In July 1937 their Majesties King George VI and Queen Elizabeth paid a state visit to Northern Ireland as part of the celebrations to mark the Coronation of the new monarch. Arriving at Thompson’s Wharf in the port of Belfast aboard HMY Victoria and Albert, the Royal procession travelled from Donegal Quay along the High […]
January saw the University of Sussex host the ‘Seen But Not Heard?’ conference which sought to bring together scholars from a wide range of disciplines who have a shared interest in the histories of childhood and youth. The conference considered youth in a variety of emotional, spatial, and material sites from antiquity to modernity. The […]
During the late nineteenth century the Boys’ Brigade in London sought to provide its young members with a form of recreation that would offer a break from the ills of urban life. It was thought that a camping expedition would help lift restrictions imposed at home and would remove lads from the pressures of the […]
Last month’s BBC Scotland documentary – Pipers of the Trenches – highlighted the cultural significance of pipe music during the battles of the First World War in the solidification of Scottish traditions, identity, and heritage within the military. The programme visited descendents of men who carried their pipes in the trenches and explored their stories […]
On 10 May 1914 William Alexander Smith – the founder of the Boys’ Brigade – passed away after being taken ill at the meeting of the Executive Committee of the organisation in London.[2] Smith had said to his son Stanley that to see St. Paul’s full with boys would be an impressive sight.[3] The location […]
In 1888 the Boys’ Brigade in Scotland was prevalent in portside cities. Glasgow (93 Companies), Edinburgh (17), and Ayr (6) were home to the largest Battalions.[1] When the movement became established south of the border this pattern was replicated. By the end of the century London was the second largest area of strength nationally […]
