£ 0.70 The Upper Tweed Community News Issue 71 December 2015 T HE B R A V E S HA V E Fiona’s Haircut for Charity Fiona Park who lives in Springwell Brae had her hair cut recently to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support through their “Brave the Shave” fundraising campaign. Impressive fireworks in Brougton on This was no ordinary haircut for it was performed by Barney McIntyre who is November 7th. Photo by Kitty Lambton. a professional sheep shearer. He has worked in many parts of the world but his Report on page 10. Also photo page 12.. only hair cutting experience is shearing sheep. To date Fiona has raised £1,850 and the appeal is still open. If anyone would like C ONTENTS to support her and add to this total, send a cheque made payable to BIIS & PCS P 2 Fiona Park, 15 Springwell Brae, Broughton ML12 6FE or hand a cheque or WW1 REMEMBERED. P 3 cash to May Fraser in Broughton Village Store. PEEBLESSHIRE RIFLE VOLUNTEERS P 4 Except for a few years, Fiona Howieson, as she was known before her marriage, OLIVER P 5 has lived in Broughton nearly all her life. She has two daughters, Tamzin and BRIGHTEN BROUGHTON P 6 Kaye. She works for two days per week on night duty at Garvald Care Home BROUGHTON PRIMARY SCHOOL P 7 for young adults near Dolphinton and has previously worked privately for both BROUGHTON UNITED CURLING CLUB P 8 the disabled and the elderly. She enjoys walking and in her youth she was also TWEEDSMUIR TALK P 9 keen on riding. NOTICEBOARD P10 Please support Fiona and help her break the £2,000 mark for her campaign. BANANAS NEWS P11 , CONCERT AND PHOTOS P12 Golden Eagle soars over Upper Tweed majestically. Photo by Alex Lintott, aged 10. Clubs gathering for the bonspiel at Murrayfield Ice Rink on November 14th, marking 200 years of the Brougton United Curling Club. Participating teams were from West Linton, Newlands, Eddleston, Peebles and Peebles Ladies and Biggar. Report on page 8. This issue is sponsored by B ITS & P C S C OM P UTING ,B IGGAR page 2 Upper Tweed Community News 1 Upper Tweed Community News 2 WW 1: In Memorium BRITISH RED CROSS In June 2014, theUpper Tweed Community News listed the men from our communities Mr Julian Birchall gave a fascinating who died in the disastrous, tragic World War 1. Some families still live in our illustrated talk, From Patogonia community. We will continue to feature some of these men over the next 3 years. to Drumelzier in Drumelzier Hall on November 20th. It was a fine blend of history, social commentary, geography and images of wild life. The committee of the Drumelzier Hall and Digby Welch, supported by his family, organised the event splendidly. It raised over £1000 for the British Red Cross Refugee Appeal. Well HANDYMAN FENCING GARDENING SMALL BUILDING REPAIRS Private Andrew Knapp Sergeant Hugh Crawford AND RENOVATIONS 16th Battalion Royal Scots 11th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Andrew Knapp was born in Cowglen Sergeant Crawford of Broughton, whose DOUGLAS A ROPER near Dunfermline and was educated at name is on the Broughton War Memorial, THE LOGAN, TWEEDSMUIR Possilpark Public School in Glasgow. was said to be a man of soldierly bearing He moved to Tweedsmuir but there and experience. In the early part of the TEL: 01899 880284 is no record of where he lived or his century he served in the army in both employment there. India and South Africa before joining the Caledonian Railway. He joined the 16th Battalion Royal Scots in January 1915. This Battalion was known At the outbreak of war, he rejoined Electrical Contractor as McCrae’s Battalion and was raised by the army serving in the 11th Battalion and named after the charismatic Colonel Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. (Prop: N Curatolo) Sir George McCrae MP, who had joined This battalion was formed in 1914 in • Domestic, Commercial & Industrial the Edinburgh Rifle Volunteers as a private Stirling and moved first to Aldershot and Installations soldier when just eighteen years old. then to Basingstoke before landing in McCrae’s Battalion largely consisted of France at Boulogne in July 1915. It was • Security Lighting & Alarms professional and amateur footballers and heavily engaged in the Battle of Loos in • Electric Showers was the first of the so-called “Footballers September that year, which he survived. • House Re-wires Battalions”. Heart of Midlothian led the However, before a further engagement, • Portable Appliance Testing first division at the time that war broke he wrote to his minister, Mr Baird, and • SBSA Registered Self-Certifier out and sixteen players, plus five hundred told him that he was preparing for battle supporters of the club, joined up followed under his trusted officer, Captain Home, All work guaranteed by 150 from Hibernian and others from formerly his Majesty’s Inspector of Unit 2, Lindsaylands Road, Raith Rovers, Falkirk and Dunfermline. Schools, but said that this might be his Biggar ML12 6EQ Fans were encouraged to fight alongside Tel 01899 220160 07860 750982 last letter. He received serious injuries their football heroes and this became a Fax 01899 220160 while burying a colleague and died on most effective recruiting theme. In 2014 E-mail: [email protected] 10th November 1915. He is buried in the McCrae’s Battalion was inducted into the http://www.nacelectrics.com/ Villers Cemetery. Scottish Football Hall of Fame. Their first major engagement was on st1 The Archive July 2016 at Contalmaison on the Somme These biographies are drawn from the excellent book by Dr A Gunn, The where more than 400 of the battalion died Book of Remembrance for Tweeddale Burgh and Parish, published in 1925. over three days. Andrew Knapp survived It provides short biographies and photographs of those who died in WW 1. this battle but was killed accidentally on Additional information from families for the series will be welcome. 30th November 1916 when a dug-out The book is available in an impressive digitised version from the National collapsed on him. Archives of Scotland at https://archive.org/stream/bookofremembranc1925gunn#page/n9/mode/2up. Andrew’s name is on the memorial in Tweedsmuir Kirk. Upper Tweed Community News 3 PEEBLESSHIRE RIFLE VOLUNTEERS B R OUGHTON ALES The Battle of Waterloo in 1815 was the alternatively in Broughton, Rachan Mill Broughton Ales has been bought by a trio last European conflict involving British and Stobo. of executives with extensive experience troops for 99 years until the outbreak of in the drinks industry. The first Volunteer funeral took place in World War One in 1914. David McGowan has worked for September 1861 when Sergeant William Diageo and Scottish & Newcastle, Steve However, in January 1858, this era of Scott, ploughman of Holmsmill was McCartney and John Hunt, both have peace nearly came to an end when an buried at Stobo Kirk with full military worked with Heineken. attempt was made in Paris on the life of honours. the French Emperor Napoleon III. The Broughton Ales was founded by Sir A rifle range was established at Catcleuch would-be assassin, Felice Orsini, was an David Younger and James Collins 36 on the Ratchill Farm land at the head of Italian but he had come to Britain and the years ago. Ratchill burn. There were targets at bomb he intended to use had been made The new owners plan to invest in this 200, 400 and 500 yards and many years in Birmingham. There was already a lot craft beer business and to market it more later numerous bullets were found in of anti-British feeling in France at that widely in Scotland. the ground around the target area.. The time and there was a perceived threat of a We look forward to continuing to drink third annual county challenge Shooting French invasion when a large proportion the excellent Broughton Ales. Cup was held on the Broughton range in of British troops were engaged overseas, 1864. The range was probably closed in particularly on garrison duties around the BARC COACH HIRE - 1873 when the Broughton company was empire. GOING PLACES amalgamated with the Peebles company As a precaution, the Secretary of State for due to falling numbers. BARC Coach Hire have War, Jonathon Peel, issued a statement Regular annual social events were the a variety of coaches operating authorising the formation of a National Grand Ball which was held in the great throughout the Scottish Volunteer Rifle Corps. Volunteers Forces hall of the Chambers Institution and the Borders. were to be formed on the recommendation Annual Supper and Prize Giving at the of the Lord Lieutenant and officers were Tontine Hotel. We are focused on great customer to hold their commissions from the Lord service at competitive prices and Lieutenants. Members had to swear an By 1862, the Volunteer Force UK had a will pull out the stops to give you oath of allegiance before a Justice of the strength of 162,681 of which over 130,000 the best experience in coach travel. Peace and were liable to be called up ‘in were rifle volunteers. Today, with almost case of actual invasion’. While under exactly double the UK population of that We cover all kinds of contract arms, volunteers would be subject to time, the governments target strength for work & private hire – and are Military Law and received Regular Army the Regular Army is 82,000. certain we can meet your needs. pay. In 1880, the Peeblesshire Rifle Volunteers Initially, Volunteers also had to pay for became part of the 2nd Admin Battalion We are going places .