BLB was the Boys' Life Brigade

He wrote in following our appeal for information about “what a B.L.B. was” in the June 19 Coffey Time column.

“Hi Chris, your article ‘Where, What and why?’ concerning the B.L.B. – The Boys’ Life Brigade,”

writes Bill.

“It was founded in 1899 by John Brown Paton in Nottingham. He was a Scot who lived most of his life in England and was a Congregational Church minister.

The BLB was an integral part of the Congregational and Non- Conformist Church.”

He related how the BLB differed from The Boys’ Brigade founded in Glasgow by William Alexander Smith in 1883.

But due to the effect of the First World War both organisations set up work for boys aged eight to 12 with the BB setting up The Junior Reserves and BLB introducing The Life Boys. In 1926 the two organisations joined together with the titles The Boys’ Brigade – BB and The Life Boys, the latter being the younger members.

The picture printed in the Star of June 19 was of the 1st St Helens B.L.B.

Bill feels sure it was attached to Brook Street Congregational Church which he tells us was now the site of the town centre Nat West Bank and the church relocated and is today the United Reformed Church.

Bill also highlighted the Church Lads Brigade founded in 1891 as a variation on the original BB movement with three companies in St Helens – Holy Trinity Parr (the longest serving local company), St Thomas and St Luke’s in the 1940s.

St Mary’s, Haydock and St Luke’s, Knowsley Road also had BB and BLB involvement before the Second World War.

“In the 1940s BB companies were started at St Helens Parish Church, All Saints’, Rainford then St Luke’s, Knowsley Road,” said Bill, revealing that eventually there were up to 11 active units in the St Helens and District Battalion. The North West District celebrated its centenary on June 8 Port Sunlight and the battalion colour paraded by officers of the 3rd St Helens Company (St Luke’s) dated back to 1935.”