On Wednesday, 12th June 1889, Tullibody was on heightened alert as news reached the village of an invading force.
The heads of the village met and quickly formed a plan of action.
The cattle in the outlying parts of the district were herded closer to Tullibody in case of a raid, and people prepared as best they could.
Soon, pipes were heard, heralding the arrival of the military, and they formed a guard on Alloa Road, their eyes focused on the woods.
A place was chosen where they set up camp for the night with their bivouacs.
The frightened locals peered at them surreptitiously through their windows as they had never seen anything like it.
The soldiers were hungry after their long march, and uppermost in their minds was getting food.
It was expected they would soon be rummaging through houses and taking food from homes.
However, the party carried out manoeuvres for quite some time, then following a brisk fusillade by their weapons, all the men formed into marching lines and made their way into the heart of the village.
It appears the men were more interested in having a drink or two at the local pubs rather than pillaging, with them making their way to the two ale houses in Tullibody.
The sounds of merriment could be heard up and down the streets, and it soon became clear that the soldiers would be in no fit state to ransack homes, at least not that night.
Some of the braver youngsters took to the streets and made their way to the pubs where they peered through the windows and listened as the men sang jovially.
Some of the soldiers became aware of the children, and having just been paid, one or two of them threw some coins out the windows.
The children quickly gathered their share of the bounty and ran off.
Eventually, the soldiers departed the hostelries, still forming their lines as they marched back to their camp.
Some believed this was a ruse and that they would return while the inhabitants were sleeping.
However, the invasion of Tullibody never took place.
The soldiers gathered their belongings and set off along the road towards Alloa, singing songs as the pipes played.
One of the songs sung was ‘We are the boys of the old brigade,’ and they could be heard for quite some time.
The company disbanded in Alloa, the volunteers having carried out their drill, with the news reaching Tullibody a little later, leaving the village in peace once more.
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