From the ashes of the Glen Cinema diaster, Betty made a ‘new’ friendship

Dec 31 2009 by Jeff Holmes, Paisley Daily Express

BETTY Waples wasn’t a regular at the pictures but decided to go along to the Glen that tragic day with her two brothers.

She was just six at the time.

Betty, who was born in George Street in 1923, remembers being excited at the prospect of seeing the latest film.

But that excitement soon turned to despair as almost 1,000 kids tried to escape the cinema when someone shouted ‘Fire!’

Betty, now 86, said: “My brothers loved the pictures and I went along with them that day.

“Before we knew it, there was widespread panic in the hall.

“Everyone was rushing around, screaming, and heading for the exits.

“I would surely have reacted in the same manner had it not have been for my older brother, William.

“He had been taught fire drill at school and urged us to remain calm and seated.

“We simply sat there in our seats while all around there was bedlam.

“Our seats were situated in a corner, close to the stage, so we were safe where we were.”

Betty, a cotton worker at the Anchor Mills in later years, looked on as people tried desperately to escape the phantom blaze.

“Once the commotion had died down and we thought it was safe, we headed for the exit, but everyone was pressed up against it. It was awful,” continued Betty.

“We tried to turn back, to return to the relative safety of the main hall, but the pressure of the crowd separated my brothers from me.

“I became really scared and tripped in the panic. I stopped to pick up my shoe and when I did, I was grabbed by a policeman or fireman, who helped me to safety.

“Once outside, he told me that my mum was waiting for me and that I was to go straight home.”

Betty did exactly that but mum and dad were already out looking for her and she ended up at her aunt’s house.

She said: “It was terrible. I was sitting with my aunt telling her all about what had happened.

“I told her that people had been jumping off the balcony into the stalls and were just lying on the ground.

“If it hadn’t been for William, we would probably have been crushed in the crowd.

“Making a film about the tragedy is a good idea and it’ll help tell a dreadful story.”

And Betty revealed how a ‘new’ friendship came out of the disaster.

She explained: “The Paisley Library held an exhibition to mark the 75th anniversary of the tragedy and I went along.

“I bumped into Emily Brown, who I’d worked with at the Anchor Mills.

“We were pals at work and went on regular nights out. We’d lost touch though and didn’t realise that we were both survivors of the disaster.

“We now keep in touch and meet up regularly. It’s like having a new friend.”