| Neil McCallum Biog | Celtic Graves |
Celtic's first goalscorer
Bonhill Church Cemetery, Vale of Leven
Remembrance 2012
Links
Pre-2012
The Minister at Bonhill, Ian Miller, has only recently located Neilly's grave. Unfortunately there is no headstone.
In these pictures the area of the headstone is marked with a green bag.
There are two other McCallums, both females, buried in close proximity to Neilly.
Articles
(background: An article on BBC Scotland there was on Bonhill Parish Church minister who is a self confessed Celtic supporter trying to find the final resting place of Celtic's first ever goalscorer which is somewhere in his church graveyard)
Hoops hero buried in minister’s pitch
| Nov 9 2006 |
| By Tina Kemp |
| CELTIC-MAD minister Ian Miller is ****-a-HOOP — after discovering one of his team’s heroes is buried in his churchyard.
Ian was delighted to learn that Neilly McCallum — who scored the Celts’ first EVER goal — was laid to rest at Bonhill Church. Now the soccer-daft reverend — a Hoops fan since he was a teenager — has embarked on a quest to find the exact burial place of the player. Ian, who has taken some stick from his congregation over the years about his Old Firm affiliation, had no idea such an important piece of his team’s history lay so close to home. He could hardly believe it when friend and local historian Willie Scobie unearthed the story while researching the church’s history. Said Ian, minister at Bonhill for 31 years: “When Willie told me he had discovered that Neilly McCallum, the man who scored Celtic’s first ever goal, was buried in our churchyard, I couldn’t believe it. We don’t know exactly where his grave is, but I would love to find it so I can just stand there. “I haven’t told my congregation yet — I don’t know what they’ll think!” McCallum, who was also part of the world championship winning Renton side of 1888, died in November, 1920, after a notable footballing career. He joined Celtic in their founding year of 1888 and was the debut scorer in their first ever game — against Rangers. His link with the churchyard was discovered thanks to a chance meeting in Dumbarton Library. Willie said: “It was a case of being in the right place at the right time. I was in the room in the library where people research their family tree and, when a member of the public heard I was working on the history of Bonhill Church, he asked if I knew about Neilly McCallum being buried there. “A member of staff looked up a list of obituaries and we found it in an old edition of The Lennox. It seems he joined Celtic in its founding year and scored their opening goal. His funeral service was taken by the Rev Father Murray and he was then buried in the churchyard.” Willie added: “If it had been any other church it wouldn’t be quite so interesting but because Ian is a Celtic supporter it’s very appropriate!” Ian, 62, now wants to try and find McCallum’s grave, which may not have been marked with a stone. He said: “I take a bit of stick about my loyalties but most of it is good humoured. I’ve even got a photo in the house of Barry Ferguson holding me in a neck lock!”
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