The Moonlighter

Still a few seats left. Adults : £25 Children (under 16) and Senior Citizens £18. Reserve your seat here https://www.thefounderstrail.co.uk/book-online For further information please call 0790 2855536.

George Findlay didn’t return home from Ibrox on the 2nd January 1971. He was only 21. It was friend of the project Ian McLeod Milne who put me in touch with George Findlay’s son Stephen whom I had the pleasure of meeting . Stephen wasn’t even a year old on the day that the tragedy at Ibrox occurred. He never got to know his dad. He told me the heart breaking story of how his uncle Ralph bought his brother George the ticket for the match as he was so keen to see the Rangers take on Celtic. George Findlay tragically lost his life that fateful day and was laid to rest in the family plot at Riddrie Cemetery in Glasgow. Stephen and his family reckon that through time original the stone had been damaged and was cleared , subsequently the plot lay unmarked for many years. Over the last three years the Restoration of Rangers Graves Project has received many donations and this allowed us yesterday to place a new stone at the final resting place of a fellow supporter taken in such tragic circumstances. Today we remember George Findlay. If you’d like to donate to The Restoration of Rangers Graves Project please use the link here on our website. https://www.thefounderstrail.co.uk/the-restoration-of-rangers-graves

Once again due to overwhelming demand we're delighted to add yet another date to the Founders Trail and Ibrox Stadium Tour programme for 2018. Saturday 9th June. Once we have our fixtures for next season more dates will be added. The Tours are selling out quickly so please reserve your seat as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. Adults : £25 Children (under 16) and Senior Citizens £18. Reserve your seat here https://www.thefounderstrail.co.uk/book-online For further information please call 0790 2855536.

Seats still available for this Saturday's Founders Trail and Ibrox Stadium Tour. Adults £25 Child/Concession £18. If you'd like to join us please reserve your place here on our website. https://www.thefounderstrail.co.uk/book-online

Last night we had the pleasure of presenting the Founders Story in the Millerbank Social Club for the Apprentice Boys of Derry Campsie Club Springburn, LOL 268 and friends. At the end of the evening our Restoration of Graves donations bucket was sent around the hall and the wonderful amount of £94.41 was raised. We'd like to thank the organisers for a cracking event and everyone who attended for their overwhelming generosity as this will help to ensure that our Restoration work continues over the coming months. Thank you. http://i67.tinypic.com/14il6cl.jpg[/IMG] http://i66.tinypic.com/6zvhnm.jpg[/IMG]

A number of seats have become available on this Saturday’s Founders Trail and Ibrox Stadium Tour. Adults £25 Child/Concession £18. If you'd like to join us please reserve your place here on our website. https://www.thefounderstrail.co.uk/book-online

Would all passengers who are booked on the following Tours please note that due to fixtures these tour dates have had to be changed to the following: Sunday 22nd April- Saturday 21st April Saturday 5th May- Sunday 6th May Please advise if these dates are suitable or not by sending an email to thefounderstrail@gmail.com We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause but this is out with our control.

On the 17th March 1877 Rangers played our first ever Scottish Cup Final against Vale of Leven at Hamilton Crescent in Partick, the match ended 1-1. A replay was also played at the cricket ground which also finished 1-1, that game went into extra time and was abandoned amid controversial circumstances. Vale eventually won the Scottish Cup at First Hampden 3-2. This was a Rangers team of youngsters going toe to toe with the mighty Vale. It was this series of games that saw the transformation of the Rangers from what was essentially a boys club born at Fleshers Haugh only five years earlier to a respected football club one which caught the imagination and admiration of the Glasgow working class this is something that the Club never lost. The Rangers were never to look back. With this in mind we recently approached the committee at West of Scotland Cricket Club with a view to having a commemorative plaque placed on their pavilion wall celebrating this wonderful achievement. We’re delighted to say that our proposal has been given full approval. All updates including the date of unveiling will be advised accordingly. *This is the third in a series of plaques that we are hoping to have placed around the country highlighting locations linked to our incredible story, previously we’ve had plaques placed at Fleshers Haugh and Penarth.*

On the 9th April 1938 our Founder Moses McNeil passed at Townend Hospital Dumbarton. Moses spent the last few years of his life living with his sister, Isabella, in Clynder at Craig Cottage. She died in 1935, to be followed by her brother, the last of the siblings, in 1938. http://i65.tinypic.com/2vslxms.jpg[/IMG] Moses was from the east side of the Gareloch , his father John was from Comrie in Perthshire and mother Jane Bain from Downpatrick in Ulster. He was a natural athlete Powerful and of stocky build , it was said that was known for his pace and he had stamina too. In the Ibrox trophy room is a cup won by Moses for a half-mile race at the Garelochead Athletic Sports on 1 January, 1876 , it’s the oldest Trophy that the Club has. http://i67.tinypic.com/124zfae.jpg[/IMG] Moses played for the club he helped form for ten years, playing in the 1877 and 1879 Scottish Cup Finals. He was also a member of the first Rangers side to lift a trophy, the Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup in 1879. He was the first Ranger to play for his country, in a 4-0 victory over Wales at Hamilton Crescent Partick in 1876. Moses led a nomadic lifestyle mainly due to his 20 year employment with the company Langs whose name was synonymous with the famous brand of whisky. Their premises, which Moses worked from, was 70 Union Street in Glasgow. During his time in Glasgow Moses lived at 169 Berkeley Street and 333 Dumbarton Road. These locations are among many others that we cover during the Founders Trail. Only 9 months after Moses’ passing Rangers would set their record attendance at Ibrox Park of 118,000 . It’s a comforting thought that our Founder was sitting in his cottage while the Club that he’d help form and nurture were now one of the biggest in the World. They lie together with their sister Elizabeth and Isabella’s husband, Duncan Gray, in the lovely churchyard at Rosneath. But sadly for the man who gave Rangers their name his own isn’t inscribed on the family headstone. The late Sandy Jardine was a great supporter of the Founders project and had expressed a wish to have a plaque with Moses name on it placed at the churchyard at Rosneath and this is a project that we completed on Sandy’s behalf on Sunday 28th June 2015. Our Restoration team cleaned Moses stone and placed an engraved plaque which was purchased after funds were raised via the Rangers support. Today we remember Moses McNeil. https://www.thefounderstrail.co.uk/moses-mcneil

Would all who are booked on tomorrow’s Tour please note that there will be a Founders Trail welcome desk available within the Ibrox Megastore from 11.15am prior to our 12pm departure directly across from the Megastore This will give us an opportunity to greet you, check you from our loading chart and distribute our travel packs. Parking is available throughout the day around Ibrox Stadium. If you have any questions before the tour please don't hesitate in contacting us on 0790 2855536.

Tickets for the presentation evening will be available from behind the bar before and after tomorrow's match.

It will be an honour for us to present the Founders Story at The Tradeston Ex-Serviceman’s Club on Friday 22nd June at 7.30pm. The Club is at 6 Beech Avenue Glasgow G41 5BY. Tickets are £5 and are available from behind the bar. The presentation will also provide an insight into The Rangers Graves Restoration Project and The Founders Trail. We hope to see a few of you along.

Last Friday night we presented the Founders Story in Alexandria for the Vale of Leven RSC and friends. At the end of the evening our Restoration of Graves donations bucket was sent around the hall and the incredible amount of £228.15 was raised. This included the proceeds from a raffle that the Club held. We'd like to thank the organisers for a cracking event and everyone who attended for their overwhelming generosity as this will help to ensure that our Restoration work continues over the coming months Thank you. http://i68.tinypic.com/2h7j41l.jpg[/IMG] http://i65.tinypic.com/rwnmzd.jpg[/IMG]

Would all who are booked on Sunday’s Tour please note that there will be a Founders Trail welcome desk available within the Ibrox Megastore from 11.15am prior to our 12pm departure directly across from the Megastore This will give us an opportunity to greet you, check you from our loading chart and distribute our travel packs. Parking is available throughout the day around Ibrox Stadium. If you have any questions before the tour please don't hesitate in contacting us on 0790 2855536.

7.30pm tonight folks.

On the 30th March 1901 our Founder Peter McNeil passed at Hawkhead Asylum in Glasgow. He rests in Craigton Cemetery with his brothers William and James and parents John and Jean. Peter McNeil. On the 9th September 2009 Heather Lang unveiled a plaque at Fleshers Haugh to mark the location of the first match played by Rangers Football Club, against Callander, in May, 1872. There was no-one more appropriate to carry out the ceremony than Heather, Granddaughter of Gallant Pioneer, Peter McNeil. Heather and her sister Doreen Holland were the strongest link we have with Peter and his fellow Pioneers; his brother Moses, Peter Campbell and William McBeath. Sadly Heather passed at her sister’s home in London in 2016. Heather and Doreen, though, were unaware of their link with the founding of Rangers. Grandfather Peter had a tragic end to his life. It was probably because of this, that their mother, Gertrude, daughter of Peter and his wife, Janet, never spoke of her father. He had died in Hawkhead Asylum, on 30 March, 1901. He had clearly suffered from a form of mental illness, though his death was recorded as “general paralysis’’. Peter was born in 1854, a year before his brother and fellow Pioneer, Moses. In his mid-teens, he had moved to Glasgow with other members of his family. Peter played in the first match against Callander, in May, 1872. He was one of the Club’s earliest captains and was a regular in the side until 1876. It was off the field of play though Peter McNeil made his greatest contribution to the formative years of the Club. William Dunlop tells of Peter heading to Fleshers Haugh about noon to secure the field for the Club. The goalposts would be planted and he would then have to watch over the field until the “appointed hour”. When his playing days were over, and he gave way to better players, he became honorary secretary. He held this position from 1876 – 1883. He was vice-president from 1886 – 1888. He was a greatly respected administrator, serving as treasurer of the Scottish Football Association from 1879 – 1883. He was known as “Genial Peter”, a much-loved and respected figure within Scottish Football. Peter had a business which he ran with his brother, Harry, “H and P McNeil”. It was one of the forerunners of the modern sports outfitters. The business had started in the mid 1870’s. The original premises had been in Renfield Street but in 1883, the brothers moved to Union Street. They were suppliers of outfits to both Rangers and Scotland. In March, 1885, Peter married Janet. Rangers Football Club presented the happy couple with “a beautiful inlaid marble clock and a pair of equestrian bronzes”. Within five years, the family was complete with the birth of John Fraser and Gertrude Grace. Despite the happy home life, it was clear the pressure of business was taking its toll of Peter. His brother Harry was a partner in the business . Harry McNeil had been one of the most famous and popular footballers of his day. He played for Queen’s Park and had been an established Scottish internationalist. For many years after he retired from playing, his name was frequently recorded in the sports media of the day. The business of H & P McNeil disappeared from the PO Directory by 1896. Bankruptcy had come to Peter and Harry. The deterioration of Peter's mental health caused anguish to his family. In January, 1901, he was committed to Hawkhead Asylum. Peter McNeil lay at rest for many years with his parents, John and Jean, and older brother William in what was an unmarked grave at Craigton Cemetery. Either side of him are his brothers Alexander and James. On the 22nd June 2013 memorials to our Founder Peter McNeil and his family were erected on their final resting places at Craigton Cemetery. Peter’s resting place fittingly looks on to the front door of Ibrox Stadium. Our Founder Peter McNeil died at a young age ,he was only 47, but he lived long enough to see the Club that he helped form and nurture grow from what was essentially a boys club on Fleshers Haugh into a worldwide sporting institution.

Last Saturday night we presented the Founders Story in Fraserburgh for the Dave Smith Loyal RSC. At the end of the evening our Restoration of Graves donations bucket was sent around the hall and the incredible amount of £232.21 was raised. Additionally the supporters club made a donation of £175. A grand total of £407.21 We'd like to thank the organisers for a cracking event and everyone who attended for their overwhelming generosity as this will help to ensure that our Restoration work continues over the coming months Thank you.

24TH March 1887. Rangers required funds to help with the move from Kinning Park to First Ibrox and subsequently a committee was formed which was chaired by Tom Vallance. The ‘’Monster Concerts’’ which were organised proved to be extremely popular with the people of Glasgow and sold out . The outlets shown at the bottom of the concert advert show that tickets could be purchased from Harry and Peter McNeil’s shop on Union Street , and from George Gillespie and James Watson who both played in that legendary series of games that was the 1877 Scottish Cup Final. This was the lads who’d formed our Club, and others from our early years, fund-raising to help their dream of owning our own ground become a reality. This was the Rangers in the process of moving to Ibrox and somewhere we could call home. The Waterloo Rooms stood on the corner of Waterloo Street and Wellington Street and was used by Rangers for meetings during season 1888-89. In 1910 it became The Alhambra Theatre which was demolished in 1971. Today it’s the Alhambra House office block.

Join us and hear the incredible life story of the great Tom Vallance.

Once again due to overwhelming demand we're delighted to add more dates to the Founders Trail and Ibrox Stadium Tour programme for 2018. Once we have our fixtures for next season more dates will be added. SATURDAY 21st JULY SUNDAY 9th SEPTEMBER SUNDAY 7TH OCTOBER The Tours are selling out quickly so please reserve your seat as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. Adults : £25 Children (under 16) and Senior Citizens £18. Reserve your seat here https://www.thefounderstrail.co.uk/book-online For further information please call 0790 2855536.

Last Friday the Lanzarote Loyal RSC donated the incredible sum of £200 to the Restoration of Rangers Graves Project. We have many more plots to attend to over the coming months and this wonderful gesture will help to ensure that our work continues. We’d like to thank the LLRSC for their continued support. Thank you.

On the 17th March 1877 Rangers contested our first ever Scottish Cup Final against Vale of Leven. Our Scottish cup campaign of 1877 saw the young Rangers, after trips in earlier rounds to places such as Mauchline in Ayrshire, incredibly reach the Scottish Cup Final where the mighty Vale of Leven lay in wait. Vale had caused a sensation of their own in an earlier round by handing Queens Park their first ever defeat on Scottish soil. The final was to be played on 17th March 1877 at Hamilton Crescent in Partick and our lads got to work to make sure that they were prepared. Moses fondly recalled tuck-ins of ham, eggs and steaks every morning after a 6am rise, then a 10 mile training walk and a 90 minute session with the football. This was all in an attempt to make themselves bigger and stronger. The lads would train for the Final at their Kinning Park ground often late into the night and because of this the local residents daubed the Rangers ‘The Moonlighters’ a name which would stick with us for a few years. To say that the final of 1877 caught the imagination of the Glasgow public is a massive understatement as thousands made their way to Hamilton Crescent. The match first played on the 17th March ended in a 1-1 draw with the Rangers goal coming via a Vale own goal. A crowd of over 8,000 attended that day to see this team of youngsters take on the mighty Vale. The draw actually saw the young Rangers team carried off shoulder high by the crowd. The replay took place on 17th April William Dunlop scored in normal time ,that game also ended 1-1.We then went into extra time William Dunlop scored again but the goal controversially was disallowed. Glasgow Professor of Surgery George B McLeod was standing behind the goal and was prepared to take an oath and vow that the ball had actually went through the goal and struck him on the head then landed back in the goal-keepers arms! The match umpires were consulted. One umpire gave the goal one umpire said no goal and the third who was on the field of play said he was too far away and couldn’t say for certain. The goal never stood. This led to supporters of both sides invading the playing field, bedlam ensued and the match was duly abandoned. Of course the moral of this particular story is that The Rangers were being cheated by referees 10 years before Celtic were even formed! The Scottish Cup of 1877 was eventually decided at first Hampden, with Vale winning 3-2. This series of games saw the transformation of the Rangers from what was essentially a boys club into a respected football club one which caught the imagination and admiration of the Glasgow working class. The Rangers were never to look back.

Would all who are booked on Sunday’s Tour please note that there will be a Founders Trail welcome desk available within the Ibrox Megastore from 11.15am prior to our 12pm departure directly across from the Megastore This will give us an opportunity to greet you, check you from our loading chart and distribute our travel packs. Parking is available throughout the day around Ibrox Stadium. If you have any questions before the tour please don't hesitate in contacting us on 0790 2855536.