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History

The First 50 Years - Jim Hamilton

It was during the summer of 1894, famed for the outstanding summer weather and remembered in the annals of coalmining as 'the year of the Big Strike' when the members were out for thirteen weeks, that the seeds of the band were sown. As well as whiling away their idle hours playing 'pontoon' for matches or going for ong walks, some young men began to practice on pipe chanters, among them being D.K Finlay who was to be the mainspring in the formation of the band.

It is not known where the first practices took place but presumably it would be in Bellfield School as most of the village activities were held there after its erection in 1876. Anyway, we have proof that by March 1897, practices were taking place in Bellfield School as the records of the Lesmahagow School Board show that Peter McMahon was being given lets for band rehearsals.

The first entry in a rather battered Minute book concerning the Coalburn Rechabite Pipe Band reports a committee meeting held in D.K Finlay's house at Myrtle Cottage (now the home of Coalburn Silver Band) and he was president. A review of the band rules was to be undertaken and notepaper was to be purchased to bear the names of the patrons - Dr Douglas of Auchlochan and Mr Walter Menzies, Liberal M.P. for the locality. The date was 12th March 1902 but the band had been in existence from September 1984.

Subsequent Minutes of that period mention that the balance of funds was £20:1:1 - and that an effort must be made to recruit new members. How often must recruitment have been mentioned in the subsequent years of the band's history. The Minutes were equisitely written by Thomas Forsyth.

One great disappointment when reading the Minute book is that the last page which contained the names of the band members has been defaced and part torn away, with only about a third remaining. (I wonder if a subsequent secretary was looking for a piece of paper to light his pipe and tore away part of the missing page for that purpose.) The names of the remaining pieces are as follows:

  • Robert Knowles - Pipe Major
  • James Brown - Pipe Sergeant
  • Charles Findlay
  • Peter Reid
  • Thomas Forsyth
  • William Pringle
  • William Carmichael
In 1904 John Brown was treasurer and D.K. Finlay was secretary. The meetings were held in the 'Braehead Studio'.

An important decision was reached in February 1905 to the effect that all band members must be members of the Rechabites. The insistence that band members must be teetotal, must have been somewhat restrictive to some who wanted to join the band. The band members at that time, may have obeyed the rules and refrained from touching intoxicating liquor but the same could not be said of some of the band supporters.

The first indication of the co-operation between the Pipe and Brass bands (the latter started in 1902) is minuted concerning their joint appearance at an open air concert in July 1905. 100 bills and 1,000 programmes were obtained from 'The Ayr Advertiser'. The concert was held in the green near Little Coalburn farm, a nice sward of grass with slopes rising from it suitable for spectators. A platform with a fence round it was erected by Jock Arneil, the local joiner for 16/-. Mr Goudie presented a display of what was minuted as 'fisical drill', with school children taking part and Davie Smith conducting his Juvenile choir. Both bands were to perform. The bands were provided with tea afterwards in Ritchie's Hall, and the children participating were to be treated to the value of 3d per head.

In 1905, Jimmy Broon (that was how we always sounded his name) took over as Pipe Major and held that post for many years. In his latter life when he had to retire from the band through declining health, the band would make an annual visit to his home at Middlemuir to play a programme of music for him. His funeral was an impressive one with the band in attendance and cortege being headed by the band with a lament played at his graveside.

The first mention of planning for a hall for band practices appears in the Minutes of the summer of 1906 and the committee, after asking for estimates from two firms, decided to accept the offer of local man, Jimmy Simpson of Porterhall.

Efforts had been made for months to have a site for the band hall on ground belonging to the Caledonian Railway Company near Coalburn Inn but it was not to be, instead a feu was granted on the piece of ground belonging to Bellfield estate between Gladstone Place and Lilyvale, provided that residents did not object, which they didn't.

Most of the business around 1906 was centred around fund raising for the hall to be erected in the time planned, with the official opening taking place on Monday 16th December 1907.

The opening of the Victoria Hall is therefore a great tribute to a willing band of workers who had the foresight to plan it and to know its erection would provide a practice place for the band and possibly ensure its durability. This has been proved by events as the band and the hall are still with us today.

A bazaar committee was formed in 1914 and various other ways of making money such as running dances, was started. Money was always scarce in those days, noting much has changed over the years. Without the fundraisers over the years there would be no Pipe Band today.

Jim Hamilton, Coalburn Chronicals