January 1900: Entertainment in Aid of the Soldiers’ Home
An article on page four of The Glasgow Herald, on Tuesday the 16th of January, 1900, reads:
“ENTERTAINMENT IN AID OF THE SOLDIERS’ HOME. – The entertainment which is to take
place, by permission of Messrs Howard & Wyndham, at the Theatre-Royal on Thursday next,
in aid of the Soldiers’ Home, Maryhill, promises to be one of the most successful of its kind which
has been held in Glasgow, and will, we trust, result in adding considerably to the funds of the institution.
All who are acquainted with the working of soldiers’ homes in garrison towns are well aware of the
good done for our soldiers, not alone for those quartered in particular garrisons, but for soldiers
passing through garrison towns on furlough or otherwise. Food at cost price, library, reading, and
recreation rooms, &c., are provided at a practically nominal cost, and married soldiers and their
families on furlough are also admitted. The Soldiers’ Home at Glasgow has recently been
considerably enlarged, and now consists of a very large hall, to be used as a concert or general
room for entertainments and social meetings; a drawing-room, where Miss Davidson and the other
ladies who so generously give their time to looking after the interests and welfare of our soldiers
are to be found when required. A comfortable bar is provided, where, of course, only non-intoxicating
drinks are supplied. The top floor consists of seven rooms, and 20 beds are reserved for unmarried
soldiers, while the first floor is reserved for married soldiers and their families. The additions to the
home have cost a considerable amount, and a sum of £1000 is required to pay off the debt on the
institution, and to assist in providing furnishings. To carry out this worthy object the entertainment
has been organised under the patronage of the Lord Provost and Magistrates of Glasgow, and is
under the direct auspices of General Chapman, C.B., Commanding the Scottish District; Colonel
Rawlins, Commanding 26th and 71st R.D.; and Colonel Courtenay and the officers of the 3d and 4th
Battalions Scottish Rifles, at present quartered at Maryhill. The programme will be sustained by the
leading artists now engaged in the city theatres.”
There is a large advertisement on the same page in The Glasgow Herald.