Search the Site
Harry Lauder arrived in Arbroath at the age of 12 after the sudden death of his father, who was a potter from Portobello. His mother, Isabella, had been
born and brought up in Arbroath, and, with seven children and another on the way, she decided to move back to the town of her birth.
Harry was found a part-time job as a 'towie' in Gordon's Mill, the flax mill which previously stood on the site of Burnside Works, which was recently developed into luxury flats. However, his mother wanted him to continue his education so Harry also attended 'Stumpy Bells' School' in Gravesend, which was in the vicinity of where the Police Station is now situated.
Of course, there was more to Harry's young life than work and school and he later recollected how he used to 'Fill his pooches with chuckies and throw them through the Round O' in the Abbey'. In the same interview, which appeared in the Arbroath Guide in 1924, Harry also revealed that he often helped to ring the big bell in The Steeple. "We used to hang onto the rope, get pood up wi' it and then dumped doon again," he said.
It was in Arbroath that Harry's talents as an entertainer were first spotted, when he entered a singing competition in the John Street Hall, in the Fit o' The Toon, and won a gold watch. "How proud my mother was when I came home and planked the prize in her lap," Harry later said.
After only two years in Arbroath, the family moved to Hamilton, where Harry worked in the coal mines. When working in the flax mill, Harry had kept his colleagues amused with songs and jokes, and he continued this tradition in the pits, much to the delight of the other miners. After ten years of working in the mines and performing on stage whenever he had the chance, Harry was offered a full-time job in a concert party. He was a great success and before long, had his own touring company.
With his tartan bonnet jauntily perched on his head and his twisted walking stick in his hand, the wee Scottish entertainer certainly struck a chord. Audiences the world over were soon singing along with his many tunes, including I Love A Lassie, Roamin' in The Gloamin' and Keep Right on to the End of the Road, which he wrote specially for the British soldiers who were fighting in the First World War.
Harry Lauder was not only a famous entertainer, he was also very charitable and he raised thousands of pounds for good causes, including The Harry Lauder Million Pound Fund, which he set up to assist injured service men. In 1919, he was knighted for his charity work and his fame continued to grow until he truly was one of the world's first superstars - but Sir Harry never forgot his humble beginnings.
Sir Harry would return to Arbroath as often as he could. In August 1932, Sir Harry celebrated sixty years on stage with a special charity performance to raise funds for Arbroath Infirmary. In October 1940, he appeared at Arbroath's Palace Theatre in James Street on behalf of the Arbroath Spitfire Fund - and received a standing ovation from the audience. Two years later, Harry made his last recorded visit to Arbroath, when he entertained the troops in Abbey Leather Works and was once more greeted rapturously by the waiting crowd.
Although he only lived in the town for a short time, the people of Arbroath certainly took Harry Lauder to their hearts and, as Harry himself said, "The auld toon o'Arbroath will aye be dear to me."
Although his brand of 'old-style' Scottish entertainment is now considered slightly kitsch, there's no doubting that Harry Lauder left behind a wonderful legacy for the 'new-style', Scottish entertainers, such as Laura McGhee.