Keir Hardie

Keir Hardie has very strong links to Ayrshire. He was a founder of the Labour Party and became its first parliamentary leader. At the turn of the nineteenth century he was Labour's most famous face. Hardie was  voted Labour's 'Greatest Hero' at the 2008 Labour Party Conference, but recently  his  story and ideology seems to have become somewhat forgotten, even within the party he helped to establish. Born illegitimate just outside Glasgow in 1856, he didn't have an easy start to life. Before the age of 10, he was the sole wage earner in his family. He never went to school but was self-taught, avidly reading books lent him by a kind young clergyman.
Come along to our meeting on Tuesday 3 March at 7.30pm in the Kilmarnock campus of Ayrshire College and hear Hardie's biographer Bob Holman's talk on this important socialist figure.

 

Keir Hardie

The Dukes of Portland

If you are a Kilmarnock resident or were raised in Killie, you will be familiar with the names Portland, Bentinck, Fullarton and Scott-Ellis.  Come along and discover the origins of some of these names at our next meeting on Tuesday 17 February in Ayrshire College Kilmarnock Campus at 7.30pm in the Lecture Theatre.
One of our own members, Hugh Watson, will be giving a talk entitled, "The Gambling, The Winnings and The Dukes of Portland".

 

William John Arthur Charles James Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland 

 (28 December 1857 – 26 April 1943

Andrew Fisher (29 August 1862 – 22 October 1928)

Tonight's talk is by John McHarg from Crosshouse, the village which was the birthplace, in 1862, of Andrew Fisher.  Fisher was a miner who emigrated to Australia, became involved in politics and rose to become Australia's fifth Prime Minister. He seems to have become somewhat forgotten in recent years in his native Scotland.

Andrew Fisher

The talk takes place in the Lecture Theatre of the Kilmarnock Campus of Ayrshire College, Holehouse Road and begins at 7.30pm 


Read more about Andrew Fisher here. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Merry Christmas to all our members and visitors to our website.
Have a prosperous 2015 !

Clydebank Blitz

Our final talk of 2014 is tonight (Tuesday 16 December) and is being given by David Carson, Chairman of Clydebank Local History Society.  His topic is the Clydebank Blitz.
Clydebank and nearby parts of Glasgow suffered the heaviest civilian casualties in Scotland due to Geman bombing during the early years of World War II. Many of our members, who were very young in 1941, can still recall hearing the Nazi aircraft flying overhead and being able to see the glow of burning fires away in the distance.
The only fatalities in Kilmarnock as a result of enemy bombing were killed in the early hours of Tuesday May 6 1941.  The 4 victims were living in flats in Culzean Crescent and the houses were struck by one bomb from a single aircraft, although the aircraft dropped 14 bombs in total, in a line from around New Farm Loch, across Kilmarnock Cemetery, Culzean Crescent and finally Riccarton Moss.

The Allan Family

Maureen Borland, author and researcher will talk about her new book, The Allan Family: Scottish/Canadian Shipowners “They left the world a better place”, at The Dick Institute on 27th November. Maureen Borland has lived in Ayrshire for most of her life. The books she writes are rooted in her love of Scotland, her interest in Scottish history and Scots families. Maureen will discuss her latest publication, The Allan Family: Scottish/Canadian Shipowners - a history of the Allan family of Scotland and Canada, founders of the great Allan Steamship Line. This is a free event - see
http://eastayrshireleisure.com/index.php?a=eventdetail&id=4&eventid=1260#.VGTSCDSsW8A

Change of venue

Please remember that this week's talk about Rudolf Hess is at Burns Monument Centre Kilmarnock. Tuesday 7.30 pm. All welcome.