HISTORY OF 25th BELFAST COMPANY
THE BOYS’ BRIGADE
attached to
Castlereagh Road and Cregagh Methodist Churches.

A further addition to the strength of the Company was a Boy Reserves Section started in 1926 to cater for the younger age group and help in recruiting new members to the company, the first officer being Mr. Jack Spence. Castlereagh Road Methodist Church was closed down in 1927 and the organisations moved to the newly built church on the Cregagh Road. Due to family commitments Mr. Marshall had to resign his captaincy and the young 1st Lieutenant in the company, Mr. George Boyd, was the obvious choice to be his successor. “Cap Boyd” as he was affectionately known by the lads gave unstinting service to the Company and boys he loved. Many enjoyable camps were held at Howstrake Holiday Camp, Isle of Man under Captain Boyd’s command.
During the session 1933-34 the total raised by the Company for BB Week was £2.16.4d.

Old boys of this era recall the BB being their total social life—any travel to competitions or football matches was by foot or if one was rich, by tram. One major competition the Company won in the battalion was the Junior Squad Drill Shield. The squad paraded back from the Donegal Road to Cregagh Methodist with no band—but very proud. The next morning in Bible class Mr. Boyd announced the Company was going to start a band. Bars of chocolate were sold to help raise the funds and in 1935 saw the first pipe band on parade. Around this time the Company also had a strong old boys association connected to it.

The Company went from strength to strength under Mr. Boyd's captaincy—there was a boys, cricket, football and signaling clubs on top of the usual parade night and bible class. Prior to the war the Company had a strength of 6 officers, 4 staff sergeants and 95 boys but the war took its toll and the following session 44 boys were evacuated to the country.
After an unfortunate disagreement with the church officials Mr. Boyd offered his resignation. A man who had come through the ranks of the Company was asked to be Captain of the Company—Mr. Samuel Doak—on 7th July 1943. Again great respect was given to the new captain—his hobby for many years was playing goals for Linfield and Bangor. A cutting from the Belfast Telegraph in April 1944 read:

BOYS BRIGADE INSPECTIONS—25th BELFAST CO.

The coming of age inspection of the 25th Company of the Boys' Brigade in connection with Cregagh Methodist Church

was held in the lecture hall on Friday evening. Rev. J. Wisheart (Company Chaplain) presided and Rev. E. A. Edwards took part in the opening. The Company then gave a fine performance of platoon drill under Captain Saml. Doak, Mr. J. B. Marshall (first captain of the Company) was inspecting officer and took the salute at the march past. The winners of the drill down were Sergt. C. Park and Sergt. C. Murray. The various exercises of the BB were gone through with marked precision.

The feature of the evening was the parade and drill down of the Old Boys under ex-Captain Geo. Boyd and ex-Lieut. J. Wells. The winners were:— (1) J. Armstrong; (2) R. McCartney. A netball match, 10th v 25th Companies ended in a draw.

After the Captain's report and inspecting officer's remarks, the distribution of prizes was made by Mrs. Hinds.
The pipe band came to the fore again under the instruction of Mr. James Conway and his son Mr. Jim Conway who was given the honorary rank of Warrant Officer. Unfortunately pipes didn't suit all boys tastes and under the instruction of Mr. James Galway and Mr. Edmund Duke, 39th Belfast Company, six boys attended the above; the idea being to add to the pipe band a flute section. Unfortunately it didn't hit the road. One notable inspecting officer of this era was Sir Richard Pim, Inspector General R.U.C. Punishment for being late in at camp was a spoonful of castor oil.

1946-1947

With the exception of a drop in numbers, the Company programme and activities weren't seriously affected because of the war. The black-out was strictly observed—all church windows were darkened to prevent light shining out.

The captaincy changed in September 1951 to another ex-boy of the Company—Mr. Jim Brady. Again another outstanding sportsman, Mr. Brady played for the Irish Rugby team as a second row forward on many occasions.

Camp for 1952 at Culduff, Co. Donegal had its problems. On arrival at the village hall it was found to be under redevelopment. Fortunately a local farmer, Mr. Candless, himself a Methodist, offered to put the Company up in his barns. The chaplain, Rev. E. Gallagher was not amused—but still a most enjoyable camp. Mr. Brady's dynamic personality helped arouse enthusiasm within the Company and old boys of this era look back with affectionate memories. Other officers were W. Starr, J. Knox, N. McClure, I. McClure, R. Farmer and N. Millar. The Signalers Badge was always a keen favourite by boys and under the direction of Mr. Roberts (ex R.N.) many boys obtained their morse and semaphore training.

Mr. Brady's work took him out of town and his successor to the captaincy of the 25th was Mr. Wesley Starr in August 1958. As a teacher, Mr. Starr's training came to good use especially in the perfection of display items, each one being timed with a stop-watch. The Company entered many drill competitions under the watchful eye of the late Mr. Tommy Fleming and was always well placed. Mr. Fleming's experience and guidance was very much appreciated by all the captains who had the honour to serve with him.

1959-1960

 

Camps which arouse good memories were Rhyl North Wales 1960 and Ramsey 1962. Rule 5 in Torquay camp 1963 read "Punctuality at mealtimes is essential (particularly breakfast). Latecomers will be subject to a fine which will be given to Missionary funds".

A further addition to the Company strength was the formation of a Robins Group in 1958 to cater for boys aged 6-8.

When Mr. Starr resigned the Chaplain and church officials found difficulty finding a replacement. The settlement agreed was that the Rev. Trevor Kennedy would take over captaincy for one session with the help of Mr. Derek Riddell who was to be his successor.

Mr. Derek Riddell was appointed Captain in September 1965. An old boy and officer, he had plenty of BB experience. One aspect of badge work which was coming to the fore was Duke of Edinburgh's Award. Three gold awards were presented to D. Spence, A. Roberts and A. Mcllwaine, the latter being invited to a garden party in Buckingham Palace along with the captain, Mr. Riddell, to receive his certificate. Mr. Hinds (ex Circuit Steward of the church) made a very generous presentation to the company in the form of a Company Colour in 1967.

As expedition work was becoming very popular, the company acquired a small cottage in the Mourne Mountains for £25 per year to help foster this activity. Mr. Riddell recalls during the New Brighton camp of 1967, the boys along with other boys from a Scottish Company, let down the tents of an English Company one day. Mr. Riddell was left to apologise otherwise the English Company would have gone home early.

After the resignation of Mr. Riddell the church authorities approached Mr. Maurice Reid as Lieutenant in charge of the Junior Section to become captain in January 1969.

Around this time and in particular the early 70's Boys Brigade work in Belfast was hit badly because of the troubles. Membership of the Company Section was 24 boys and 4 officers. Camp for 1969 was spent under the canvas at Onchan Head, Isle of Man, where we had as our chaplain the late Rev. Robert Bradford, B.Th. One noticeable change to boys headgear was the withdrawal of the old pill boxes and the introduction of the field service cap to both Junior and Company sections.

From 1971 to 1974 we joined forces with the 35th Belfast (Grosvenor Hall), 44th Belfast (Christchurch) and 69th Belfast (Clifton St. United Presbyterian Church) Companies for our camps and this proved to be a very successful experiment, a great time of fun and fellowship being shared by all. We spent 1971 at Edinburgh (Hermitage Park School), 1972 Saltcoats (North Parish Kirk), 1973 Morecambe (Olivet Baptist church) and returned to Saltcoats in 1974. During this period in our Company's history though small in number we always managed to put on a good display at the end of each session, some of our Inspecting officers being Dickie Farmer (Ex-Officer), Mike Gibson (N.I.F.C.), Dr. Eric Gallagher and Rev. Trevor Kennedy. We also managed, during this period to get representatives on to the Battalion Football and Rugby teams.
Some difficulty was found in trying to replace Mr. Reid. Eventually a member of the Leaders Board—Mr. Malcolm Boyd—who had previous BB experience offered to take over. Again owing to local circumstances numbers were low, officers few and so activities were restricted, although the Company still took part in competitions organised by the East Belfast Group such as 5-a-side football and penalty kick.

Mr. George Taggart became Captain at the invitation of the Leaders Board in September 1976. Having been a boy in the ranks and served the previous two sessions as Lieutenant in Charge of the Junior Section, he was keen to introduce new activities. During the enrolment in October 1976 the kilts were dedicated as new uniforms of the reformed pipe band by the new Chaplain Rev. D. S. Ross B.Sc. The following session the Company purchased its first minibus which was put to great use especially with weekends, day trips to the Mourne Mountains and Camp. The Company band gathered more strength with the addition of a bugle section and in May received an invitation to take part in the Lord Mayor's Show.

Belfast Battalion Parade 1980

The Company grew steadily in the session 1979-1980, its strength was 36 Robins. 40 Junior Section and 64 Company Section boys with 16 Officers of various ranks. The same session the Company football team came 2nd in the Belfast Battalion 4th Division League. Camp in July 1979 was held in Tornsholme Methodist Church Hall in Morecambe—a party of 36 boys, 4 staff sergeants and 7 officers attended. The following session the Company purchased its own canvas—camp being held that year in Girvan Football Grounds, Scotland.

One very proud night in January 1980 the band won the Belfast Battalion Pipe Band Competition, the following practice night all members were treated to a fish supper at the Company's expense.
During the Inspection and Display of 1981 four boys received their Queen's Badges, the highest award in the BB—S/Sgt. Craig Hutchinson, Cpl. Mervyn Gibb, Cpl. William Annsley and Cpl. Alan Hamill.
Inspecting officers at the Inspection and Displays of 1981 and 1982 were Mr. B. McHarg, Assistant Chief Constable R.U.C. and Colonel B. Wright, Senior Chaplain, British Forces N.I.
During the Belfast Battalion Band Competition of 1981, L/Cpl.Mark Smyth came away with the honour of Battalion Solo Piper.

1981-1982

A full canvas camp during July 1981 was held outside Douglas I.O.M.—the cook for 42 hungry mouths was Mrs. S. Taggart. With the Diamond Jubilee in mind, camp for 1982 was held in the grounds of Mont Nicholle Primary School, Jersey. A far cry for lads who attended camp at Ganaway, Millisle—the great thrill and experience for the Company to be traveling to camp in an aeroplane. The forthcoming celebrations of the Company present a light relief from the busy session's work for the present officers and boys who look forward to meeting the old boys and hearing the stories of past years.

The Boys’ Brigade Centenary celebrations in 1983 raised the profile of the B.B throughout the United Kingdom. In Northern Ireland, the Belfast Telegraph provided weekly coverage of many Centenary events. To mark the occasion, each Boy and Officer was presented with a special centenary edition of the New Testament from Boys Brigade Headquarters. Our own pipe band took on extra engagements at that time, with the most important one being at Ballymoney Showground when the band led the parade of the National President, Lord Elgin.

Over 10,000 BB members took part in the District Centenary parade through Belfast, when again our band was to the fore. At the end of August 1983, two officers, Messer’s George Martin and George Taggart, along with 3 Colour Sergeants Messer’s Mark Smyth, John McCracken and Hedley Abernethy attended the National Centenary Celebrations in Glasgow, included in this party was two 25th Old Boys John Knox and Dickie Farmer.

In past years since the centenary, we enjoyed the Ballynahinch and Laganvale Silver Bands who lead the praise at our Annual Enrolment Service.

Fundraising has been necessary for the company over the years. The sale of Christmas cards was under taken by Mrs Sandra Taggart, raising an average of £500 per year - that’s a lot of Christmas cards to deliver. In 1984, a Transit van was purchased and converted into a minibus with the help of a £300 grant from our church and the sale of the old minibus.

A new venture was trialed in 1986 with the setting up of a Brigade Club for senior members of our Boys and Girls Brigade Companies on a Saturday night for social activities. Also, for the first time, members of our GB Company attended our annual summer camp at Ayr, Scotland with 12 girls and 2 GB officers attending. In 1988 we were fortunate to obtain sponsorship of £150 from Ormeau Bakery, via Mr Dessie Brymer, which went towards the purchase of a new set of football jerseys for the senior team.

At the Enrolment Service in 1989, a new set of colours was dedicated to the Company with the money raised by the 25th Old Boys. Additionally, with so much equipment being taken to our summer canvas camp, a 5 ton lorry was purchased for £500 and hand painted royal blue, by a squad of senior boys. A new set of drums costing £1300 was also purchased with the help of a £900 grant from the Belfast Education and Library Board. In 1993, Sgt Andrew Smyth received his Queens badge from Mr. Dawson Stelfox who had recently returned from conquering Mount Everest.

During the session 1994-95, the Company worked hard to raise money to purchase a new minibus. The two main sources of funds were: two auctions raising £3,200 and money donated by Cregagh Methodist Church from the sale of Miss May Mansells house. This allowed the Company to purchase a brand new Fort Transit Minibus costing £14,500. A dedication service was held in April 1995 at the front of the church, led by the Rev Noble, Company Chaplain.

A 75th Anniversary Service was held in October 1997 followed by supper in the hall. It was a very special evening and was even more blessed by the attendance of a foundation member, Mr Sam Craig.

The Company was proud to welcome the Brigade President, Judge Lockett who came to preach at the morning service in Cregagh Methodist Church on 19 September 1999.

On a sad note, the Company suffered a loss in 2000 of a well-loved, enthusiastic officer – Robert Smyth. Robert was actively involved in the Company, playing piano in the Bible class, serving as a Junior Section Officer and was proud to be a piper in the band. It was obvious from the large turnout of Boys and Officers at the funeral service that the loss was deeply felt.

During 2001 grants totalling £1,200 were received to provide new pipe chanters for the band and a new football kit for the senior team.

In 2003 there were 46 boys in the Company section – this allowed the Company to turn out 2 intermediate football teams on a Saturday afternoon in the Belfast Battalion league.

There was a very proud day in October 2003 for the Company, and in particular the band, when it massed with the Pipes and Drums of the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment who agreed to join our parade at our Annual Enrolment Service. At the service, three video presentations were made, showing various aspects of our successful; summer camp at Lytham St. Anne’s, England.

On Sunday 28th October 2007 during our Enrolment service our new kilts & drums were dedicated by our Company Chaplain the Rev. Dr. Brian Fletcher. The trustees of Bangor Caledonia Pipe Band which had folded 3 years earlier kindly donated their surplus kilts and drums to our company.

The tartan is the Hunting Stewart of Appin. The replacement project cost £2,000, half of this money was given by the Co-Op Community Dividend Scheme and BT Staff Charity fund.