The Company won
the coveted Garroway Drill Cup of the Glasgow Battalion in the years
1942, 1943 and 1945 and, at many civic receptions of the time, Boys of
the 130th were continually in demand as Colour Escorts or Guards of
Honour. Sports were always popular too and some of the Boys took part
in inter-city rugby matches in Ireland. At Battalion Sports, the
Company’s tug-of-war team managed to out-pull all others for a
number of years!
In 1952 when James Cubie became Captain, the Company had only 12 Boys
but when he stepped down in 1960, the roll was over 50 Boys. As new
houses were built and more families moved into the area, the Company
and the Lifeboys section grew in size. The post-war ‘baby
boom’ saw the strength increase in the 1960s and 1970s, when
Watson McKinnon and Gordon Smith were Captains, to almost 70 Boys.
With large roll numbers, the Company could compete against the other
companies in the Partick District and the Glasgow Battalion and in the
1970’s, the Company enjoyed much success in Drill, bands, sports,
swimming, table tennis and football. BB was not just a Friday evening
event because, on every night of the week, there were classes in First
Aid or expedition planning, band practices, badge tests and District
competitions.
Encouraged by Officers who enjoyed the “great outdoors”,
the Company did a lot of hill-walking, expeditions and participated in
weekend camps. The “Winter Expeditions” gave Boys the
chance to go hill-walking in the depths of winter. They stayed in a
specially opened Youth Hostel and did their own cooking and walked in
some spectacular scenery. This was held annually from Boxing Day, for
four days, and the joke at the time was that every Boy turned up on the
26th with turkey sandwiches for their packed lunch.
The fellowship enjoyed by the Boys was strengthened further by the
annual Ex-Members’ Reunions organised by Mr Hugh Allan and his
committee. The old-Boys did not all remain in the local area and, every
year, letters were sent to many countries around the world. Even now,
the addresses on the Company’s ex-members list stretches to
locations in Canada, Australia, Bermuda and around Europe. Several
former members, influenced by the Company’s example, are church
Ministers while many others are in the medical profession, the armed
services, or serving the community in other ways.
It was also during mid-1970s that the Company’s old tradition of
performing shows was developed. “Café Noir” was an
evening of food and cabaret in the large hall. Gradually, the emphasis
switched from the food and hospitality to the actual show and by the
1980s, the Company was putting on a full, scripted
“comedy-drama” on the stage every two years. These
“starred” every Boy in the Company and many hidden dramatic
and musical talents were unearthed. Shows such as “Where Seagulls
Dare”, “Dunces with Wolves”, “Sherwood
Shenanigans” and “Chariots for Hire” raised thousands
of pounds for blind or deaf children, the cot death trust, motor
neurone research and many other deserving causes.
