Our research about the Arlington Baths in the First World War is uncovering stories about members – men and women – who served, those who died and also finding out information about how the Baths managed while so many members were away.
The War Memorial and the men who served
We are researching the stories of the 72 men named on our War Memorial; a few of these are published here and we’ll continue to add more as we discover more about their lives.
- Ancill, Sydney John
- Arroll, Richard Hubbard
- Christison, Robert Colin
- Cook, Algernon Burton
- Freeman, Isidor L
- Gentles, Thomas
- Lévy, Léon Emmanuel
- Perry, Ernest
We’ve also discovered the names of around 270 members who served in the War and returned. You can see an interactive map showing where they lived in Glasgow and beyond.
Mapping the members who served in World War One.
Women in the War
Arlington member Ethel Perry was a volunteer with the Scottish Women’s Hospitals during the First World War and an air raid warden in the Second World War.
Ethel Perry: First World War volunteer
Everyone wore regulation swimsuits at the Arlington Baths. For ladies before the First World War, these were heavy cotton tunics and bloomers but after the War there were demands for change…
Cotton or stockinette? Old and new swimming costumes at the Arlington Baths
The Baths in the war
Hundreds of members were away with the armed services during World War One, some never to return. At the same time income was down, and costs were up. So how did the Baths manage during the war years?
The impact of the First World War on the Arlington Baths
The Baths made changes to membership fees during the War to support the men who were away fighting and the women who were working as nurses.
Supporting the First World War effort: money off memberships
After the war
Our war memorial was unveiled in 1922; reads more about the ceremony and the details of its construction.
Everyone wore regulation swimsuits at the Arlington Baths. For ladies before the First World War, these were heavy cotton tunics and bloomers but after the War there were demands for change…
Cotton or stockinette? Old and new swimming costumes at the Arlington Baths
Arlington Baths Club History Group 