Children's Gala Day
February 1937
Under the auspices of the Newbattle District Council, a public meeting in the Lothian Hall on Wednesday evening. Councillor Fred Harrison, Vice Chairman of the Council, presiding for the purpose of forming a Children's Gala Day Committee. The following officials were appointed, together with the nucleus of a strong committee. Chairman, Councillor George T. Reed; Vice Chairman, Mr. Alex Crighton; Treasurer, Mr. William Pearson; Secretary, Mr. Archibald Dougall.
Children's Gala
July 1937
With picturesque pageantry, the ceremonial of the coronation
of the Newtongrange and District Children's Gala Day Queen Took place on Saturday
in the beautiful setting of the Welfare Park.
This year the celebrations opened the previous evening when John Darling,
(Herald) , Dux pupil in Newbattle Public School, toured the Kingdom' in a
broadcasting van and read the proclamation of the coronation in all the principal
streets in the village and in the surrounding district. The Lothian Silver
Prize Band, under the, conductorship of Mr James Farrow, rendered a musical
programme outside the residence of the Queen Elect in Ninth Street.
Queen on this occasion was Euphemia A D Reid, 2 Ninth Street, Dux Girl in Newbattle Public School Her court attendants were:
Chief Maid of Honour - Mary Tracy;
Maids of Honour - Elizabeth Weston, Jessie Smith, Henrietta
Shaw, Elizabeth Scott;
Herald - John Darling;
Crown Bearer - James Dunachie;
Sceptre Bearer - Andrew Purves;
Yeoman of the Guard - William Telfer;
Halberdiers - Edgar Ramsay, John Nelson, Walter Greenhill,
David Hunter;
Ladies of the Court - Morag Haston, Evelyn McLaren, Janet
Hamilton, Sheila Hume, Eleanor Davidson, Helen Currie, Elizabeth Macdonald,
Jessie Brown, Margaret Heron, Rebecca Pryde, Ina Brown, Annie Melrose;
Bower Girls - Mary Bruce, Helen Thomson, Helen Duncan, Jessie
Miller;
Flower Girls - Florence Lothian , Helen H Hunter, Marjorie
McDonald, Mary A Blair, Isabella Gorman,
Elizabeth G Melrose, Mary H Fleming, Julie Paterson, Elizabeth Thomson , Emma
Smith, Janet O Pearson, Catherine Morris; To present bouquet
- Marcia Darling;
Dancers - Nancy Moffat, Ruby Hutton, Annie King, Annie Russell,
Mona Barclay;
Queen Mother - Mrs Susan Illingworth.
Prior to the crowning ceremony, the Queen elect, accompanied by her Court, drove in motor cars through the village and visited the boundaries of her 'Kingdom.' Returning to the Square Park, where nearly 1700 loyal subjects had assembled, and headed by the local silver and the Arniston , Gorebridge and District Pipe Bands, they proceeded in processional order to the Welfare Park, where the Queen and her Court mounted the brilliantly draped dais. The colour scheme in connection with the Court dresses inaugurated this year created general admiration and fully justified its adoption.
Councillor George T.Reed, Chairman of the Gala Day Committee, presided at the crowning ceremony in the presence of several thousands of spectators. The platform party included Mr and Mrs James A. Hood, Midfield, Lasswade; Mr and Mrs Mackay, Lingerwood; Mr and Mrs John Rutherford; and Dr Laurenson.
In his opening remarks, the Chairman congratulated the parents of the children who had gained their places in the Gala Day Court by their exceptional merit at the local schools and urged the children to aspire to higher educational honours. He also expressed his appreciation to the mothers who had, in many cases, sacrificed much to enable their children to attend the Gala Day in such a creditable manner. He also extended the Gala Day Committee's grateful thanks to the Lothian Coal Co. management for their continued interest and assistance and to the employees for their financial support, which had contributed mainly towards the success of the Gala Day. In closing, he attributed the educational successes in their village to the great work accomplished by their headmasters, Mr William Fowler, Newbattle School and Mr George Lamb, Newtongrange School, ably assisted by their teaching staffs.
The crowning ceremony was gracefully performed by Mrs L W Laurenson,
Heriot House, Newtongrange, wife of Dr Laurenson. Her gift to the Queen was
a pearl necklace. On behalf of the Gala Day Committee.
Mr Wm. Fowler handed over wristlet watches to the Queen and Herald as a memento
of the occasion. He also presented a wristlet watch, which had been gifted
by Mr Buchan, Main Street, for the pupil with the highest marks in the recent
Qualifying Examination to Wm. Inglis. The Chairman presented to John Darling
the Gala Day Dux Championship Shield. Marcia Darling handed over the Queen's
bouquet to Mrs Laurenson. The proceedings were interspersed with exhibitions
of dancing by pupils of Miss Georgia Humphrey, The Saughs. The innovation
of broadcasting the proceedings by amplifiers proved highly successful. The
arrangements were carried out by Mr John Williamson. The children were later
provided with a bag of eatables, fruit and a penny. The bands provided musical
items during the afternoon. In showery weather a sports programme was carried
through. The celebrations concluded with an open-air dance at the Band Stand
but, unfortunately, heavy rain caused an early abandonment.