THIS is supposed to be a joyous occasion but still looks very serious. This is the passing out parade at Maryhill Barracks in Glasgow for the Highland Light Infantry in 1957 with their colonel, RE Urquahart inspecting the recruits who have passed their initial training. Mind you, perhaps they already knew that their future was uncertain as the HLI was amalgamated with the Royal Scots Fusiliers two years later to form the Royal Highland Fusiliers which later merged with the Royal Scots Borderers, the Black Watch, the Highlanders, and the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders to form the Royal Regiment of Scotland.

Maryhill Barracks themselves are no more, although bits of their outer walls are still there on Maryhill Road. Hitler's Deputy Rudolf Hess was taken there for questioning after his plane crashed near Eaglesham and French President Charles de Gaulle, while he was leader of the Free French forces during the Second World War, visited his troops while they were stationed at Maryhill.

For the people of Maryhill, the barracks were a focal point of the community. The Solder's Hotel was a favourite among the troops and later became the Maryhill Trades Union Centre. There were also the HLI Bar at the corner of Maryhill Road and Kelvinside Avenue, and the Elephant and Bugle on Maryhill Road.

An interesting footnote about the barracks was the riots in Glasgow in 1919 during a General Strike. The authorities did not risk using troops from Maryhill to quell the riots as they feared the soldiers, just back from the war, would be too sympathetic to the rioters.