Events

A CHANCE meeting in the graveyard of Rhu Church led to a villager researching the Training Ships Cumberland and Empress.

John Birch, who lives in Cumberland Terrace, met ex-Provost Billy Petrie in the graveyard, where some of the staff and pupils of the ships are buried — and their chat inspired him to find out more.

HELENSBURGH was quick to respond to the national campaign to give more people the vote in 1884 — by staging only the second demonstration in Scotland.

This was revealed by Edinburgh University history and classics lecturer Mark Nixon when he spoke to Helensburgh Heritage Trust's final 2013 open meeting last Wednesday evening (November 27).

THE evolution of techniques to reduce the noise made by submarines and surface vessels was described to Helensburgh Heritage Trust members and guests at the second open meeting of the winter season on Wednesday October 30 2013.

THE RENOVATION of Rosneath’s historic Ferry Inn and Ferry Inn Cottage was the topic of Helensburgh Heritage Trust’s first 2013-14 winter open meeting on Wednesday September 25.

The speaker was the owner of the two properties, American dentist Dr Joe Brown, who with the help of his wife and several local tradesmen has restored the buildings.

AN HISTORIC carriage clock presented to a Boer War soldier from Helensburgh in 1901 has returned to the town for the first time in many years.

THE dramatic story of the top secret Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment in Helensburgh and Rhu in World War Two and why it came to Garelochside was revealed at Helensburgh Heritage Trust’s final open meeting of the 2012-13 winter season on March 27.

Author Robin Bird, who has published one book about the establishment and written a second, travelled from his Merseyside home and told an enthralled full house about what was officially known as RAF Helensburgh, showing a number of images never before seen in public.

TWO Helensburgh enthusiasts for Mauchline Ware spoke about the history and variety of the popular wooden collectibles at the February 27 2013 meeting of Helensburgh Heritage Trust.

A packed audience in the meeting room at Helensburgh Tennis Club heard Pat Wiseman and Isobel Stirling, both members of the Mauchline Ware Collectors Club for over 25 years and collectors themselves, explain why they were so fascinated by the souvenirs, some of which sell for large sums.

THE story of the Scottish Maritime Museum at Irvine and Dumbarton was told at the well-attended January 2013 open meeting of Helensburgh Heritage Trust.

Operations manager David Mann was welcomed to Helensburgh Tennis Club by Trust chairman Stewart Noble, and he said that a new display is currently being prepared at Irvine and will be open from May 23.

THE AUTHORS of a book about Madeleine Smith, the young woman from Rhu who was alleged to have murdered her lover, told her story at a packed meeting of Helensburgh Heritage Trust on Wednesday November 28 2012.

It was standing room only when burgh-born Eleanor Gordon, Research Professor in Economic and Social History at Glasgow University, and Dr Gwyneth Nair, Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of the West of Scotland, spoke to members and guests in the upstairs meeting room at Helensburgh Tennis Club in Suffolk Street.

AN expert on the history of Henry Bell and the Comet gave a fascinating talk to Helensburgh Heritage Trust's second open winter meeting on Wednesday October 31.

John Ransom spoke to members in the meeting room at Helensburgh Tennis Club about his new book 'Bell's Comet: How a Paddle Steamer Changed the Course of History', which he wrote to mark the Comet's bicentenary this year.

HELENSBURGH Heritage Trust's first meeting of the 2012-13 winter season had four speakers instead of the expected one.

A good attendance in the upstairs meeting room at Helensburgh Tennis Club on Wednesday September 26 were expecting to listen to the Trust's hon president, Malcolm Baird, speak about how his father, John Logie Baird, related television to print. However Professor Baird had a very sore throat, and his talk was read for him by Trust chairman Stewart Noble.

SOME help is needed by Helensburgh Heritage Trust for the Comet Bicentenary celebrations!

At the pier car park on Saturday August 4 Helensburgh will be celebrating one of the most important events in its history, and indeed in the history of the West of Scotland.