In pictures: Photographs of the Dunfermline Children's Annual Gala

As reported in last week's Press, the long-running event's future is under threat from the combination of a lack of volunteers coming forward to help run it, as well as the ongoing effects of COVID that led to its postponement in the past two years.

Our first photograph is one of the earliest pictures of the event that was taken on Friday, June 26, 1914, showing children playing in Pittencrieff Park, blissfully unaware that in a few short weeks World War 1 would break out.

Anne Hanson remembers the gala from the other side of the world: "Gala Day has been a huge memory for me – walking with the other children from St Leonard's with our little flags in our hands and our best dresses on, till we emigrated to Australia in 1957."

Robert Redpath recalls one of the songs that was sung every year by schoolchildren in the parade, particularly when the event was held on a school day traditionally, resulting in a holiday: "I remember the chant of hundreds of primary school children: 'Hip hip hooray, this is the Gala Day, if we don't get a holiday we'll all run away'."

The next image is from 1953 and shows pupils and their teachers from Dunfermline High School, as secondary schools also took part in the parade until 1958. Each school would have a banner representing their school, and Morris Grant remembers carrying his: "I carried the banner for Pittencrieff School in 1951. Mr Stevenson was the headmaster, and our patch was in through the gates in the park on the right-hand side. Great memories."

Anne Drummond also recalls the gala: "I loved the Gala Day! Getting all dressed up with a fancy gala dress and white sandals, waving your flag down the High Street and marching."

Walter Morgan-Campbell thinks local businesses would have welcomed the event each year: "I bet the shops loved the build-up to the event in the 1960s – everybody had new clothes. I loved walking from the top of the Public Park down to the Glen. I was at St Leonard's and we walked from the school across the 'show field' up Mill Hill Street and into the Public Park with people waving flags all along the route. Then games and picnic boxes in the Glen – good times.”

Liz Galloway has fond memories of the day out: "I was one of the first pupils at the new Commercial School in Woodmill Road. We practised for weeks before the gala carrying the banner – so proud of our school. Mum would take me over to C&A in Edinburgh for my gala clothes – great memories.”

Once down in Pittencrieff Park, each school organised games, and local bakers in the town provided boxes containing cakes and sweets etc for every child.

Our next photograph shows a busy scene in 1962 in Pittencrieff Park.

Our final photograph shows the parade making its way down to Pittencrieff Park in 1948 or 1949.

More photographs like these can be seen in Dunfermline Carnegie Library and Galleries, as well at facebook.com/olddunfermline.

With thanks to Frank Connelly.