The Moonlighter

A fellow supporter Joel Leslie recently informed us that Rangers Hall of Fame inductee John Drummond was buried in Camelon Cemetery. Mr. Drummond’s stone was cleaned and re-lettered on Saturday. John Drummond, more commonly referred to as ‘Jock’, was born on 13th April 1870 in Alva, a small town in Clackmannanshire, Scotland. His parents moved to Falkirk when he was a boy and sent their son to be educated at the local Liddle’s School (now Reddingmuirhead Community Hall). Upon leaving school, Drummond took up an apprenticeship in the Falkirk branch of the National Bank. A keen footballer from a young age, he began his career in the reserves of Falkirk F.C. where his conspicuous ability in the position of full back (similar to a modern centre half) soon led to his promotion to Falkirk’s starting eleven. It was as a Falkirk player that he gained his first international cap in 1892 against Ireland in Belfast. In March 1892, not long after his successful international debut, Drummond signed for Rangers, where he would achieve his greatest footballing successes and enduring fame as one half of the famous Drummond-Nick Smith defensive partnership. A journalist writing in 1935 noted that ‘the two are often referred to as having constituted the finest defence that ever served the Rangers’, and that their ‘combination in defence…made both men more famous together than they would ever have been apart’. A fearsome tackler and powerful striker of the ball, Drummond was an integral member of the great Rangers teams who won four successive Scottish League titles, four Scottish Cups, seven Glasgow Cups and four Charity Cups. Although he was known for his strength and burly physique, he moved swiftly across the field of play and, as one of the last players to wear a bunnet during matches, he was easily recognised by the football crowds of the day. His performances for Rangers also ensured that he was a first-choice international and, over the course of his career, he won fourteen international caps, with his final appearance coming against Ireland in 1903. After twelve successful years at Ibrox, Drummond left Rangers in the summer of 1904 and transferred back to Falkirk, for whom he played one more season. After his retirement from the game in 1905, he assumed a new role as a director of Falkirk. He never lost his interest, however, in the fortunes of the club to whom he had given so much and was a notable attendee at Rangers’ jubilee dinner in 1923. Away from football, Drummond was a talented bowler and one of the oldest members of Falkirk Adrian Bowling Club, regularly winning prizes in important tournaments. He enjoyed holidaying in Millport and was a keen gardener with a penchant for growing potatoes. For the last twenty years of his life, Drummond worked as a janitor at Falkirk Science and Art School. After a period of failing health, he died aged 65 in Falkirk on 23rd January 1935 and was survived by his widow Janet and daughter Catherine.

We recently located the final resting place of Rangers Chairman Joseph Buchanan at Craigton Cemetery. Unfortunately the stone is off its plinth and is lying in the middle of what can best be described as a jungle,this is where you can help. We need a few Bears with gardening equipment to cut everything back to allow our guy to get his lifting equipment in to get the stone back on its plinth. We’ll be meeting at the Paisley Road West entrance to Craigton Cemetery at 12pm on Saturday 22nd August. Once the work is complete we’ll take everyone on a tour of the other Rangers plots at Craigton,we’ll then retire to the Louden for a couple of cold drinks and watch the Rangers thump Kilmarnock, kick off is 3pm. If you can help us please send an email to thefounderstrail@gmail.com or phone 0790 2855536. Iain and Gordon.

George Nelson was one of two lads who lost their lives on stairway 13 at Ibrox Stadium on the 16th September 1961,the other being Tommy Thomson. Yesterday George Nelson’s stone at Craigton Cemetery was cleaned and re-lettered. We will forever remember our brothers.

The winner of the ten Rangers Supporters Association Annuals is a Mrs Campbell from Glasgow who has been notified. Congratulations from all of us. The raffle raised the amazing total of £335 every penny of which will go to the Restoration of Rangers Graves Project. Thank You ?

Still plenty of time to get your name in before tomorrow's draw. PAYPAL LINK. - https://www.paypal.com/sendmoney ***Follow the link and add following email address along with donation – sonsofstruth@aol.co.uk

Only £5 that will help to ensure that our restoration work continues.

We’ve been donated these wonderful gems by Lawrence Meldrum to assist the Restoration of Graves Project.Thank you again. The first one is from 1954 and includes a farewell message from Mr. Struth.There are ten in total running until season 1967/68 these are real collectors items. To be in with a chance of winning the annuals just donate £5 to the Restoration of Rangers Graves via the link below. The more times you donate a fiver the more chances you have of winning. All names of those who donate will go into a hat and the winner drawn next Saturday 8th August. Thank you. PAYPAL LINK. - https://www.paypal.com/sendmoney ***Follow the link and add following email address along with donation – sonsofstruth@aol.co.uk

From the Rangers Supporters Association. “ Right away, you have a better chance of securing a ticket for all the big occasion matches”. ?

Our full range of merchandise,including our popular scarves are available to purchase here on our website. https://www.thefounderstrail.co.uk/shop All items are posted out by ourselves within 24 hours.

This wonderful article and photograph is from the Rangers Supporters Association Annual 1958....more about how you can purchase this gem and a few others and assist the Restoration of Rangers Graves Project soon.

We're happy to discuss the Founders Presentation event with your Supporters Club/Lodge/Organisation. thefounderstrail@gmail.com 07902 855536.

Now that our Restoration team is back working can you help the project? Over the last few years we've been searching the cemeteries of Glasgow and beyond for the final resting places of those men who played such a vital role in not only forming our Club but the subsequent years thereafter. Work has already been carried out on 39 plots,this has included the final resting place of every player from the 1877 Scottish Cup Final team. We’ve also extended the project into assisting those bereaved by the 1961 and 1971 Ibrox Disasters. Those men from our early years gave us so much that we still enjoy today and it’s important that we give them back a bit of dignity and respect,no-one will be left to rest in an unmarked grave. If you’d like to donate to the Restoration Project please use the link here on our website. Every penny helps. Thank you. https://www.thefounderstrail.co.uk/the-restoration-of-rangers-graves

Now that our pubs and clubs are open again what better way to get the drinks flowing and the cash tills ringing again than a Rangers Founders Presentation? We’ve already had a couple of bookings so here’s what we do when not out on the Founders Trail. The Founders Trail Roadshow. We at the Founders Trail are aware that due to time constraint, distance and cost many supporters can't make the journey to Glasgow to join us on the Founders Trail so six years ago we launched the Founders Trail Roadshow which is an alternative format which lets us take our wonderful story out to you. The Founders Trail Roadshow tells the story of our Founders from the shores of the Gareloch, to their arrival in Glasgow,their journey to the front door of Ibrox Stadium and beyond.This is done by way of a slideshow presentation. We profile each of our Founders and the subsequent growth of our unique club. The presentation also provides an insight into the Restoration of Rangers Graves Project and of course the Founders Trail. We hope that by telling this story it will give everyone an understanding of the very foundations upon which those lads built our club. Over the last few years the Founders Trail Roadshow has visited many supporters clubs and lodges in places such as Belfast,Londonderry,Plymouth,Corby,Blackpool,Campbletown,Fraserburgh,Thringstone and Aberdeen. The presentation lasts for approximately 90 mins, with a 20 minute interval we also encourage a Q&A session at the conclusion. The roadshow can be booked to coincide with other entertainment you may wish to provide for those attending. We have all of our own equipment, all we need from you is a plug point and an audience. If you would like to discuss us bringing the Founders Trail Roadshow to you then please email us at thefounderstrail @gmail.com or call 07902 855536.

We’re delighted to say that our Restoration team got back to work this weekend and have restored the stone of Rangers legend Tom Vallance. Tom rests in Hillfoot Cemetery in Glasgow. Tom Vallance. On the 27th May 1856 the Rangers great that was Tom Vallance was born. To quote his Rangers team-mates from the 1870’s‘’ The whole of Rangers loved him like a brother’’ Tom was born at a small farmhouse known as Succoth near Renton in the parish of Cardross.When young he moved with his family to the Old Toll House at Shandon on the Gareloch. He came to Glasgow in the early 1870’s following the path taken by his friends whom he’d known since childhood the brothers McNeil and Campbell . Tom Vallance had an astonishing 60 year association with the Club,and his is an incredible CV. He was a master oarsman, a champion athlete (he set a Scottish long jump record of over 21 feet), he studied at the Glasgow School of Art, had paintings accepted by the Royal Scottish Academy and was Rangers Club Captain and President for many years. We have details of Tom Vallance being present at the ceremony held on 1st January 1929 which saw the opening of the Main Stand at Ibrox and also at a dinner which was held in the St.Enoch’s Hotel after a Rangers match in 1933 when we faced Sporting Club of Vienna. He was also a guest of the Club at the New Year’s Day fixture that season against Celtic. So the lad who was present at Fleshers Haugh in 1872 is still attending Ibrox some 60 years later where the Club that he’d helped form and nurture were now playing in front of crowds in excess of 100,000. Tom was paid the ultimate accolade by the Club in May 1898 when he was made a life member. Tom Vallance was one of the originals, one of the greats. thefounderstrail.co.uk

Now that restrictions are being lifted our restoration team will soon be back at work. Over the last few years we've been searching the cemeteries of Glasgow and beyond for the final resting places of those men who played such a vital role in not only forming our Club but the subsequent years thereafter. Restoration work has already been carried out on 39 plots. We’ve extended the project into assisting those bereaved by the 1961 and 1971 Ibrox Disasters. We of course can’t carry out work on these plots without the consent of family,sadly many have either passed on themselves or have moved away. This is where you can help. Do you know of any relatives of those bereaved by the tragedy who would like to discuss the possibility of some restoration work being done on the plot of a loved one or perhaps a memorial plaque etc placed? If you can help please call 0790 2855536 for a chat or email thefounderstrail@gmail.com Thank you.

Harry McNeil was the older brother of our Founders Moses and Peter. He has the distinction of having played for the Rangers in our first ever game v Callander in May 1872 on Fleshers Haugh. He would play for the Club again during the 1880's and was a member of the Rangers Ancients team, along with the likes of Tom Vallance,who played many exhibition and charitable matches. Harry would go into a business partnership with his brother Peter their H+ P McNeil sports good premises were a feature on both Union Street and Renfield Street Glasgow from the mid 1870's until 1896. Once he'd hung up his boots Harry was to run the Royal Hotel in Bangor County Down. He was still attending Ibrox cheering on his beloved Rangers during the early1920’s, Harry lived long enough to see us from day one on Fleshers Haugh,into Ibrox and Rangers playing in front of huge attendances. Harry McNeil passed in 1924. In 2015 our research led us to Harry’s Great Grandchildren Ann Law and Archie Stewart and sadly his unmarked grave in Rutherglen Cemetery, Also buried there are Harry’s Brother in Law Andrew Park and his daughter Annie Robertson McNeil Scott. The Club by way of supporting our Restoration of Rangers Graves Project agreed to purchase a stone for Harry McNeil’s final resting place,this was put in place at a dedication service in 2016. Ann and Archie were guests of the Club at Ibrox and both remain good friends of the Founders Project.

121 Years Ago Today on the 1st June 1899 William Wilton was appointed first manager of Rangers at Trades House Glassford Street Glasgow. William Wilton (9 June 1865 – 2 May 1920) was the first manager of Rangers Football Club, serving the club in that position from June 1899 until his death in 1920. He had previously filled several roles including match secretary to the reserve and first teams. Mr Wilton joined the club in September 1883 as a player but never progressed beyond the second string eleven. He was soon appointed secretary to the club's youth team and reserve side. He was also on the special committee that oversaw the club's move from Kinning Park to the first Ibrox ground in 1887. Mr Wilton became match secretary of the first team in 1889, succeeding from Jimmy Gossland. The club shared the inaugural Scottish League title in 1891. Mr Wilton had been appointed as the league's first treasurer at the start of the season. When the club became a limited company ten years later Mr Wilton was chosen as manager. In his decade as match secretary for the first team, the club won two League championships in 1891 and 1899, as well as three Scottish Cups in 1894, 1897 and 1898. He also won four Glasgow Cup's in 1893, 1894, 1897 and 1898, and a Charity Cup in 1897. Rangers had achieved the first ever 100% league record, winning all 18 games and scoring 79 goals in 1898-99. To date no team has achieved the same. Under Wilton's stewardship as manager, Rangers won eight league championships and another Scottish Cup, nine Glasgow Cups and seven Charity Cups. In his final season as manager the club won its tenth league championship. Mr Wilton tragically died in a boating accident at Gourock in 1920. John Allan’s book, The Story Of The Rangers, paid him this fitting tribute: “The ideals for which he strove are still sought after by those who are left in custody of the cherished traditions of the club.” Mr Wilton’s final resting place at Cathcart Cemetery has been restored as part of our Restoration Of Rangers Project.

On the 27th May 1856 the Rangers great that was Tom Vallance was born. To quote his Rangers team-mates from the 1870’s‘’ The whole of Rangers loved him like a brother’’ Over the years of our research into the formation of our Club one name kept popping up time and again and that’s the name of Tom Vallance, who had on reflection sadly been overlooked. Tom was born at a small farmhouse known as Succoth near Renton in the parish of Cardross.When young he moved with his family to the Old Toll House at Shandon on the Gareloch. Tom came to Glasgow in the early 1870’s following the path taken by his friends whom he’d known since childhood the brothers McNeil and Campbell . Tom Vallance had an astonishing 60 year association with the Club,and his is an incredible CV. He was a master oarsman, a champion athlete (he set a Scottish long jump record of over 21 feet), he studied at the Glasgow School of Art, had paintings accepted by the Royal Scottish Academy and was Rangers Club Captain and President for many years. We have details of Tom Vallance being present at the ceremony held on 1st January 1929 which saw the opening of the Main Stand at Ibrox and also at a dinner which was held in the St.Enoch’s Hotel after a Rangers match in 1933 when we faced Sporting Club of Vienna. He was also a guest of the Club at the New Year’s Day fixture that season against Celtic.So the lad who was present at Fleshers Haugh in 1872 is still attending Ibrox some 60 years later where the Club that he’d helped form and nurture were now playing in front of crowds in excess of 100,000. Tom was a successful business man. He had The Club restaurant at 22 Paisley Road West which today is the Viceroy Bar,The Metropolitan which stood on Hutchison Street in the Merchant City area of Glasgow and the Lansdowne which was at 183 Hope Street. Tom was having the Rangers results wired to his restaurants for the benefit of his patrons as early as 1890.When Rangers moved to First Ibrox in 1887 it was said that it was common for Club President Vallance to be working the turnstiles on matchday.We have a newspaper report detailing Tom and Founder Moses McNeil attending the 1905 Scottish Cup Final as supporters. At the opening of the Main Stand in 1929 Tom Vallance recalled the facilities being so cramped at the Rangers ground at Kinning Park that the players would have to wash in basins of cold water in the open air. It was the teenage Tom Vallance who helped lay the very foundations upon which our Club was built, hard-work, discipline, honesty, integrity and fair play .Mr. Struth said during that famous speech “No matter the days of anxiety that come our way, we shall emerge stronger because of the trials to be overcome. That has been the philosophy of the Rangers since the days of the Gallant Pioneers”. Tom was paid the ultimate accolade by the Club in May 1898 when he was made a life member. As a lasting tribute to the incredible contribution he made to our Club we had Tom put on to canvas by way of a painting by artist Helen Runciman . Tom Vallance has now taken his rightful place at the top of the Marble Staircase alongside his friends and fellow Founders. Tom was one of the originals, one of the greats. Today we celebrate the life of Tom Vallance.

The great Tom Vallance.

‘’Thus ended their first match played at the latter end of May 1872 some two months after the inauguration of the club’’. The words of Rangers player William Dunlop from his article The Rangers FC which he wrote so eloquently for the SFA Annual in 1881 using the pen name ‘True Blue’. Rangers Football Club played it’s first ever match 148 years ago this week. Our Club was formed on a spare bit of ground at Fleshers Haugh by a few kids who’d come to Glasgow seeking employment and a better way of life.Their Club ,which they formed for no other reason than the love of football and the pursuit of sporting excellence,would go on to become the world’s most successful. That first ever match was against Callander and ended 0-0, Willie continued, “Their first game was a terrible spectacle with the ball suffering an incredible amount of abuse” William McBeath was given man of the match and then spent a week in bed recovering due to his exertions’’ Founder William McBeath was from Callander and we believe it would have been Willie who approached ex-pats from the town who had settled in Glasgow and that’s probably where the opposition came from for our first match. Willie’s Rangers team-mate Sam Ricketts wrote in 1884 about the boys playing those first few games in their civvies and journalist John Allan wrote about them having to change behind a bush as there were no facilities. William Dunlop described how genial Peter McNeil would travel on a Saturday morning to a desirable part of the Glasgow Green, set up the noted standards and stand guard until the classic hour came when he would be joined by his friends.We felt this was a very dramatic and moving image and commissioned a painting to be done depicting this scene.We presented the painting by artist Helen Runciman to the Club in 2009 and it now hangs on the marble staircase at Ibrox. The Rangers would remain at Fleshers Haugh for three years.We then began our journey around Glasgow to Burnbank and Kinning Park before finally settling in the Ibrox area in 1887 where we would grow to become the world’s most successful football club. The Rangers FC by William Dunlop. https://www.thefounderstrail.co.uk/the-rangers-f-c-by-true-blue

The Founders Plaque,marking the spot where our Club was born,was unveiled in the Glasgow Green Football Centre in September 2009,we were honoured to be joined by Heather Lang the Grand-daughter of Founder Peter McNeil and the late great Sandy Jardine A couple of weeks before the event the club gave me contact details for Rangers legends Johnny Hubbard and Billy Simpson to invite them along, so i very nervously rang both men. Unfortunately Mr Hubbard couldn’t attend as he was going to be away on holiday, Mr Simpson said he would check if he had anything on and then asked for my address which I thought was maybe his way of checking if this was genuine so I of course duly obliged.A few days later I was stunned to receive a letter from Billy, he sadly couldn’t attend the unveiling event but this Rangers great and gentleman had actually taken the time to write to tell us. A couple of years later I had the pleasure of meeting Billy Simpson and got the opportunity to thank him for his letter,he again apologised and wished the Founders Project every success in the future. Billy Simpson was a Belfast boy who joined Rangers from Linfield in 1950 for £11,500. He spent nine years at our Club and scored an incredible 163 goals in 239 appearances,winning three league titles and a Scottish Cup. He was capped for Northern Ireland on twelve occasions scoring five goals. He was still attending Ibrox later in life supporting his beloved Rangers. Sadly Billy Simpson passed in Glasgow in 2017 but us supporters celebrate him every week when we sing that wonderful song I Took a Trip to Ibrox. Oh play up the Glasgow Rangers, Sammy Cox is on the ball, He slips it through to Willy Woodburn And on to Ian McColl. Ian McColl to Billy Simpson, Oh here come the boys in blue. Simpson beats the Celtic center half And in goes number 2. Now the Rangers fans are roaring As Geordie Young he takes a free. Onto the head of Billy Simpson And in goes number 3. 3:1 to the Glasgow Rangers And that was the final score, A happy new year at Ibrox park For Rangers beat the Celtic once more, A happy new year at Ibrox park For Rangers beat the Celtic once more. That hand written letter from Billy Simpson will be framed this week and treasured forever.

The Gibson Street Festival in Glasgow had been running for a number of years so back in 2012 we decided to hire a stall to promote our wonderful Founders/Rangers story which of course is an integral part of the history of Glasgow, additionally Founder Peter McNeil had lived on Gibson Street for a few years.The stall was hugely popular, we sold a lot of Trail tickets,gave out information on the history of our Club and raised a lot of money for charity. Just prior to the 2013 event I was asked to a meeting with the organisers who informed me that they were withdrawing our stall as they’d received a couple of calls and emails stating that the Festival shouldn’t be linked with “a sectarian organisation such as Rangers”. I laughed, then quickly realised they were serious so in turn I advised the event planners to expect a busy couple of days and to keep their office phone switched on. I posted the news around that we were being banned and sure enough a tsunami of rage hit them that hard that they rang me and asked me to get people to stop calling and emailing them. The Evening Times then got involved, ran the story which prompted the much larger West End Festival organisers to step in and offer us a stall at their event which we gladly accepted. So, thanks to the bitter, twisted mind of the Tims our stall at the 2013 and 2014 West End Festival raised three times the amount of money for the Founders Trail via ticket and merchandise sales and also a load of cash for charity. Everyone likes a happy ending. ? who is superman in man of steel who is superman in man of steel

Earlier this year Ian McLeod Milne set up a JustGiving page for donations to the Restoration of Rangers Graves Project,the response from you was astonishing. Accordingly we’ve just received an incredible donation of £5,056.63! We’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone sincerely for their overwhelming generosity. We still have much work to do and we will be back restoring the final resting places as soon as the current restrictions are lifted. Thank you.

Any work that's been done whether it's restorations, plaques etc we give thanks to the wider Rangers support as many people from all over the globe contribute to these projects financially and otherwise.

Any work that's been done whether it's restorations, plaques etc we give thanks to the wider Rangers support as may people from all over the globe contribute to these projects financially and otherwise.