James McGlashan

(1895-1980)

James ‘Slim’ or ‘Jim’ McGlashan came from a family of boilermakers and was one of East Fremantle’s early soccer players. His career spanned from 1919 until 1934.

James McGlashan was born on 9 June 1895 in Troon, Ayrshire, Scotland. His father Hugh McGlashan (1863-1948) and mother Margaret Orr Brown (1865-1921) were both from Ayrshire where Hugh McGlashan worked as a boilermaker in a shipyard. They had six sons: James, William Brown (1897-1964), Hugh (1899-1963), John Brown (1901-1934), Archibald (1901-1901), and Adam Knox (1905-1964), all born in Troon.

In 1912 The family immigrated to Fremantle, Western Australia.  Hugh and his two elder sons James (16) and William (14) came first, on 23 December 1911, boarding the Waimana, which left from Liverpool. The new s.s. Waimana arrived in Fremantle on 1 February 1912, bringing 517 immigrants to WA. (reference).

After two years, on 26 April 1913, Margaret and her youngest three sons (Hugh, John and Adam) boarded the s.s. Armadale from London and arriving on 11 June 1913,  were reunited with the family in Fremantle. (reference). 

From 1914 - 1918, they lived at 150 Sewell Street (now 72), East Fremantle and Hugh continued working as a boilermaker. From 1925 - 1944 Hugh and Margaret lived at 151 Holland Street (now 80), East Fremantle.

In 1917 at the beginning of World War I, James’s brother William, joined the military and served in France until 1919.

The whole family was involved in Fremantle sports, playing soccer, football and cricket. Hugh became the Hon. Secretary of the Harrison Cricket Club in 1923. James excelled in soccer.

English Association Football is commonly referred to in Australia as ‘soccer’ and was officially established in WA in May 1896 and the Fremantle Wanderers won the first league championship. In those days, Freo played at a ground called the Halfway House in Cottesloe, but had to move when the adjoining Albion Hotel on Stirling Highway took over the entire site. In 1902 an ‘international' game was played when the State team took on the visiting English Ashes cricketers in a match at Fremantle Oval, the visitors winning 4-0. A crowd of nearly 5,000 turned up. (reference) 

In 1919, James McGlashan (aged 34) was first  mentioned playing for the Fremantle Soccer Club in the Premiership League when he scored a goal against the Burnbank team in a Charity Cup:

“McGlashan came along just in time to pull Fremantle out of the fire with a shot that gave the opposing goalie no chance.” Fremantle Times, 5 September 1919, page 5 (reference).

Photo; Harrison Junior Football Club 1920. The Harrison Junior Football Club from White Gum Valley were Premiers in 1920. It is thought that the name came from H Harrison who founded the Australian game of football in 1858. Back row: from left: B D Wilkinson; B McGlashan; Front row: M Brown; J McGlashan… (City of Fremantle Library Archives Ref no 3974B )
In 1921, both James and Adam were playing for the Presbyterian Church Association (reference). In May 1921, McGlashan scored two goals for the Caledonian team against the Rangers in a game held in Perth. (reference).

Hugh McGlashan worked at the Henderson Naval Base and representatives from the Naval Base (Captain Fluker), the Presbyterian Church and the Harrison Football Club attended James' mother Margaret’s funeral, when she died in 1921, aged 55. (reference)

Henderson Naval Base was a proposed and partially built naval base of the Royal Australian Navy south of Fremantle, in what is now the suburbs of Naval Base and Henderson. Planned in 1911, construction of the base commenced in 1913 but was abandoned during World War I and only the works buildings - including a Boilermakers workshop, were maintained by 1923 under the control of Captain Fluker. (reference)

In 1922, James’s brother Hugh married Mary Isabella Weir (1901–1984) and Hugh also became a boilermaker. In 1928 his brother John married Ethel Maud Thomas (1905-1968).

On 30 March 1929 James married Christina ‘Chrissie’ Clark Monteath (1898-1970) in East Fremantle. Christina had been born in Glasgow and both parents had served in the UK Army in WW1.

In 1922/23 Chrissie lived at 138 (now 62) Duke St, East Fremantle with her father William Monteath (1871–1955), a van driver for Mills and Wares Biscuit Factory, mother Catherine (1874–1938) and brother John, a labourer and from 1922-1925 Chrissie worked as a bookkeeper for Mills and Wares. In February 1930, Jamie and his wife joined other  members of the Fremantle Soccer Club “the Rangers’ when they held their first annual river picnic. (reference).

In June 1929: “Soccer: Maylands Athletic 2 Fremantle Rangers 1…. McGlashan and Jackman kept putting over good centres whenever they were given the opportunity by the inside supports…In the second half the Port team started briskly and persistently attacked the home goal, and more good luck than judgment saved it on a few occasions. After 20 minutes' play McGlashan obtained possession from Lynch and rounding the back he kept over a nice ball which was put through by McAuliffe… Fraser, Brownrigg, Hamblett, Williams and McGlashan were the shining lights for Fremantle…” Fremantle Advocate, 20 June 1929, page 3 (reference).

In September 1929, Fremantle Rangers were granted a penalty kick against East Claremont and Jamie McGlashan scored with a ‘rocket’, ensuring a win. (reference).

From 1931- 1980, James and Christina lived at 114 Marmion Street (then no 45), East Fremantle, the home of William Monteath, Christina’s father, who lived there until the late 1940s. The family were huge supporters of the East Fremantle Football Club, living just across the road.

James worked as a boilermakers assistant at the State Engineering Works. Their sons, Ian James (1931-2010) and Graeme Thomas (1938- ) were born in the Marmion St house. After his death, the house was demolished to make Stirling Highway in the 1980s.

On September 15 1934, at the Fremantle Hospital, after a short illness, James lost his brother, John Brown, who left behind his wife, Ethel Maude, and two children, Wilma and baby Brian. (reference).

During World War II, on 17 February 1942, Adam Knox McGlashan  joined the Australian Army, Special Forces, in Claremont WA.

On 26 June 1948 Hugh McGlashan died. (reference)

James son Graeme Thomas McGlashan was mentioned as looking at the new Fords at the Ford Motor Company in Leighton in 1951 (reference) when he was 13. Graeme became a teacher and married Berice Olivia Grimshaw in 1961 (1941- 2022). Berice was well known in Fremantle and taught hairdressing at Fremantle TAFE, and at one time had her own salon. They had two children; Blythe and Haig. Berice passed away on the 27 October 2022 and Graeme currently lives at the RAFFA, Merriwa Nursing home(2023).

in Oct 1950 James was given Life Membership of the Fremantle City Soccer Club for his role as a Foundation member. (see certificate).

In 1954, Jamie’s son, Ian McGlashan, became an engineer and in 1962, married Norma Marian Kempster in Fremantle. They had 2 children: Claire and Kaye.

1954 “The sons of Mr and Mrs James McGlashan have pleasure in announcing the 25th Anniversary of their parents' Wedding solemnised at the East Fremantle Presbyterian Church, March 30, 1929”  West Australian, 30 March 1954, page 34 (reference)

In 1959 James and his wife Christina returned for a holiday to the UK and arrived back on the Himalaya on 5 August 1959. 

On the 1st Sept 1970 Christina died, aged 72 years old.

On 14 July 1980, James, aged 85, died in East Fremantle.

Ian McGlashan, a mechanical and electrical engineer, worked in the Engineering Design Office of the Goldfields Water Supply Branch of the Public Works Department, making mechanical improvements to pumping stations. He also worked in the Planning, Design & Investigation Branch (1963), the Mechanical & Plant Engineers Branch (1968) and was principal engineer in the Investigation and Design Section of the Mechanical Engineering Branch. He retired in 1987 (reference).

“We built our house at 45 Potts Street, Melville and moved into it 1962 and Ian lived there until his death in 2010 and I sold the property in 2012.” Correspondence with Norma McGlashan, 1 March 2023.

Research and written by Milorad Mihajlovic 2023

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