Eye on Millig: Part two of look back at Glen Douglas School

It had a significant impact on the glen’s isolated country school, the story of which is being told in Eye on Millig this month by local historian Alistair McIntyre, a director of Helensburgh Heritage Trust, and a former pupil.

A handful of local people petitioned the mighty North British Railway Company to provide a halt and sidings at Glen Douglas, so that farmers could transport livestock all the more easily.

In a swift and decisive action unthinkable today, not only was a halt provided within the year, but an island platform, a signal box, and a house for the signalman and his family were built as well.

The only drawback was the status of the halt. It was not an official station, and apart from local trains, through passenger trains would stop only by special request - by no means straightforward in the early years.

In theory teachers could now commute to the school from nearby communities, and Mrs Millar appears to have taken advantage of this for at least part of her tenure after Luss School Board petitioned the railway company.

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When the yearly examination by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate took place, the venue was Luss Public School, which was also the venue for more relaxing activities - a Christmas entertainment, and a holiday for the annual Luss Highland Games.

On the other hand, Arrochar Fast Days were being observed in the 1890s and beyond, usually the Thursday before Holy Communion. By that date, such Fast Days, once observed in every parish twice yearly, had become something of an anachronism. Rosneath had given up the practice as far back as 1875.

The catchment area of the school extended over and above the glen itself. School attendance records are available from 1897 onwards, and these reveal that children were coming from as far afield as Morlaggan to the north, and from the site of what is now Glenmallan Jetty to the south.

For these “distant children”, as they were called, just getting to and from school represented a considerable challenge.

A good example is the McGlone children, who lived at a house called Thorniebank, lying between the Glen Douglas road end and Glenmallan. They had to walk over three miles, including a steep climb of over 500 feet.

For them, and others, attendance could be quite patchy, much to the chagrin of the teachers, who set high store by the good attendance statistics.

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For the next generation of McGlone children, the situation became even worse. A family move to Glenmallan meant that the walk to school now increased to well over five miles.

At the turn of the century, the Combination School Board made an approach to the Scottish Education Department to have the status of Glen Douglas School upgraded to a grant-earning school.

The response was positive, on condition that offices and a dwelling for the teacher be provided.

Luss School Board approached Messrs Spiers in early 1900 to price an addition of two rooms to the gable end of the existing schoolhouse, as teacher accommodation. This was costed at £95, and it was agreed to go ahead.

Mrs Millar tendered her resignation at that stage - maybe she did not wish to live at the school. By the start of the next session, the extension had been completed, at a cost of £152, including some agreed additional work.

The school was now adopted as grant-earning, and the services of Miss McCrae were engaged. Previously employed at the even more remote Glen Etive School, she asked that a garden and washhouse be provided.

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All seemed set fair for a bright future, but in November that year she resigned. The next appointee was Alexander Robertson, a married man with a young family. His salary was set at £60 per annum.

He frequently petitioned the School Board for an increase in salary and invariably appears to have been successful.

He noted in the School Log that he found there to be no scheme of work, nor a school timetable.

A 1901 HMI said: “This small remote school is taught very faithfully and intelligently. The children read with very satisfactory fluency. They write in a bold and well-shaped hand, and spell with satisfactory correctness.

“They were frank, pleasant, and anxious to do their best, and discipline and general tone were very genial. Good progress was made in arithmetic, but singing was somewhat lacking in tone. Physical exercises were pleasantly gone through, and needlework was good.”

That year the school leaving age was raised from 13 to 14, but for most children, their schooling would still begin and end at the same school.

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The Colquhoun family of Luss took a paternal interest in the school, paying the occasional visit. In 1901, Sir James Colquhoun arranged for the children to be treated to a visit to the Glasgow Exhibition of that year.

There were end of term school prizes, originally based on good attendance, but by 1903 prizes “for diligence” were being presented to all the children, a laudable practice that continued until the closure of the school.

These might have been expected to be provided by Luss School Board, but occasionally they were sponsored by the Arrochar Board. Prizes were often presented by Miss McFarlan of Tullich Farm, a former pupil and drill instructor.

In 1902 the children were given Coronation Medals, by Mr Allan, Ironmonger, Helensburgh.

In due course, one of Mr Robertson’s own children, Alexander Stewart, was added to the school roll. Two children were making good progress in Latin.

Throughout the time of Mr Robertson the Arrochar Fast Days were observed. It is believed he was an elder at Arrochar Church. For the children, this meant a half-day holiday.

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A positive change in the wake of the Education (Scotland) Act of 1908 was a responsibility to institute medical and dental examinations and treatment.

School boards were required to have regard to the general well-being of pupils, such as ensuring adequate clothing and footwear. Providing school meals, however, was still a long way off, only being brought in at Glen Douglas in the late 1940s.

The life of the school was shaken in the spring of 1913, when Mr Robertson took ill. Row School Board provided a relief teacher, Miss Margaret Maughan, previously the teacher at Glen Fruin School, to allow him to undergo medical treatment. She commuted by train from Helensburgh.

Despite an operation, Mr Robertson died that September, and Miss Maughan was appointed teacher in his place. As the house was a tied one, Mrs Robertson and her family had to leave.

Arrochar Fast Days were no longer observed at the school, but otherwise school life continued as before into the onset of the First World War, during which the logbook reveals little disruption.

On Christmas Eve 1914, the children were as usual given presents from Sir Iain Colquhoun, including books, tools, dolls, toys, crackers and sweets.

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A potentially serious accident occurred near the school in October 1915, when pupil Nicol Scobie (13), son of a railway worker, was injured in an explosion. Another boy had found several detonators, and when several boys were dissecting one, it went off.

Miss Maughan administered first aid and bandaged the boy, who was taken home by cart. Dr Anderson from Garelochhead attended, and the lad was removed to Helensburgh Infirmary.

Several fingers had been scorched at the tips, and he suffered a deep gash to one thigh. He made a good recovery.

Investigation revealed that one boy had come across the detonators on the land of a nearby farm. The farmer conceded he had previously used detonators for blasting, but he denied ownership of the one that had exploded.

The Education (Scotland) Act 1918 saw the abolition of the 947 school boards and their replacement by 38 Education Authorities, based primarily on counties, but separate from county councils.

Also set up were area committees, with Glen Douglas School falling under the Helensburgh District School Management Committee. The number of children attending at this time was 18.

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The Helensburgh and Gareloch Times often listed all those in receipt of prizes. These were still sponsored by Lady Colquhoun, and often presented by either the minister at Luss or Arrochar.

As a Christmas treat, Mr and Mrs McFarlan of Tullich Farm often entertained the children to tea and cakes, and gave them books, games, toys, and dolls.

In 1919, the new session began on September 5, after nine weeks holiday, an extra week having been added by Royal Proclamation, to mark “Victory Year”. Another annual royal holiday was Victoria Day in early May.

Older children with a farming connection would be granted absence at very busy times, such as lambing, gathering, and planting and lifting potatoes. Children in Dumbartonshire were still being granted leave to help with potato harvesting until around 1960.

Visits by doctors and dentists had been a familiar feature of school life since 1908.

For many years, Helensburgh-based Dr Mildred Cathels was the Medical Inspector of School Children, and dentists at some stage began to use a portable foot-operated drill.

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In a relatively remote community, the usual round of childhood illnesses were less frequent than in more crowded places, but there were periodic outbreaks of influenza, measles, whooping cough, scarlet fever, and so on.

With the likes of measles and scarlet fever, the school might have to be fumigated, along with other precautions. In the case of children living among farm animals, ringworm could surface from time to time.

In 1926, the teacher and pupils were medically examined for any signs of the once-feared diptheria. Vaccination against this illness and against whooping cough began to become widespread.

A change of teacher took place in 1924, with the retirement of Miss Maughan, who had taught at Glen Douglas for 11 years and completed 35 years of teaching in Dumbartonshire.

A presentation was made to her at Tullich Farm by Mr McFarlan.

Miss Thomasina Adamson was appointed as the new teacher. The roll at this time dropped to six pupils, showing how much numbers attending could fluctuate.

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In addition, one family moved to Glenmallan, where a mixture of both health issues and distance from school compounded the matter of poor attendance. Fortunately for the family, a custom-built school was opened at Glenmallan in 1926.

A logbook entry for 1926 refers for the first time to a pupil sitting the qualifying exam, and passing very well. This scholar progressed to Hermitage School.

An innovation was the staging of an end of session Parents Day, when fathers and mothers were invited to inspect examples of children’s writing, drawing and craft work, and be entertained to tea and cakes. Normally only the womenfolk attended.

On June 10, 1929, the pupils were invited to take part in Loch Lomondside Children’s Sports the following Saturday. This was an initiative by the Luss Highland Games committee, whose ambition was to instil a love of sports in local children.

When the new session began in August, the logbook revealed that two pupils had progressed to Hermitage School, with the roll now down to four.

That year also saw the demise of the education authorities, with education now becoming part of the remit of the county councils. However, Helensburgh District School Management Committee continued much as before.

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In January 1930 the teacher acquired a portable wireless set, and the children listened to their first educational broadcast. That June, on the King’s birthday, the pupils listened to “Trooping the Colour”.

But there was still no telephone service in the glen, apart from a private one at Glen Douglas Halt, and this situation continued throughout the life of the school.

To be continued next week.

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Email your suggestions for historical Helensburgh and Lomond topics that could be covered in future Eye on Millig articles to milligeye@btinternet.com.