with his gift of a clock to mark his 10 years in Kilsyth in May, 1978.
A look through the files of the Kilsyth Chronicle
1986
THE dedication of Kilsyth’s Peace Garden was not without controversy as a former provost of the town complained fiercely at the non-playing of the national anthem. Scotland the Brave was played, along with the French national anthem as Therese Pirollo, Mayor of Kilsyth’s twin town Meulan, unveiled the commemorative plaque along with Provost Jim Pollock. Buit former provost Malcolm Gillies complained to Mr. Pollock about the omission of God Save the Queen. Ceremony organiser Craig Combe said the music was intended to celebrate the special relationship between France and Scotland, not to offend anyone. The 110th annual Kilsyth Flower Show was held at Kilsyth Academy. Despite clashing with the shows for both Denny and Greengairs, and the Peace Garden ceremonies, there was still a strong crowd at this horticultural extravaganza. Poor weather had impacted the number of entries but there were still some magnificent specimens on display, particularly vegetables including a monster marrow that was at least a metre long. There was a significant increase in the number of children entering the various competitions.
1961
GEORGE Pettigrew of Queenzieburn was very fond of his car, a 1933 Ford. So attached was he to the 8-horsepower beast that he flatly refused an offer from Ford to replace it with a brand new vehicle, free of charge. Ford were keen to obtain George’s pride and joy, which had racked up 370,000 miles, as it had the best record they’d ever heard of. The gleaming black saloon did 40 miles to the gallon and never used up oil. What makes this even more remarkable is that the former blacksmith never took his car to a garage, instead doing all work on it himself. He had replaced the engine three times and re-upholstered the interior, but the stove-metal bodywork had never needed repair. Proof that advertising can backfire sometimes - when the Stirling Ltd shop in Main Street displayed small transistor radios in its front window. two were stolen in less than a week. One had been in the window for less than an hour. A Kilsyth housewife, Mrs Gillies, got her fifteen minutes of fame when she answered the door of her Barlandfauld Street house to find a gentleman who enquired if she used a particular brand of soap powder. On producing the stated product, she was invited to Glasgow to be interviewed for STV.
1936
FAMED Russian violinist Eduard Sõrmus came to Kilsyth to perform a concert for the local Socialist Party in the Labour Hall in King Street. The “Red Violinist”, who studied violin at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory, spent many years touring around Europe after having to flee Russia in 1906. KILSYTH Station received a first class award in LNER’s best-kept stations competition. The staff, led by a Mr Lindsay, were congratulated for keeping the station bright and bonny. IT was not the best summer Kilsyth had ever seen. The rainfall for July was 5.23 inches as compared with 2.53 inches last year and the average of 3.93 inches. For August the figure was 4.4 inches compared with 2.53 and the average of 4.99. It rained on 24 days in July and 18 in August. These figures were provided by the town’s sanitary inspector. WALKERS at Craigmarloch witnessed a violent struggle between two swans in the canal. One held its opponent under the water for some time, and it seemed as though it would be drowned so some spectators hurled stones at the aggressor. The two combatants ultimately broke off, with the larger bird flying off pursued by the smaller, even though it was exhausted.
1901
SEVERAL soldiers from Kilsyth would have an important ceremonial role to play as the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders based at Stirling Castle would provide the guard of honour for King Edward’s visit to Scotland. Kilsyth’s medical officer reported that infectious disease was once again on the rise with an outbreak of scarlet fever. Eleven mild cases had been reported in the last month. The issue for Kilsyth was the town’s proximity to Glasgow, which meant the town would always be affected by any outbreaks there. The city was currently dealing with almost three thousand cases of scarlet fever.
A selection of advertisments adorning this week’s Chronicle: “Teeth, 2/6. Set, One Guinea. Best Teeth on Gold, Platinum, Ebonite and Corilate Base... five years warranty”, from a Glasgow dentist. Webber’s Vetedaceo, the Great Australian Herbal Remedy: This was claimed to cure a vast list of ailments, including “all diseases of the blood and skin”, as well as cancer, ringworm, gout and “poverty of blood”. Ladies were invited to send off for a free illustrated book on the “avoidance or removal of all irregularities or obstructions” which was apparently recommended by physicians.
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Weather for Cumbernauld
Thursday 20 June 2013
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 11 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
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Cloudy
Temperature: 10 C to 17 C
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