HISTORY OF NEWTONGRANGE GALA DAY
By Thos. R. Thomson
Two incidents in the life of the village in 1912 sparked off the beginning of the local Gala Day to be held the following year:
1. King George V Coronation. Gorebridge Co-operative Store invited the pupils of Newbattle and Stobhill Public Schools to meet at appointed places and to be conveyed to Store Row, Arniston from there to walk to the Arniston Estate to partake of eats and games.
2. Led by Federation Secretary, Robbie Brown, the miners working in the three pits came out on strike for an increase on the wage of 3/3d (16p) per day. Their strike was successful and they won a further 2/3d on the shift wage, now 5/6d (27½p).
The Miners' Committee placed their greatest interest in the children during the period of suspense. The Rev. Alexander Hardie was approached about the use of the Church Hall to provide the children with a bowl of soup. If the Church Officer and his wife were agreeable, permission was granted.
Every pupil in the local school was given half a plain postcard, and at dinner-time the race along the road and down the Loan was on to be in the first group to be served, on showing that their card had been punched.
Overjoyed at what was then recognised as a substantial rise, a hint went out to the Miners' Committee that if the workmen agreed to forego a 1d a week, an annual children's day could be held. This they agreed to.
Through the outbreak of War, the gala was curtailed to further peace-time but in 1915 it was agreed by the School Board to have a pupil-dux in the school. The second examination to find the dux was won by a girl, which opened the way to have a Queen at the first Gala Day.
When that day came for the gala to recommence, Tom Reid's lorry was taken down to the field over the Galadale Burn, the armchair from the Church Hall was used as the throne, Jen Thomson's red cover hid the chair.
Then came the day when Emma Quinto and Mary Malloy were equal in marks: Mary spoke and lost half a mark. Emma was declared Queen .
Her father approached my mother and offered to provide a robe
to be used at all times in the Crowning Ceremony. The Kirk chair and red cover
would be out of place.
In those days it was the custom for mothers with large families to go into
town and buy up meat and eats that were going at a reduced price on a Saturday
afternoon. They would be met at the 9.50pm train by one of their family with
a barrow to take home the goods. My mother and Mrs Darge, on a shopping day,
ended up in a second-hand shop in Guthrie Street off the Cowgate, saw a suitable
chair, bought and carried it to the Carrier's Quarters, Waverley Bridge, to
be brought out to Red Lion House. The said chair is still used today.
Miners' Strike in 1926, no Gala Day, but the money was not wasted for Jen
walked into Andrew Samuel's shop and offered to purchase from him so many
yards of both blue and yellow muslin to decorate the first stage to be erected
in 1927 for the Ceremony. The stage was set in the Square Park: Andrew Samuel
and I did the decorating, Bessie Carson was crowned Queen by Mrs Ross and
I was left only with Jimmy Hood to take down the decorations, folding them
neatly away.
Muslin cannot continue to be stretched forever: The Coal Company made the stage now being used. Jen's Committee's ambitions were reached equal to Peebles Beltane Queen.
THOS. R. THOMSON. 1993