‘Messiah’ visited Elderslie
Buddie Larry Lynch won’t forget the day he saw the man regarded by millions of people as the Messiah.
It was more than 80 years ago and teenager Larry lived with his family in a tenement at 174 Main Road in Elderslie.
The Second World War was raging when Larry, from Gallowhill, noticed a large, posh car draw up at Connelly’s garage at the foot of Glenpatrick Road in the village.
The smartly-dressed chauffeur stepped out and asked a mechanic to fill the elegant limousine with petrol.
Inside sat a smartly-suited gentleman with a swarthy complexion and beard.
The passenger was obviously important because he was shadowed by burly bodyguards.
To Larry’s amazement, the VIP was none other than Haile Selassie, the exiled Emperor of Abyssinia – now Ethiopia – in East Africa.
Born Prince Ras Tafari in 1891, the legendary leader who embodied his nation’s political and religious aspirations spearheaded the 1916
Derek Parker knew many of Paisley’s secrets – the grimy and the good.
He wandered every corner in search of the clues that would unlock Renfrewshire’s rich history.
These tales were shared with readers in his hugely popular Parker’s Way column.
We’ve opened our vault to handpick our favourites for you.
Abyssinian Revolution against Lij Yasu.
Victory made him regent and heir to the throne which he inherited in 1930. Revered by Ethiopians as their Messiah, Haile Selassie’s staunchest supporters were the Rastafarian sect who took their title from his native name, Ras Tafari.
Claiming descent from the Biblical Patriarchs, Haile Selassie was also known as the Lion of Judah.
When his country was invaded by the
Italians in 1935, he fled to Britain.
He was the guest of Lord Inverclyde at Wemyss Castle, near Inverkip, when his car stopped at Connelly’s garage that historic day.
After the British liberation of Ethiopia in 1941, Haile Selassie was repatriated. He ruled his people until 1974 when disastrous famines, industrial disputes and mutiny in the armed forces led to his deposition. He died a year later, aged 84.
“I’ll never forget that day,” said 79-yearold Larry.
“It’s not every day you see a VIP in Elderslie – especially the Emperor of Ethiopia.”
Moments later, the sleek, shining limousine drove off and Elderslie returned to normal.
Customers bought groceries and newspapers at Agnes Dunning’s and Agnes Barclay’s shops, next to Connelly’s garage.
Happy Dan Cairns, a former miner, showed the men of Elderslie how to dig coal from the old quarry in the Newton Woods.
Mr Robert Jardine, the Justice of the Peace, who lived at 140 Main Road, turned a blind eye because there was a war on and the villagers needed fuel.
Plumber Dan Hendry fitted pipes and cleared blocked drains from his premises at 149 Main Road.
Butcher William Storrie chopped steaks at his shop at 166 Main Road while Boyd Park sold apples and oranges from his fruiterer’s a few doors farther along.
It was work as usual on the day Haile Selassie, the Messiah of Ethiopia, visited Elderslie.