Kirkcaldy Civic Society: BB membership card leads to learning more about Graham family

An opportunity arose to follow one with the discovery of a Boys’ Brigade membership card from 1911/1912 in the name of James N. Graham.

Given James’ age on the card the question arose – was he involved in the Great War? Some research had to follow and revealed the following.

William Graham married Anne Niven on July 25, 1890 at, of all places, Kirkcaldy Station. Why, we simply do not know!

However, the first six children were born in Leith. The assumption being that, in those days, it was a common practice for daughters to return to their mother’s home for childbirth. William and Anne both hailed from Leith.

In total the couple went on to have 11 children – William (1891), John (1893), James (1895), David (1896), Agnes (1897), Albert (1898), Peter (1900), Andrew (1901), William (1904), Edward (1906) and Catherine (1909)

Neither William nor Agnes survived childhood, although the name William was reused in 1904 – another common practice of the time.

William and Anne both worked with A.H. McIntosh at their factory in Victoria Road. They had a number of homes before settling at 341 High Street, Kirkcaldy, which we believe is the property above House of Hopcroft.

At the outbreak of the war, John, James and David all joined the colours. James died in action on September 12, 1915 while serving with the Seaforth Highlanders.

Worse was to follow, when, on April 9, 1917, David was killed while serving with the Royal Scots. John Graham survived the war having enlisted with the Scottish Horse.

John married Anges Seath Cushnie in Kirkcaldy and they had a daughter, Anges Seath Graham, who died aged 34 in 1956.

The father, William, also joined the colours and was a Lance-sergeant with the Royal Defence Corp. It seems that he was now following a different occupation, having been employed by the National Hotel prior to joining up.

It is not certain how Mrs Graham first learned of James’ death – it may well have been the dreaded official telegram, although she was also notified by a letter from Private Thomas Lennie of Bank Street in Sinclairtown, who was serving alongside James. His letter was published in full by the Fife Free Press on September 25.

Not every member of the family was researched but, with Albert being a less common name, it transpired that he was a lifelong bachelor who died in Kirkcaldy in 1980.

An attempt to research the youngest child, Catherine, brought a surprise to one of the team. Catherine had married John Paton, a farmer’s son from Carberry Farm in 1933. In 1937, a daughter named Catherine was born. In 1961 Catherine married a Kirkcaldy lad – Leslie Wilson McAndrew a banker with TSB. When our team member joined Cupar-Fife Savings Bank in 1970, his first manager was – Leslie McAndrew – and he, of course, came to know Catherine and her two sons well. Both sons have carved outstanding careers for themselves.

A simple story of a Kirkcaldy family who suffered infant mortality and then the heartbreak of not one but two sons killed in the war. A great deal of resilience would have been required.

William passed away and Anne remained living at 341 High Street until her own death.

The one thing we have not established is why James was living at 167 High Street when he was in the Boys’ Brigade? He had started working with A.H. McIntosh as a French Polisher and may have wanted his own home, or perhaps it was simply a lack of space at 341 – we will probably never know.

What we do know is that he signed up for the Army in the first week of the conflict and, given he was a Boys’ Brigade man, we have to ask – Did his anchor hold in the storms of life? The answer is the same as for the man whose signature appears on the membership card (Harris L.Stocks) – a resounding yes!