A Guide to the Website

This website contains copies and transcriptions of documents, programmes and photos associated with the 70th London Company of the Boys’ Brigade which was formed in 1908 and closed in 2010. It also has sound recordings associated with the Company and the wider BB Community and copies of the Company and 'Old Boys' newsletters.

Acknowledgments and thanks

The 70th's Centenary Project (2008) provided much material present on the website, and many ex. members of the 70th and the 7th London GLB/GB Companies freely provided access to documents and items in their personal collections. 

This guide follows the same structure as the website's menu and concludes with some photo album viewing assistance 'tips'.

Home

As well as a contact address for the '70th Old Boys Committee' and a link to this guide, this page has links to related websites, including the 70th's own site, which has an extensive history of the Company and the Brigade site, which has a BB items shop...

Documents

Available for viewing via this page are copies and transcriptions of documents maintained or issued by the 70th staff plus documents produced by members of the Old Boys community since the Company closed.

The Register of Joiners

There are over 500 names in the Register of new joiners covering the years 1932 to 1966. Unfortunately no similar records outside of these years has been found, though recording must have taken place.

Three 'views' of the names etc. are available...

1. By 'date of joining' (Roll No.) - useful for finding who joined the company at a particular time.

2. By 'surname' - to locate individuals, link siblings etc

3. By 'street name' - this view was created to see who lived in a specific street and how many boys lived a 'stones throw' from the Church and the halls - not surprisingly, the vast majority... It also highlighted how boys joined around the same time in street 'bunches'.

Note - the only information present in the Register but not transcribed are the attendance records.

Display programmes

These provide 'windows' into the evolving Company life and times over the last 70 years of its existence, and they also show that they were often a 'vehicle' for fun and creativity…

From 1968, the Company's 10th anniversaries (the '8' years) were treated as occasions when an extra effort was made to inform parents and friends of the Company's happenings and achievements. The 1988 programme is of particular interest as it includes contributions from five of the six Captains that the Company had.

The 1958 programme consists of the booklet '50 years of the 70th', a comprehensive and very readable historical account mainly compiled by Old Boy Ken Hill. It is 'of it's time' of course, but contains many insights.

 As the scan of the booklet may be difficult to read, a transcription of its text is also provided. 

Membership Cards

Membership Cards were issued annually to each boy in the company, a practice which appears to have started in 1936 and ceased in 1977. Each membership card consisted of a cover picture, which was common to all BB Companies, plus a 70th specific insert (handbook) which, up to 1966, usually included records of the make up of the Company Squads and the Staff.

There were some striking cover designs, particularly in the '30s and '40s and for those in the Company during the period, the squad lists invite recollections of long forgotten companions. 

A complete 1949-50 Membership Card handbook is also present - in its degree of detail it demonstrates just how important the membership cards were felt to be at that time.

Sporting etc. Competitions

No documents from these events are included in the content of this website as the 70th's many successes in National, London, Battalion and other Competitions, from 1943 to 2008, are detailed in the 'Company Honours' section of the Company website.

They are also included in appendix 4 of  'A Positive Contribution' - the publication produced by Chris Buss and others in 2008 on the occasion of the Company's Centenary. 

Photos

A treasure trove for triggering memories... An album exists for the period 1908-1939 and thereafter for each decade of the 70th's existence (over 250 photos in all). 

Also included are 'Reunion Photos' - albums of events that occurred since the Company closed in 2010 (over 100 photos). 

Viewing options for each 'decade' or 'event' album, enable either a 'scroll-through' the photos or a 'slideshow' presentation... At the end of this guide are tips for viewing the albums on diferent devices.

Sounds

Included are recordings of Bugle Calls, Bugle Bands, the 'Kool Drummings' Steel Band and the words and music of some favourite Hymns.

Bugle Call Quiz

The 'name that call' quiz that started it all! The website grew out of the desire to put the quiz online... Some easy to recognise calls, some not so... Suggested 'par' score is 7.

Bugle Band Marches and Drum Solos

Bugle band and drum solo pieces played, like the bugle calls in the quiz, by members of the London 'Stedfast' Association Band. All are performed to a high standard and 'Fanfare no. 1' includes a rare sounding of a high Bb as its final note.

'Old Boys' Bugle Band etc

Two of the most popular Bugle Band marches ('British Boys' and 'St. George'), played by an Old Boys band (1st bugle parts and drums) assembled for the 70th Display of the 70th in 1978. Also six marches from the 1950s Battalion Band Competitions rendered on electronically simulated bugles from musical scores of the 1st and 2nd bugle parts.

Kool Drummings

Between 1992 and 2007 'Kool Drummings', the combined 70th and 7th GB Steel Band, gave almost 200 performances at weddings, school fetes, charity concerts, birthday parties and other events'... Included here are ten tunes, taken from a CD the band produced, which clearly demonstrate why it was so popular.

Hymns

The words to six Hymns that we have enjoyed recalling and singing at Reunions. Some are closely associated with the Boys Brigade, others were sung in Bible Class, Camp and in Church. A piano accompaniment for each Hymn is available.

Newsletters

Included are two collections of newsletters - the Company's '70 up', covering the period 1995 to 2009, and 'Reflections', which was produced bi-annually from 2009 to 2015 by the Old Boys community...

Some of the articles included in the 14 editions of 'Reflections'...

Also present are 'Further reflections', two longer pieces - 'Company Stories' told at the 2018 Reunion and 'Spotlight on the 70th', contributed by Chris Buss in 2007 to the 'Onlooker' magazine. The 'Spotlight' article highlights the Company's achievements for each decade from the 1950s to the 2000s and the section on 'Kool Drummings' is particularly informative.

Tips for viewing photo albums 

Depending on whether the device being used to view the photos has a touch screen or a keyboard/mouse, there are a number of ways to move between photos and enlarge them via a 'scroll' or 'slideshow' option. Some of the ways are described below.

On a touch-screen device

'scroll' option

Use a single finger 'swipe' up or down to scroll through the photos and a pinch with two fingers to zoom in or out to the size of photo required...  

'slideshow' option

The 'scroll' option (described above) is the best method of viewing the photos on small screen devices eg. smartphones and smaller tablets. 

For larger tablets, use a single finger 'swipe' left or right to move through the photos in the slideshow and a pinch with two fingers to zoom in or out to the size of photo required... 

Note. Displaying the photos and enlarging them can also be carried out via the 'Slideshow Controls' which are displayed in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen.

On a keyboard-mouse device

'scroll' option

Use the up/down arrow keys on the keyboard, or the mouse scroll wheel, to move forward or back through the photos. Ctrl up/Ctrl down moves to the start or end of the photos. 

'slideshow' option

Select anywhere on the page to get started.

Select anywhere on a photo to display the next photo. 

Use the up/down or the left/right arrow keys on the keyboard to move forward or back through the photos. 

Note. Displaying the photos (and also enlarging them) can also be carried out via the 'Slideshow Controls' which are displayed in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen.