Samuel Galbraith of Rangers

[Waverley]

I recently came across the name of a Samuel Galbraith in an old 1930's newspaper in which it said he was a founder member of Rangers. He isn't mentioned in any of the Rangers histories that I have at home and he doesn't rank a mention in the recent 'The Gallant Pioneers' book by Gary Ralston. Yet the heading above the story of his life and death is listed as 'Rangers F.C. Pioneer'. Anyone any ideas re this man who was also a noted Bridgeton business man when he died.

[Scottish]

The only suggestions I can make is that he was a 'behind the scenes' man or that his reputation was known to contemporaries but has become lost through the passage of time. There are still a number of early Rangers matches in which the line-ups are unknown.

[Rob]

John Allan mentions in his 50 years of football book that the first game the team played was a club game Argyle vs Clyde there is no mention of a Galbraith among the 22 names. Its interesting that Ralston says he could not find any evidence of this game. I can only assume that he would have looked at the same newspapers that Allan used. So did Allan make this up or did it really happen?

[Waverley]

The story of Samuel Galbraith is mentioned in a copy the Glasgow Eastern Standard. I will have to recheck the date when I find my original notes I can safely say it was either 1935 or 1936.

Here is the jist of it anyway. Considering that this guy was fairly famous in the business world I would imagine that his past links with Rangers would've been well known. Strange how in view of the fact that Gary Ralston's excellent book is named 'The Gallant Pioneers' the word 'Pioneer' is so clearly prominent in the heading of the news of Samuel Galbraith's death which pre-dates Ralson's book by almost 75 years.

[Rob]

The title Gallant Pioneers comes from Bill Struth. He wrote or said, "No matter the days of anxiety that come our way we shall emerge stronger because of the trials to be overcome. That has been the philosophy of the Rangers since the days of the gallant pioneers"

[Rob]

If he died in 1936 that means he would have been born in 1857 He would have been 5 years old when Rangers played Callender on Fleshers Haugh in 1872.

[Waverley]

Thanks for that information Rob. You learn something everyday.

[Waverley]

As I say Rob I will have to check out my original notes. If he was born in 1857 he would be around 15 or 16 when Rangers played their first game in 1872. Moses McNeil was only 17 then was he not when Rangers played their first match in May 1872.

[Rob]

Im a numpty i cant count

[Waverley]

Im a numpty i cant count

Rob your in good company as I am the same. I have just dug out my note book and have noticed I haven't marked down the date of the newspaper that I was reading through where I read the piece on Sam Galbraith.

My notes jump from November 1932 to June 1935 which means I have to go back up to the Mitchell and painstakingly go back through all the microfiche copies of the Glasgow Eastern Standard for those years. It would also mean that it would make Sam Galbraith aged anything between 16 to 19 years of age.

I was researching on Bridgeton Waverley at the time so I wasn't particularly to interested in the story of Galbraith when I was scanning the newspapers and taking my notes.

[Rob]

I am in a way convinced with what I know about Peter Campbell's family it seems to me that anyone involved with Ship Breaking would have known the Campbell's of Garelochhead. I cant think how else this could be investigated more so I have put out some appeals on the Rangers forums. There is an ongoing project where they are looking at all the names from the early days so hopefully someone may have come across his name already.

[Rob]

Another thought my subscription to the Scotsman digital archive has expired would his Obituary be included within its pages perhaps?

[Rob]

From a poster on follow follow
Samuel Galbraith was born on the 25th or 28th of October 1855, and died on the 24th of October 1932, just short of his 78th birthday; the records state he was 78. So, he would have been 16-17 years old when the Rangers were founded.
He was married in 1891, in the Windsor Hotel, St Vincent Street, Glasgow, to Mary Mackie, at which time he was described, like his father also called Samuel, as an Iron Merchant.