The Boys Brigade - 3rd Newtownabbey Company. By John Crossan

On Thursday 22nd May 2008 The Belfast Battalion of the Boys Brigade held a special Reception and Beating Retreat at Hillsborough Castle as part of this year’s celebrations marking the 125 years of the Boys Brigade movement. Eleven boys plus Gordon and myself participated in this wonderful event. There were massed pipe, bugle and flute bands. We were part of the massed flute band. There were over 150 musicians in total taking part. The heavy rain stopped in time for the Beating of Retreat in front of the guests who had attended the reception in the castle. Our boy musicians played to the highest standard. Gordon became the drum major of the massed flute band. Our glockenspiel was the only one on parade. After the ceremony the boys had the opportunity to see round part of the castle The rain came down in torrents 5 minutes after the end of the ceremony. What a night! To God be the Glory!

Musical footnote

The band played Kilaloo, Onward Christian Soldiers and Safe in the Arms of Jesus.

Historical footnotes

The Boys Brigade began in the North Woodside Mission Halls in Glasgow in 1883, founded by William Alexander Smith. The first band of The Boys Brigade was a 16- man flute band formed in 1885 by the 1st Glasgow Company. The setting, Hillsborough Castle, developed from 1760 as a modest house which was remodelled in 1797 to the designs of the architect Robert Furze Brettingham. Enlargements and alterations made up the mid- 19th century contributed to the present chaste classical appearance. Much of the internal decoration dates from restoration carried out after a fire that occurred in 1934.