Cunningham became a member of ‘Let it Blaw’ in 1914. He was the son of Henry Rankin . There is no record of Henry having any involvement with ‘Let it Blaw,’ although there must be a chance he attended at some point or other. Together with his brothers Harry , Robin, and William “Tiny” Rankin, Cunningham was probably introduced to ‘Let it Blaw’ by their uncle, William Rankin.
With the exception of AGMs attended by those older members not off to war, Club activities ceased in 1914. While Harry, Robin and William came back to ‘Let it Blaw’ after World War I, Cunningham’s attendance in 1914 appears to be the only occasion he was present at the annual Supper. It’s thought “Tiny” attended ‘Let it Blaw’ for the first time in the early 1920s.
Cunningham’s ‘active service’ during World War I is recorded in Club Minutes.
An example of how families found it difficult to keep in touch during the early Rankin era is how the two brothers Henry and William ended up with sons (cousins) with the same first name. Henry and William travelled to the Edinburgh area from Kilsyth about the same time. William settled in Balerno first, followed by Henry a couple of years later. In August 1887 William and his wife had a son they called “Cunningham” after William & Henry’s father. In Edinburgh during September 1888, Henry and his wife also had a son who they likewise called “Cunningham” after William & Henry’s father. In the days before emails and text messages such confusions must have been commonplace.
So, for a few years, once Henry & family moved from Edinburgh to Currie, the Balerno/Currie area had two “Cunningham Rankins” who were much about the same age. Records show that William & family left the Balerno area prior to 1911 so it seems reasonable to assume that ‘our’ Cunningham Rankin, who joined ‘Let it Blaw’ in 1914, was the son of Henry, and NOT William’s son.
At risk of confusing those who are not already bewildered, Henry and William had another brother called Alex who resided in the Kilsyth area for most of his life. In 1900 he too had a son who was called “Cunningham Rankin“. Three cousins all with the same name !
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