Stories from the Register - Sir Hugh Reid of Springburn Bt.

 

Sir Hugh Reid of Springburn Bt. matriculated arms on February 16th 1922. 

Reid was chairman and managing director of the North British Locomotive Company and Brigadier of the Royal Company of Archers. He was Lord Dean of Guild of Glasgow 1916-1918, an office also held by his father, James Reid, from 1893-1894. Sir Hugh also held the office of President of the Royal Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts between 1925 and 1929.

Reid's company provided 18,000 locomotives to all parts of the British Empire. Even today many of the locomotives, with their distinctive diamond-shaped work plates, are still in use in South Africa and India as well as Argentina and Peru - one of them rescued Tintin in "The Broken Ear" in 1935.

His eldest son, James, was killed at the Battle of Loos in 1915. Sir Hugh was a noted philanthropist, and especially generous to his home area of Springburn where his factory was located. Among his many gifts to the area was the Springburn Winter Garden, now happily being restored under the auspices of an energetic Trust. 

A postcard from around 1922 showing the Winter Gardens at Springburn Park.

The Public Register of All Armorial Bearings of Scotland

1672-2022