An old leather briefcase, held in the New College archives (currently uncatalogued), grants insight into the lifelong friendships forged by the ‘Class of ’38’. Dubbing themselves the ‘Gangers’, this close network of peers maintained contact over letters that spanned continents, holding annual reunions at which they reminisced about their time in Edinburgh. With gangers located in America, Austria, New Zealand, and South Africa – as well as in Arbroath, Bonnington, Peebles, and the Isle of Lewis – this was no small feat.
The documents collated by James Alexander (known more commonly as Hamish) provide a fascinating glimpse into their time at New College and their reflections upon their theological education, as well as offering a rare and detailed snapshot of the relationships formed in the School that continued in later years.
Featuring photographs, correspondence, newsletters, dinner menus, poems, and songs, the collection paints a rich picture of the pivotal role New College played in the lives of this group, as well as the sentimentality with which they regarded their studies and teachers.
A hand-written note, dated July 1988, explains how the briefcase came to be in New College’s possession. Following Hamish’s death, his wife passed it on to the group. At their 50th anniversary reunion in May 1988, those present (including Professor Emeritus Norman Porteous, who had taught the gangers Old Testament) agreed that the documents should be offered to Edinburgh University for posterity. The note closes with the moving remark:
‘And if some student of social history reads these [illegible] let him remember we all firmly believe that Christ is the sure foundation – in 1988 and 2088′.