Funeral milestone of Thurso-born BB founder
FRIDAY May 16 marks the 100th anniversary of the funeral of the founder of the Boys Brigade who was born in Thurso.
Sir William Smith was born in Pennyland House in Thurso on 27 October 1854 and lived in the town until he was 14 when the family moved to Glasgow after his father’s death.
Smith was commissioned into the Rifle Volunteers in 1877 and promoted to lieutenant later the same year. He also became a Sunday School teacher and it was a combination of these two activities that led him to establish the BB in October 1883 at the Free Church Mission Hall at North Woodside Road in Glasgow.
In 1909 he was knighted by King Edward VII for his services to children. He died in London on Sunday, May 10, 1914. Over 10,000 members of the movement came from across the country to join in his funeral parade in Glasgow.
His memory was also honoured in Thurso when a memorial service was held in the town hall. As a mark of respect all the town’s shops were closed during the one hour service. Today, there are 60,000 members of the Boys Brigade in over 1500 companies in the UK and Ireland.
