Local Connections

Margaret Victoria Chisholm and her Bible

  The mystery of the small Bible covered in blue velvet with brass edgings and lock.   It was found in a house being cleared in Edinburgh by a relative and taken to the Newcastle area.  She had no idea who it had belonged to but thought it too beautiful to be thrown out.  Subsequently […]

Henry “Chippy” McNish 1866 – 1930 Imperial Transantarctic Expedition Endurance 1914 – 1917

Henry McNish (McNeish) was born in Port Glasgow on 11 September 1866.  He was the 3rd in the family of John McNish and Mary Jane Wade.  John McNish was a shoemaker and the couple had married in 5 November 1869.  Harry, as he was known became a skilled tradesman, a carpenter, hence the nickname Chippy, and a metal […]

Sir Andrew Noble

Andrew Noble was born in Greenock at 22 Fox Street.   His parents were George Noble and Geils Moore Donald.  George was at that time a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy.  Andrew was born on 13th September 1831 and baptised in the Old West Kirk on 11th October of that year.  He was one of a […]

Rev Henry Charles (Harry) and Rev Dr Laurence Arthur Brown Whitley

Henry Charles Whitley (Harry) was born in Edinburgh in 20 March 1906.  He became a minister of the Church of Scotland  serving in several churches, including Newark Parish Church in Port Glasgow.  It was here that he married Elizabeth Young Thom in 1939 and where his son Laurence Arthur Brown was born in 1949.  During […]

Captain Robert Young aka “Captain Kid”

Robert Young was the Captain of the paddle steamer PS Elaine, which sailed between Glasgow and Millport. The PS Elaine was a small paddle steamer built by Robert Duncan and Co at Port Glasgow East Yard in 1867 for Graham, Brymner and Co for the Millport trade.  It was subsequently owned by D & RN […]

Alistair Graham Forbes 1921 – 1952 Australian National Research Expedition on Heard Island

Alistair Graham Forbes was born in Greenock and later moved to 48 Mathie Crescent, Gourock were he attended Gourock High School.  During the Second World War he served in the merchant navy.  He was breeder of Alsatian dogs and secretary of the Alsatian Dog Club.  This interest gave him the qualifications to become part of the research team […]

Private Thomas Ramsay Savage 1890 – 1916

Private Thomas Ramsay Savage is buried in Greenock Cemetery (section HHH420).  He was injured at the Battle of the Somme and brought to the Northern General Hospital in Newcastle where he died of his wounds on 5th October 1916.  He is the only soldier buried in the Inverclyde area who took part in the battle.  […]

Archibald Lang Fleming 1883 – 1953 Bishop of the Arctic

Archibald Lang Fleming was born in 4 Robertson Street Greenock on 8 September 1883 to Captain and Mrs (Janet Livingstone) John Fleming.  He was educated at Greenock Academy and became an apprentice with John Brown’s at Clydebank at the same time studying Naval Architecture at Glasgow University. After some time with John Brown’s he saw an […]

John Boyle 1912-1940 MV San Demetrio

John Boyle was born in Greenock to Patrick and Susan Healy Boyle around 1912.  He served as a greaser aboard the Scottish built mv San Demetrio, launched in 1938.  The ship was part of the “Jervis Bay” Atlantic convey carrying a vital cargo of petroleum when the convoy was attacked by gunfire on 5th November 1940 from the […]

James Moffat 1818 – 1884

James Moffat was the youngest child of James Moffat and Mary Bell.  He was born in Carnwath, Lanarkshire on 10th August 1818.  He came to Port Glasgow with his widowed sister Mary Lees and niece Catherine some time prior to the 1841 census, where he is shown as a grocer.  He worked at the grocer’s shop […]