Glen Cinema victims remembered

The darkest day in Paisley’s history was marked by a sombre ceremony at Paisley’s war memorial.

It was on New Year’s Eve in 1929 when more than 1,000 children gathered at the popular cinema to enjoy a matinee of cowboy film Desperado Dude.

But 71 of those children perished. And that day was to become known as Paisley’s Black Hogmanay.

They died when a smoking reel of film led to panic and a stampede towards the exit doors, which were locked.

The tragedy is marked every year with a wreath-laying ceremony at the war memorial, just yards from where the cinema stood.

Two of the remaining survivors, 96-year-old Robert Pope and Emily Brown took part in the moving ceremony.

Robert previously recalled : “I think my guardian angel must have saved me that day.

“I was at the show and the next thing I can remember I was sitting on the street.

“A fireman asked me what I was doing and I told him I was waiting for the film to start again.

“He told me to get home to my mother right away and that the film wouldn’t be starting again.”

Emily Brown was just five-yearsold when she was taken to the matinee show by her two sisters.

She said: “I can remember vividly the moment someone shouted fire.

“There was a panic and everyone started running for the doors. I got separated from my sisters.

“I remember a window was broken and a fireman pulling me through it, out into the street.

“Both my sisters had managed to get out, too. We had been lucky, but many more were not.”

The memorial was organised by Paisley Development Trust.

The trust’s Tony Lawler said: “We have organised the event for the past eight years, and it was good to see Emily and Robert up and well and able to attend.

“They are not the only survivors — there are survivors all over the world — but it was good to see them there.”

A service at the event was conducted by Rev Alan Birss, of Paisley Abbey, and Fred McNeil read his poem, The Children of the Glen.