The Apprentice Boys revisited

By August ‘13, everything should be racing along merrily and with the number 13 claiming much significance in the symbolism an lexicon of the Boys, it is not too mind bending to hope that the crimson carpet will be in strong evidence. If the highly successful 321st anniversary is anything to go by, we can expect a fairly interesting and robust time, with the Boys contributing to all matters cultural.

It is appropriate now to review the Boys’ most recent history so that we can establish how we have arrived at this fairly confident - not complacent - place. It certainly was not always the case.

While we all eagerly anticipate the above, it should be remembered that the Boys are also preparing to celebrate the tercentenary of the formation of their Association in the immediate aftermath of this cultural frenzy, and it will not be a sideshow or an afterthought. The Association has experienced three distinctive phases in its long tempestuous life which conveniently follows a national pattern of progression through the last three centuries.

In the 18th century a calmness prevailed and the whole business of the Siege celebration/ commemoration was low key and the Boys themselves in a pretty haphazard state. All of this changed dramatically in the third decade or so of the 19th century when the Boys were, almost, compelled to adopt ownership of the annual events and they set out their stall appropriately with the building of the Walker Testimonial and the Memorial Hall - albeit with a half a century overlap between the completion of these projects.

Much political/ religious/ racial turbulence of this century affected the fortunes of the Boys, and, if anything, the 20th century provided even more frantic intrusion into their world.

The overriding feature of this last century for the Boys has been quite phenomenal growth in membership, with representation in every part of Ulster, most parts of Scotland and England and in Canada. It was that original - rather reluctant - decision to allow Londonderry based clubs to establish branches outside of the city that created this momentous and fortunate transformation (late 1880s). Initially progress was slow although the improving transport network of the late Victorian era attracted large numbers of supporters to the annual events. The emotive legacy of the Siege was not confined to ‘the Maiden City’ and this remains the case - as witnessed on Saturday week. The early modest development of ‘outside’ clubs - the No Surrender in Belfast (1877) and Glasgow (1903), Walkers Clubs in Armagh and Dungannon (1891), Belfast (1904) and Kilrea (1907) - was followed in the immediate aftermath of the First World war by considerable expansion. In 1923, 300 new members were initiated and many branches attended the August celebrations (‘Sentinel’, August 14, 1923).

‘The Northern Whig’ (August 12, 1924) in an editorial stated that “every loyalist in Ulster loves and claims a particular interest in Derry’s walls”, which may have had a lot to do with fears that the cityside and its walls could be annexed to the newly established Irish Free State. In adversity recruitment for the Boys has always prospered and by 1930 50 branch clubs were in attendance in August with several hundred claiming initiation - the erection of the War Memorial in the Diamond Gardens in the late 1920s provided a suitable assembly point for dignified forms of remembrance.

On August 14 this year the square was filled to capacity for the wreath laying ceremony; repeated attempts to interfere with this ceremony or to personify the Diamond and its Memorial as a less than neutral place have been successfully resisted by the Apprentice Boys.

The increasing popularity of the Boys Association in the 1930s prompted serious consideration of plans to build a Hall in Belfast. While this did not materialize the foundation stone for an extension to the Society Street headquarters, dedicated to the memory of the original 13 apprentices and to all those members who died in the First World War, was laid in 1936 and opened amid much celebration in 1938.

The extended Memorial hall remains the rallying centre for all Boys activity and an important social outlet for a Protestant community that is scattered throughout the North West and further afield.

Celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the Siege in 1938-39 were fairly intensive, which some observers believe may have reflected concern over Northern Ireland’s constitutional position. Whatever the reason ‘The Sentinel’ would report that a total of 21 special trains, 100 buses and many cars brought an estimated 20,000 to the Relief celebrations. The following year (1939) 100 clubs accompanied by 100 bands paraded through the city.

During the Second World War public celebrations were cancelled by the General Committee. In 1946 ‘The Sentinel’ recorded that nearly 3,000 new members were initiated and that the local Templemore people provided over 10,000 free drinks 9non alcoholic). From the late ‘40s onwards and within living memory for some readers, numbers increased at both celebrations. By 1988 the same paper could note that 125 clubs with a similar number of bands were present at the August events. The Campsie Club was revived in 1950 and amalgamated committees to assist the administration of the branch clubs were established (Scotland, 1946; Ballymena and District, 1948; Coleraine and District, 1948; South Derry and East Tyrone (1954); and South West Ulster, 1963 - the Belfast Amalgamated existed from 1925.

These amalgamated committees appointed representatives to a rapidly expanding and more democratic General Committee. ‘The Sentinel’ bears witness to the growth of the Association in its August 15 1962 edition...”The parade was so long that it filled the entire two and a half mile long route from the Diamond via Carlisle Road, the Bridge, Duke Street”.

By the 275th anniversary in 1964, the number visiting the city was 35,000 approximately with over a hundred clubs and bands in attendance and visitors from Canada, Philadelphia, Liverpool, Scotland and a contingent of 500 from neighbouring Donegal, transported apparently by the Lough Swilly Company.

The expanding Boys Association is recognized as representative of the self-confidence that still remained within the broad Protestant/ Unionist community of the ‘60s.

This confidence was quickly eroded with the gathering tensions of the late ‘60s/ early ‘70s and the Boys became the reluctant participants and occasional pawns in the grotesque grubby business that has evolved into what we kindly refer to as our ‘troubles’.

The horror of the last 40 years has intruded into all of our lives, but the Boys, who, as we have established, have been around here for 12 generations or more, have been particularly vulnerable to all of the unhappy side-effects.

A few gallant academic studies have recently been offered in an attempt to clarify the Boys’ role in the intricate tapestry of politics, violence and communal discontent that has dominated our ‘within living memory’ history.

Ever mindful of my historian’s remit to present all of the facts without prejudice, I propose to conclude this history of the Apprentice Boys with a review of the turbulent years from 1969 onwards in next week’s edition.

I trust that I can provide some clarification concerning the reasons why the Boys can anticipate the UK City of Culture 2013 with such obvious enthusiasm, when a decade or so ago doom and gloom prevailed.