Narendra Singh

Born: c. 1891, Gujranwala, now Pakistan - Died: 25 August 1967 (age 77), Glasgow.

Narendra Singh was born in Gujranwala, modern day Pakistan, the son of Sardar Kapur Singh, a building contractor, and Laxmee Singh.

Mr Singh enrolled at the University of Glasgow in 1910 at the age of 19. Narendra matriculated over a total of seven years at the University: four consecutive years from 1910-1913, 1915-16, 1918-19 and 1922-23 (source: University of Glasgow: International Story).

Narendra Singh played for the university chess club and Polytechnic (Glasgow) in Glasgow League matches 1920-1925. He also joined the Bohemian Chess Club in Glasgow, having been formally accepted as a member at a committee meeting of the club on 19 March 1920. Mr Singh was active in that club's activities through the 1950s. He played in Glasgow League matches, and was on the winning team in the 1929 Spens Cup final. He was also on the team in the Richardson Cup finals of 1927, 1930 and 1931.

The Bohemian CC won the Richardson Cup on only one occasion, 1949, and Mr Singh played on that occasion. By 1958, after a slow decline, the club was dissolved (some members transferred their allegiances to other clubs).

In the Scottish Chess Association Year-Book of season 1953-54, his address is shown as 574 Paisley Road West, [Ibrox] Glasgow S.W.1.

On 9 June 1958 he married Anna Brown of 1135 Govan Road, Glasgow. His address at that time was 15 Clifford Street, Ibrox, Glasgow. One of the witnesses at the wedding was A.A. Marshall of 6 Cheviot Drive, Newton Mearns. (Mr Marshall was also a longtime member of the Bohemian CC.)

At the time of his death, Mr Singh was still living at 15 Clifford Street, and his profession was recorded as Electrical Engineer.

Further information is wanted about Mr Singh.

Sources:
Bohemian CC Minute Book.
Extract of an entry from the register of Marriages in Scotland.
Extract of an entry in a Register of Deaths.
Glasgow Herald of 28 August 1967, page 14.

Notes:
For further reading about the Bohemian Chess Club see P.B. Anderson's Reminiscences.

Alan McGowan
Historian, Chess Scotland