The Restoration of Rangers Graves Project. Alex Vallance.

[The Moonlighter 387]

Born 18th February 1860 at Shandon on the Gareloch

Died 31st August 1898 Terregles Avenue Glasgow.

 

Alex Vallance gave the Club many years of great service.

 

He joined Rangers in 1873 when he moved to Glasgow to start his engineering apprenticeship (we have records of him keeping goal for the second eleven when only 14 years of age). He was also the younger brother of Rangers legend Tom.

 

Alex would go on to be captain of Rangers and was a player in that first Rangers team to win a Trophy, the Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup in 1879.

https://www.thefounderstrail.co.uk/the-rangers-first-trophy

 

It was 16 year old Alex Vallance who proposed in 1876 that the club move from Burnbank and take the lease for ground at Kinning Park. Alex was well placed to see the advantages of the move the south of the river as he like his brother Tom were apprentices in the Clutha Iron Works with P&W McLellan.

 

Rangers would remain at Kinning Park for 11 years before moving along Paisley Road to the Ibrox area.

 

The closing of Kinning Park 26th February 1887.

 

Alex is the large guy sat on the ground in front of his brother Tom who has his foot on the ball.

 

 

As a young man Alex would give diving lessons into the Gareloch from the Hydropathic Hotel, today it’s the Faslane Naval Base.

 

In 1884 Alex issued a challenge to all of Scotland for the All-Round Amateur Championship for 12 events, his opponents having the privilege of selecting the 6 events to be contested. His challenge was never accepted.

 

During the 1890’s Alex was mine host at the Red Lion Pub at 84 West Nile Street Glasgow, today it’s The Courtyard Bar.

 

 

We recently discovered the final resting place of Alex Vallance in the town of Helensburgh and yesterday the stone on his plot was cleaned.

 

Unfortunately Alex’s stone hasn’t responded as well to the blast cleaning as others we’ve restored as it’s made of sandstone and well over a century old.

 

Today we remember Alex Vallance.