The Scottish Military Research Group

A request for help - Scots Guards pipers 1972

2012-02-07T21:13:00.005Z

We've had a request for help from @laesarsavage on Twitter.

Does anyone know where, or if, you can get any footage or pictures of the 1972 Trooping the Colour rehearsal with the 1st Battalion Scots Guards pipers?

If anyone can help please leave a comment or contact @laesarsavage directly on Twitter. Let us know too on @S_M_R_G

All that's shiny on a war memorial isn't bronze...

2012-02-06T17:29:00.005Z

A recent report in the Linlithgow Gazette has highlighted another shocking case of metal theft. Or has it?

The newspaper photograph shows that something is clearly missing at the top of the Blackness War Memorial. A closer inspection of the Blackness thread on the Scottish War Memorial Project shows that in 2008 what was there was a slab of dark grey granite and not a bronze plaque.

More information on the SWMP tells us that what was there before the slab. 'The Scotsman' of Wednesday 27th December 1922 reported on the memorial's unveiling:

BLACKNESS.—The memorial to the men of Blackness district takes the form of a clock tower, built of Rubislaw granite...The cost of the memorial was £200, which was raised by voluntary effort.

So no bronze plaque then. The fact that no-one knew that the hole at the top of the memorial used to be a clock suggest that it was replaced quite some time ago. What a shame that Blackness couldn't maintain an integral part of its memorial. The reasons for the clock's removal may now be lost in the mists of time but hopefully when the unsightly gap is filled on the Blackness memorial they can find something more suitable than a plain grey slab? Perhaps this is a perfect opportunity for something decorative to be added? Perhaps that is already happening and no-one told the local councillor?

Blackness has lost its clock but there is another Scottish village which still has a war memorial clock tower and is in very serious danger of losing it. The Parish of Clyne War Memorial in Brora, Sutherland has chimed for nearly ninety years but age has taken its toll. The clock mechanism and the tower it sits in, are both in urgent need of renovation. The local authority does not have the funds to repair it so locals are looking into setting up a Friends of Clyne War Memorial group to help find the funds to save their memorial. You can visit their Facebook page here to lend your support.

Perhaps this recent case at Blackness highlights the need for a proper database on Scottish war memorials which could easily have shown that no bronze was stolen. There is the Scottish War Memorials Project but it is an unfunded and voluntarily run database. Should that data be taken on by a national body? (And by national I mean Scotland not UK). The UK National Inventory of War Memorials listing of Blackness does not mention any metal and there are no photographs so it really wouldn't have been much use here. Do we need a SIWM based on SWMP data with locations and photographs there for the taking...

As always we'd welcome your comments on anything discussed above.

Falklands War - 30 Years On

2012-02-05T11:44:00.000Z

Wit the 30th Anniversary of the Falklands War approaching, I expect a number of television programmes and books devoted to the subject.

The first of these comes from the History Press:

Ordinary Heroes: Untold Stories from the Falklands Campaign

Previously unpublished accounts of the Falklands War from the men at the sharp end

In 1982, 8,000 miles from home, in a harsh environment and without the newest and most sophisticated equipment, the numerically inferior British Task Force defeated the Argentinian forces occupying the Falkland Islands and recaptured this far-flung outpost of what was once an empire. It was a much-needed triumph for Margaret Thatcher’s government and for Britain.

Many titles have been published on the Falklands War, some offering accounts from participants in it. But this is the first one only to include interviews with the ordinary seamen, marines, soldiers and airmen who achieved that victory, as well as those whose contribution is often overlooked – the merchant seaman who crewed ships taken up from trade, the NAAFI personnel who supplied the all-important treats that kept spirits up, the Hong Kong Chinese laundrymen who were aboard every warship.

Published to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the conflict, this is the story of what ‘Britain’s last colonial war’ was really like.

Interviewees drawn exclusively from lowest ranks of services
None previously interviewed for publication
Includes those normally overlooked, e.g. Merchant Navy (STUFT), NAAFI

This looks like an interesting publication. Unlike many accounts of war written by veterans, this one is still fairly fresh in the memory, so the accounts will hopefully be fairly accurate. The Falklands War is one I can remember, but I was quite young at the time, and I am interested in learning more. I've read a few books on the conflict in the past, and I think this one might be added to the list.

Our Armed Forces post-2014

2012-02-03T18:36:00.000Z

It's still two years until we get to vote on our country's future and what that will mean to the armed forces. It is seldom out of the news and just yesterday it cropped up again in First Minister's Questions.

The 'Telegraph' is like a dog with a bone and has been lining up old colonels to take a pot-shot at Alex Salmond over the SNP's post-independence plans. Their comments are then being picked up by opposition parties to fuel this seemingly never-ending saga. Do we really have another two years of this? I hope not because I'm already heartily sick of it but without taking sides I'd like to discuss some things which have occurred to me about the armed forces debate. These are just my thoughts so I would welcome any challenges to my opinion. Although a lot of the jaw-jaw is about the army I'll start with the senior service.

The Royal Navy is a blue water navy, one which can react to incidents anywhere in the world. Would Scotland need that capability? No, we would have a green-water navy; similar to one we had in 1707 (one frigate and two sloops) which would only need small ships capable of protecting our oil-rigs, fishing fleets and support the police and coastguard. Would we need marines -unlikely. Would we need submarines, again unlikely. Would we need aircraft carriers - no of course not. So what would happen to Faslane and Rosyth? What about building the frigates and destroyers for the future Royal Navy; could the Clyde bid for them? Unlikely that a British MoD would award contacts for them to Scotland when there are English shipyards who can build them. There are about 30,000 people employed in Scotland working for the MoD and defence-related companies. How many of them would be needed post-independence?

What about an air force? The SNP plans are for one air base so which one is retained and what would be based there? Kinloss is being converted to hold a UK infantry battalion coming back from Germany but with four infantry battalion barracks in Scotland already (Redford, Dreghorn, Glencorse and Fort George) would Lossiemouth need to be retained. In fact if we have only three battalions of infantry (the brigade proposed by the SNP) would one of existing barracks close too? The answer would probably be no, because our artillery, signals, engineers and logistics troops would need a home too. But would all of those units actually need to be full-time soldiers? Assuming the SNP get their way and Scotland gets the Royal Regiment of Scotland and Scots Guards would we need those six battalions of infantry. Why would we need six full-time battalions of infantry, why couldn't a territorial force do the same job with just a few regulars?

If Scotland didn't get the Royal Regiment of Scotland and Scots Guards could they use old regimental names. Would the Cameronians return? The Scottish Rifles came into existence in 1881 but the old Cameronians were raised before 1707 and disbanded in 1968 (although a TA unit lasted until 1997). Would the MOD object to the use of the name? How about the Gordons and Seaforths and HLI? The 2nd and 4th battalions of the Royal Regiment of Scotland still carry on their traditions if not their names, so could they be re-used. How about Jacobite regimental names instead. The Atholl Brigade or Bagot's Hussars? Since we won't be a republic or have a Stuart monarch then probably not.

Maybe the answer is a three battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland without any affiliations to former units. No battle honours or hackles to tie them to their past. The unit would be kilted of course because we've covered that in a previous article. In fact would all units become highlanders: The Highland Engineers or the Highland Logistic Corps? Probably not, but maybe a tam o'shanter would replace a beret in the corps. Given some folk like to trumpet the famous Auld Alliance would we ditch or embrace the French headgear if we separate from the Auld Enemy?

Unlike the politicians and the media I am now tiring of this subject and I've barely scratched the surface. I've still not mentioned the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (or dare I say it the Scots Greys). I've not gone into detail about the numbers of ships or planes we'd have. What about a Scottish SAS, we'd need that I'm sure, and for heaven's sake what about the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo!

There are the bombing ranges at Garvie, Tain and Benbecula used by the Royal Navy, RAF and NATO. Would we share them or close them, or use them ourselves? Would that be a good thing or bad thing for Scotland as a whole and what would be the impact to the locals who may benefit from their presence or be delighted to see the back of them? Just starting a list like this has given me lots to think about. Maybe you too. Don't worry though, the papers and internet will be full of it for the next thirty months - Lucky us!

Castle Commando

2012-02-01T14:35:00.000Z

BBC Scotland aired an excellent documentary last night about Lochaber's place in training Britain's Commandos during the Second World War. Here is the blurb from the BBC website:

Narrated by Rory Bremner, the film looks back on the larger-than-life characters that helped shape Winston Churchill's legendary raiding troops trained at Achnacarry in 1942-45.

You can watch it on BBC's i-player:

Castle Commando

World War I memories revived with moving Far, Far from Ypres at Celtic Connections

2012-01-23T23:57:00.000Z

A review from the STV website about a concert held at the weekend.

I have the original CD and it makes for fascinating, and at times, very moving, listening. I would recommend you seek out a copy.

Far, Far from Ypres is one of these collaborations that could only take place at Celtic Connections, though when the singers walked on stage uniformly dressed in black it was hard not to imagine them as a classically trained and rehearsed choir. Participants had queued up to offer their services, including Scottish folk legends such as Barbara Dickson and Dick Gaughan, whose Why Old Men Cry was one of many highlights. The show was put together by Ian McCalman, who along with Stephen Quigg, Ian Bruce, and narrator Ian Anderson, kept the show moving through the years of WWI as seen through the experiences of soldier Jimmy MacDonald and his fellow Scottish soldiers in the trenches.

Anderson’s reading of letters, diaries and the beautiful poem In Flanders’ Fields by Major John McCrae gave continuity and perspective on the history, experiences and music of the trenches, which included old favorites Pack up your Troubles in your Old Kitbag, Goodbyee, and It’s a long way to Tipperaray, and hymn parodies When this Bloody War is over and Whiter than the Whitewash on the Wall. Then there were the music hall favorites If you were the only Girl in the World and Roses of Peccary, and more recent songs such as Eric Bogle’s No Man’s Land and Judy Small’s Mothers, Daughters, Wives.

I was particularly impressed by the singing, which combined powerful solos, robust melody and beautiful harmony and told stories of excitement and hope, suffering and endurance, humour and escapism, fear and disillusionment in the words of those involved in the horrors of the Western Front. Scotland suffered 140,000 losses, not a large number in comparison with other countries, but a bigger proportion than any other nation, including seven Heart of Midlothian footballers, and an even more disproportionate number of Highlanders, whose contribution was beautifully recalled in the beautiful Gaelic song An Eala Bhan (The White Swan) by Sineag MacIntyre.

There were a few rough edges - understandable in a show with hardly any rehearsal - but the singing was powerful, the sound quality was excellent and the words were crystal clear. On top of (or rather behind) all this, was the projection of images of the war by Pete Heywood, who managed to link appropriate pictures to the songs, while never taking away from the centrality of the music and words. Sadly there were no cameras to capture this unique event, but the music was recorded, and a fuller version from 2007, remains available on CD from Greentrax.

Far, far from Ypres was a fitting memorial to the Scottish contribution in the First World War, and without being overtly political, it powerfully reminds us of the horrors of war and the individuals and communities touched by it. It ended with the personal story of Harry Lauder, whose own son’s death inspired his signature song, Keep Right on to the End of the Road.

Thank you Celtic Connections for taking this project on board - the sell-out audience showed their appreciation with a standing ovation, and I’m sure there are other themes that could lend themselves to similar treatment!

Carnoustie to pay new tribute to Victoria Cross heroes

2012-01-19T09:00:00.000Z

A happier article from the Courier after news of vandalism yesterday.

Two historic Angus recipients of the Victoria Cross will receive an additional honour, now that space for commemorative plaques has been found.

Following various delays and discussions about the placing of the plaques in Carnoustie, its Royal British Legion Scotland branch has identified suitable spaces on the town's war memorial.

Alterations to the plaques are required as the originals were specific to the streets named after Charles Alfred Jarvis (Jarvis Place) and George McKenzie Samson (Samson Place), and it is anticipated they will be ready for rededication in the summer.

Lance Corporal Jarvis, of the 57th Field Company Royal Engineers, was the first man to be awarded the Victoria Cross in the First World War. Born in Fraserburgh, he spent his formative years in Carnoustie, attending the school before joining the army in 1899, and the town has always claimed him as its own.

Jarvis was awarded the Victoria Cross for his gallantry in blowing up the bridge at Jemappes, in order to cover the retreat of the army from Mons three weeks after the outbreak of war. He died in Dundee in 1948.

Petty Officer Samson served in the Royal Naval Reserve on HMS River Clyde during the 1915 landing at Gallipoli. As the landing force struggled to establish a bridgehead, he spent the day tending to the large numbers of wounded and helping with the lines.

His service was cut short after he was wounded by machine gun fire. Surgeons were only able to remove four of the suspected 19 bullets but he made a full recovery.

Carnoustie SNP councillor Helen Oswald welcomed the news, saying: ''I am delighted that a final decision has been made about the location of these plaques.

''Additionally, I have had it confirmed that additional street signage will be erected in Jarvis Place and Samson Place, identifying that these streets were named in honour of these two very brave Carnoustie men.''

Last veteran of Special Air Service Regiment 'originals' passes away at the age of 92

2012-01-18T21:00:00.000Z

We missed the passing of this veteran a few days ago, so here's the article from the Sunday Mail.

The last veteran of the original SAS unit who parachuted deep behind enemy lines to battle Hitler has died at the age of 92.

Jimmy Storie was one of just 65 men recruited by Scottish war hero David Stirling for his crack Special Air Service regiment during the deadly desert campaign in North Africa.

Jimmy died at his home in Aberdeenshire last Sunday.

His funeral will be held in Aberdeen on Thursday, where a collection will be taken for the SAS Hereford Military Charity.

A family tribute said: “Forever in our hearts, a brave soldier and a wonderful family man.”

A spokesman for the SAS Regimental Association said: “It is a very sad day for the whole SAS regiment.

“We are deeply saddened that Mr Storie has passed away.

“He was the last surviving member of L Detachment, which was formed by Sir David Stirling in 1941.

“I had the pleasure of meeting Mr Storie several times at functions and he was a very warm, friendly and unassuming man.

“He never boasted of his exploits, was very modest and a great family man. We have lost a piece of history and a link with the regiment’s past.”

Jimmy – a sergeant during World War II – was a central part of the SAS’s first mission on November 17, 1941, when he parachuted behind German lines in North Africa before meeting up with a crack Army raiding unit, the Long Range Desert Group.

Stirling led Jimmy and 64 othermen as they parachuted into a fierce storm. Their equipment, weapons and explosives were lost before a massive rainstorm swept the desert. Only 22 men survived.

Jimmy also saw active service in Sicily, behind the lines in France before D-Day and in the final push through Germany.

His exploits featured in a £975 book detailing the history of the SAS throughout World War II.

The 600-page tome was authorised to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Who Dares Wins regiment.

The book features rare photos, top secret orders and reports of missions, including a daring raid to capture one of Hitler’s top generals – Erwin Rommel, the Desert Fox.

Councillor condemns vandals for Invergowrie war memorial damage

2012-01-18T19:21:00.001Z

An article from the Courier which caught our attention, highlighting something which is happening too often these days.

Carse councillor Peter Mulheron has condemned young vandals in Invergowrie after a war memorial to the village's fallen heroes was desecrated.

Stone blocks bearing the names of the war dead have been damaged, with two blocks pulled out entirely and left lying on the ground at the gates of Invergowrie Memorial Park.

Vandals have also tried to remove another block higher up and it has been left hanging from the wall in a dangerous condition.

The memorial in the park has long been targeted by vandals and was replaced by a more secure memorial at Invergowrie Parish Church in 2000.

However, the wall with the names of the armed forces personnel is still a sacred monument to the families involved, Mr Mulheron said.

He added that the latest vandalism comes just a few months after a bench in the park — which was installed as a memorial to Alastair Soutar, a Customs and Excise officer who died while trying to foil a multi-million-pound drug-smuggling operation — was daubed with paint and a plaque dedicated to the 47-year-old was stolen.

Mr Soutar was killed after being crushed between two boats during an operation off the Caithness coast in 1996.

''I don't know if it's drugs or what that's causing this but it's just terrible,'' Mr Mulheron said. ''These kids have no idea what upset they cause. The memorial gates were built for the people of Invergowrie who died in the wars.

''I've got to look at the previous incident with Mr Soutar's bench. It's just becoming par for the course here. People say the kids have nothing to do but when I was young we played football with a tennis ball or something. We didn't go around vandalising things. Kids these days have everything, but it's never enough.

''The names of all these people who gave their lives for Invergowrie, Scotland and Britain, whatever, have been damaged.

''These kids just don't understand the significance of it all — if it wasn't for these people giving their lives, they might not be around today. I'm very angry about this and I'll be taking the matter up with the police to see what can be done.''

A spokesman for Perth and Kinross Council said: ''We were concerned to hear about this incident of vandalism. We will investigate what damage has been caused and decide on a course of action. We would urge anyone who saw anything suspicious in the park to contact Tayside Police.''

Remember the humble beasts

2012-01-13T19:55:00.000Z

'War Horse’ is released today. Hollywood has taken a children’s book (via a West-End and Broadway play) and turned it into a big budget movie. If you go to see it then expect lavish shots, large-scale battle scenes and to be squeezed through an emotional wringer.

It’s a no-brainer what the film is about; it highlights the use of horses in the First World War. Millions of horses were used by all countries fighting in the war and for Britain which was campaigning across Europe, Africa and the Middle East there were more than just horses used. Mules, camels, elephants, dogs and carrier pigeons were just some of the animals used and abused by our armed forces during the war.

When it came to creating the Scottish National War Memorial in the 1920s the designers wanted to capture in stone, bronze, wood and glass all aspects of the war. They remembered the Scottish regiments; the corps; the sailors and airmen; the nurses and civilians. In short, all the men and women who's lives were lost due to the War. They also remembered the animals.

Edinburgh artist Phyllis Bone was chosen to sculpt the heads of the beasts of burden who served and died alongside the soldiers on all fronts during the war. If you visit the Scottish National War Memorial in Edinburgh Castle cast your eyes up the pillars of the Hall of Honour and you will see Bone’s work. She carved animal heads for the pillars and one carving at your feet which is easy to miss - the mice and canaries who were ‘The Tunnellers' Friends’.

Thanks to photographs from 1920's guidebooks you can see them all on the Scottish War Memorials Project without having to visit the SNWM (which you should still do though).

In the shrine to Scotland’s servicemen and women which is overflowing with grand memorials the simple memorials to “the humble beasts that served and died” are some of the most powerful. You don’t need to go to the cinema to see 'War Horse' to get a lump in your throat.

Additional names for the Glasgow Roll of Honour?

2012-01-12T08:00:00.000Z

Another item about our Glasgow Roll...

Since the publication of the Roll of Honour for Glasgow, we've been contacted on several occasions by people noting that their relative is not included.

We weren't too surprised at this, as the Roll was published nearly ninety years ago, and at the time there were bound to be omissions. We took the decision to reprint the Roll "as is", with no additional names added - even if we were 100% sure they warranted inclusion.

However, we didn't want the names of these "missing" Glasgow men to be forgotten, so we have taken the decision to collate any names which it is believed should be on the Roll.

We won't be adding these to the original publication, but will instead list them on our website in an additional supplement to the original Roll of Honour.

The information will be the same as the 1920s publication, and will hopefully include Name, Rank, Unit and Address.

If you have a relative who isn't currently on the Glasgow Roll of Honour, and you would like us to include him, please send the details you have to the new email address for this supplement:

glasgow-roll-of-honour@live.co.uk

Once we have compiled some of the names we will publish it on our website, and then subsequently update it on a regular basis.

Glasgow Roll of Honour - discount voucher

2012-01-11T20:49:00.001Z

One of our most popular projects last year was the publication of the Roll of Honour for the City of Glasgow.

The Roll is of course available to download free, but a printed book version is also available. For those who would like to print a book, we can offer a voucher code which will give you a massive 25% off the purchase price.

Simply visit http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/scottishmilitary and when you go the the checkout enter the code:

LULUBOOKUK305

But hurry! This code is only valid until the 31st January.

The inevitable small print:

Disclaimer: Use coupon code LULUBOOKUK305 at checkout and receive 25% off your order. The maximum savings with this promotion is £50. You can only use the code once per account, and you can't use this coupon in combination with other coupon codes. This great offer ends on 31 January 2012 at 11:59 PM PST. While very unlikely Lulu.com reserves the right to change or revoke this offer at anytime, and of course we cannot offer this coupon where it is against the law to do so. This coupon will work for multiple titles but savings cannot go past the maximum of £50.

Hackle

2012-01-10T00:35:00.000Z

Those of you who have visited the Black Watch Museum in recent years would have noticed a Golden Labrador named Hackle. Hackles owner Jim worked at the museum and Hackle loved to see all the visitors.

Sadly Hackle passed away on the 8th January, and he will be much missed. I met him only once, in the Summer, and it was lovely meeting such a friendly dog. My daughter is not particularly comfortable around dogs, but she was happy to clap Hackle and was as delighted to meet him as I was.

The museum won't be the same without him welcoming you...

Historical Association - rescheduled talk

2012-01-08T14:09:00.002Z

After last December's gale caused the event to be cancelled, the Historical Association have arranged to re-schedule David Craig's talk on "The Forgotten Convoy JW53"

The talk will take place at the Mitchell Library, Glasgow on Thursday 19th January 2012 at 5.30 pm

Rubbish Christmas Presents #1 - The Inaccurate DVD Boxed Set

2011-12-26T17:37:00.000Z

Today we present the first (and probably only) entry in a series of Christmas presents you might have received but possibly didn't want (for whatever reason). (We didn't get this, or buy it, but we did spot it and choked at the thought of spending eight quid on it!)

We're sure the budget for this DVD boxed set was tight, but even with the possibility of there being not much money to spend on the design, you'd think that a DVD about the famous aircraft carrier Ark Royal might actually feature an aircraft carrier?

Not pictured: any aircraft at all.

Well, readers? Can you beat this? Did you get anything more rubbish than this? Let us know!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T17:07:00.003Z

December has proved to be a quiet month on the blog, as family and work commitments have rather caught up with us.

We're going to take a short break until the New Year - we'll try and bring you some updates in the meantime, but we'll be working "part time" on the blog until then.

In the meantime, we'd like to wish all our readers and members of the Scottish Military Research Group a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

As a final Christmas gift to you, we present our final "object of the week" for December.

This card was sent home by A B Armstrong, to an M Armstrong of Glasgow. It's probably not a Christmas card, more of a Happy New Year card, but we thought it was of interest and fitting for the season.

If anyone has more information on A B Armstrong, who served with the Scottish Rifles as part of 52nd Lowland Division, we'd love to hear from you.

(Please click on the images for a closer look)

2011-12-15T12:30:00.000Z

The Scotland on Sunday has reported on the Glasgow University's Centre for Battlefield Archaeology's proposed field trip to the Falkland Islands next year.

Reaction has been mixed amongst veterans but most objections seem to focus on the fact that TV crews will be there and that the archaeologists will be looking to uncover hidden secrets to make for exciting programmes rather than being there for serious study.

As I read it there is no hidden agenda, no looking for dirty secrets, but something a lot more simple. The Falklands are one of the few places on the planet where a fairly large-scale conventional conflict took place and in fairly recent history. It was fought over ground where there hadn't been a war before, and hasn't been one since. Dr Tony Pollard has made the Battlefield Archaeology Centre’s case in the Scotland-on-Sunday article mentioned above which I'll quote here:

“I believe the Falklands have the potential to be an important laboratory for the practice of battlefield archaeology.

“It was fought in the late 20th century, but with mid 20th century technology and will possibly be the last conventional war that the British army will ever fight.

“If done properly, a project there could tell us a whole lot about how the archaeological record compares with the many accounts we have.

“Because of its isolated location the remains on the Falkland Islands are incredibly well preserved. That, in conjunction with the fact that the combatants, in many cases, are still with us gives an ideal opportunity to complete a project looking at the archaeology, the history and the anthropology.”

Other objections point to it only being thirty years since the war. However, people are happy to excavate Second World War battlefields and air-crash sites and that is only seventy years ago. Many of the reasons for not excavating the Falklands are valid for WW2 too but where are the objections in those cases? Just when does it become acceptable? Is 1968 Vietnam too soon or how about 1950's Malaya or Korea?

Personally I don't see there being a problem. If the excavations can help with our understanding of the Falklands Conflict, where many Scots served and several died; and also help improve future fieldwork undertaken by the Centre for Battlefield Archaeology on other less contentious battlefields, then it should surely be seen as a good thing.

(Text by Adam Brown)

Scotland on the Front Line

2011-12-14T23:35:00.004Z

We've received advance notice of an upcoming publication from the History Press which we think will be of interest to readers of this blog. We'll hopefully have a review of the book in the New Year, in the meantime here's the information we have so far.

Scotland on the Front Line by Chris Brown

To be released February 2012 at £14.99

Paperback original, ISBN: 9780752464787

The only title to trace Scotland’s contribution to the Second World War through unpublished photographs

Ever since the war ended, and increasingly over the past forty years or so, there has been something of a tendency to see the 1939–45 war as the triumph of the men of the English army, or at least in those places where there is no clear distinction between the terms ‘British’ and ‘English’.

Traditionally Scotland has made a contribution to Britain’s wars well out of proportion to her population and her military achievements are recognised throughout the world.

‘Scotland at War’ provides an outline of Scotland’s war effort drawing on extensive photographic evidence from commercial, state and personal collections, looking beyond the experience of individual regiments to provide a wider picture of the experience of the Scottish soldier, sailor and airman in the struggles against Germany, Japan and Italy.

· Previously unpublished photographs pay tribute to Scottish servicemen and women

· Over 50,000 Scots servicemen lost their lives during the Second World War

· A unique record that should be of interest to any military historian inside or outside of Scotland

Chris Brown is a noted Scottish military historian. He has designed and taught numerous War Studies and War Theory courses, including at Edinburgh University. He is author of many books including: Bannockburn 1314, Robert the Bruce: A Life Chronicled and Scottish Battlefields.

Object of the Week - 14th December 2011

2011-12-14T23:25:00.002Z

We're a little late with this week's object. Please accept our apologies!

Today's item, like last weeks, comes from one of Scotland military museums, in this case the museum of the Royal Highland Fusiliers in Glasgow. We've blogged about this museum before, and it's well worth a visit. This is just one of the many fascinating articles which can be found there.

This is a small statuette of a soldier in desert uniform from the Second World War, and was made to commemorate the merging of the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the Highland Light Infantry.

The inscription is well worth reproducing here:

1787-1948

On 15th May 1948, the 2nd Battalion The Highland Light Infantry (Old 74th Highlanders) was, by His Majesty's Command, amalgamated with the 1st Battalion The Highland Light Infantry (Old 71st Highlanders) as the 1st Battalion The Highland Light Infantry (71st and 74th).

This statuette, made from certain silver articles the property of the Officer's Mess of the 2nd Battalion The Highland Light Infantry, is dedicated to the undying memory of that Unit, and in recognition of its unflinching courage and indomitable spirit and devotion to duty, displayed on so many fields of battle and elsewhere throughout its long and glorious history.

It represents a soldier in desert kit in the war of 1939 to 1945 during which the Battalion by its gallant deeds maintained the best traditions of the past.

"At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them."

(Please click on the image to see this wonderful statuette in greater detail)

Object of the Week - 5th December 2011

2011-12-05T23:20:00.001Z

Every week this month until Christmas we will showcase an interesting or unusual item from either our own collections, or on display in one of Scotlands museums.

We have previously had an "object of the month" but we haven't had one for a while, so in the run up to Christmas we'll have a few.

Today's item can be found on display in the Black Watch museum at Balhousie Castle in Perth. I'm afraid the picture is not particularly great, but that should hopefully encourage you to visit the museum to get a better look!

The item we have for you today is the back door key to Spandau Prison, which held many Nazi prisoners, including Rudolf Hess. The occupying powers in Berlin took turns guarding the prisoners. Presumably at some point this included the Black Watch, and one of them perhaps accidentally walked out with this key in his pocket!

Scottish National Portrait Gallery Re-opening

2011-11-29T23:48:00.001Z

It's been a long time coming, but after the successful refurbishment of the National Museum on Chambers Street earlier this year we can now look forward to another grand old Edinburgh museum, The Scottish National Portrait Gallery on Queen Street, re-opening this week.

I had a look at their website to see what's happening and what is new. Hopefully old favourites like Ralph Abercromby, David Baird and Walter Rankin will be back on show, and a couple of exhibitions caught my eye:

War at Sea

1st December 2011 − 31st October 2012

Featuring rarely-seen paintings from the Imperial War Museum, this exhibition is devoted to the art of Sir John Lavery and shows the conflict of the First World War through the eyes of a war artist.

Explore the story of how the two greatest navies in the world fought an epic battle on the North Sea. Experience Scapa Flow in the depth of winter and see the great battleships on the Firth of Forth, and the airfields, shipyards and munitions factories geared up for war.

The Scottish National Portrait Gallery would like to thank the Imperial War Museum for the loan of most of the paintings in War at Sea and acknowledges gratefully the assistance of Professor David Stafford, University of Edinburgh, who first proposed the exhibition, and Angela Weight, former Keeper of Art at the Imperial War Museum, who curated it.

Imagining Power: The Visual Culture of the Jacobite Cause

1st December 2011 − 31st December 2015

This dramatic exhibition considers the Jacobites - those loyal to the deposed Stuart dynasty at home and abroad. The Scottish National Portrait Gallery has the most extensive and significant collection of Jacobite visual material in the world.

The term ‘Jacobite’ derives from ‘Jacobus’, the Latin form of James, and describes those who supported James VII and II, the exiled Catholic monarch of Scotland, England and Ireland, and his heirs. Jacobitism was launched as a political and ideological cause by the birth of a son to King James in 1688 and the subsequent coup d’état led by his Protestant son-in-law, William of Orange. For nearly 100 years Jacobitism was a major factor in European affairs and it was responsible for the last battles on British soil.

This fascinating display focuses on the way Jacobites presented themselves in portraiture.

Images of the Day - 25th November 2011

2011-11-25T15:47:00.001Z

Today's images of the day are more snaps from my the collection belonging to my wife's grandfather.

Today's two images are unlike the others in the album - the rest are the size of postcards whereas these are much smaller. The other difference is in the location. While the others were probably taken in either Britain or on the continent, these pictures seems to be in a warmer climate. The complexion on the children, plus the tropical sun helmets all point to this.

I know that in amongst the papers we have, there were a few letters from (I believe) a cousin of the family, who I think was serving with the King's Own Scottish Borderers in (I think) Egypt. I may not have this entirely accurate - I will need to check the letters. I do remember that one of them spoke of "bagging a Turk" for the family!

Click on the images for a closer look, and any information you can add, please email us at scottishmilitaryresearch@live.co.uk

Credit where credit is due

2011-11-23T00:56:00.001Z

For nearly five years now the volunteers of the Scottish War Memorials Project have been going out in their spare time photographing andrecording memorials all over the country. No-one asks for money for recordingthem and no-one has to pay to view them. It all works very well.

Sometimes though someone takes a liberty. When you see yourphotographs, in fact when you see a lot of your photographs on another website anduncredited it makes your blood boil.

I’m not going to give publicity to the plagiarist who tookdozens of images off our forum, mostly the hard work of one man, but what I can’tunderstand is why the owner of the new website thought it was OK to pass allthe photographs off as his own work?

The owner of the site has been contacted and has updated onepage. Hopefully he’ll make more of an effort soon and give proper credit whereit is due and stop passing it all off as his own work.

Then he may get a plug on this Blog!

Hawick's Hornshole memorial struck by vandals

2011-11-22T20:24:00.001Z

From today's BBC Scotland website

Hawick's Hornshole memorial struck by vandals

The statue is in the heart of the town and is central to its common riding celebrations each year

Police have appealed for public help after a famous monument in the heart of Hawick was damaged by vandals.

The Hornshole memorial, which features a horse and rider, had part of its flag snapped off some time between 17:00 on Friday and 09:00 on Monday.

Lothian and Borders Police said the incident would be "difficult to comprehend" for local people.

Anyone who was in the area and saw anything suspicious has been asked to contact police.

A spokesperson said: "This monument is a major landmark and asset to the people of Hawick.

"It plays a significant and pivotal part in a number of its customs and traditions and to have it vandalised by mindless people will be difficult to comprehend for many local people.

"There will be people within the town who will know who has caused this damage and we would urge them to come forward and assist police with their enquiries."

The Battle of Hornshole, which is commemorated by the statue on Hawick's High Street, holds great historic importance for the town.

Its events are a central part of the common riding celebrations which take place every year.

In 1514 - a year after the Scottish army suffered a heavy defeat at Flodden - a party of English soldiers was camped at Hornshole, two miles from Hawick.

Youths of the town set out to meet them and defeated them, capturing their flag.

On this day in Scottish Military History - 16th Bn HLI hold Frankfurt Trench - 1916

2011-11-21T06:30:00.000Z

"The Somme" by Lyn MacDonald is probably my favourite book about the First World War. I have a well thumbed copy on my bookshelves and tonight I will bring it down again and read the epilogue.

1st July 1916 overshadows every other phase of the Battle of the Somme, but the battle was not fought on one day; it officially ended with the end of Battle of the Ancre just over ninety five years ago. Amongst the Scottish troops in action during the last battle were the 51st (Highland) Division. They captured Beaumont Hamel (and a place in history) on 13th-14th November. Their bravery that day is commemorated by the magnificent bronze highlander which was unveiled by Marchal Foch in 1924.

They weren't the only Scots in action in the last phase of the Battle. The 16th Battalion, Highland Light Infantry attacked the German trenches east of Beaumont Hamel on the what was officially the last day of the Battle - 18th November 1916. The battalion reached its objectives of Munich and Frankfurt trenches but were beaten back by the Germans.

Three days later, on this day ninety-five years ago, it was realised that not all the Highland Light Infantry had retreated. Some of 'D' Company, 16th HLI still held Frankfurt Trench. They were surrounded, and lesser men would have surrendered, but the Glasgow Boys' Brigade battalion men were made of sterner stuff and held on, hoping to be relieved.

This takes me back to Lyn MacDonald's book. The story of the fight of the men of 16th (Service) Battalion (2nd Glasgow), Highland Light Infantry in November 1916 is the subject of the epilogue of her book. I'm not going to go into more detail here. Nothing I could write could come close to Lyn MacDonald's moving description to the events which closed the 1916 fighting on the Somme. Instead I'd encourage you to find a copy in a shop or a library and read it.

In the mean time have a look at the Glasgow Roll of Honour which we have just published. Many of the men listed are just like the ones MacDonald describes in her book. "The shipping clerks, errand-boys, stevedores, railway porters, grocers' assistants, postmen"; the men of Glasgow who answered the call in 1914.

Grierson's take on the Cardwell Army Reforms

2011-11-20T10:35:00.000Z

Earlier this year we posted an article about the Childers Army Reforms of 1881. In it we mentioned the 1873 Cardwell Reforms.

Whilst pouring over a copy of the magnificent "Records of the Scottish Volunteer Force" By General James Grierson I noticed he had covered the subject too. It was the first time the Volunteers and regulars were linked together, so he had included it in his magnum opus. The Localisation of Depots was an important step in the reform of the British Army but is often overshadowed by the Childers Reforms eight years later.

Poor General Grierson died on his way to the front in August 1914, but his work on the Scottish Volunteers from 1859-1908 is still the definitive work on the subject over one hundred years after it was published. He sums it all up beautifully so I will use his words on the reforms:

1873 Reforms

In the year 1873 a most important step was taken in the organisation of thevolunteer force, which was the beginning of their closer associationTerritorial organisation with the regular forces and the militia.

By General Regulations and Instructions of July 24, 1873, there were broughtinto force the recommendations of the Localisation Committee of 1872. TheUnited Kingdom was divided into seventy infantry sub-districts, each consistingof a certain area, to each of which were assigned for recruiting purposes, as anormal rule, two line battalions, two militia battalions, and the volunteers ofthe area. Of the line battalions, one was nominally to be stationed abroad, theother (which fed the foreign battalion in peace) at home, and two companies ofeach were to be permanently quartered at sub-district headquarters to form thebrigade depot. The depot, the militia and volunteer battalions, and the armyreserve men were constituted the "sub-district brigade," and wereplaced under the orders of the lieutenant-colonel commanding the sub-districtbrigade depot, who was charged with the training and inspection of all the infantry of the auxiliary forces.

In the North British District (as the Scottish Command was then termed) theinfantry sub-districts were as follows :—

No. 55.— Counties of Orkney and Shetland, Sutherland, Caithness, Ross andCromarty, Inverness, Nairn, and Elgin.
Depot at Fort George.
Regular Battalions—71st and 78th Foot.
Militia - Highland Light Infantry and Highland Rifles.
Volunteers—1st Administrative Battalion. Ross-shire, 1st Administrative Battalion. Inverness-shire, 1st Administrative Battalion. Sutherland, and 1st Administrative Battalion. Elginshire.

No. 56.—Counties of Aberdeen, Banff, and Kincardine.
Depot at Aberdeen.
Regular Battalions—92nd and 93rd Foot.
Militia - Royal Aberdeen (2nd battalion not yet formed).
Volunteers—1st Aberdeen Rifle Volunteers, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Administrative Battalions. Aberdeenshire, 1st Administrative Battalion. Kincardineshire, and 1st Administrative Battalion. Banffshire.

No. 57.— Counties of Forfar, Perth and Fife.
Depot at Perth.
Regular Battalions—42nd and 79th Foot.
Militia - Royal Perth (2nd battalion not yet formed).
Volunteers—1st Forfar Rifle Volunteers, 1st Administrative Battalion. Forfarshire, 10th Forfar
Rifle Volunteers, 1st and 2nd Administrative Battalions. Perthshire, and 1st Administrative Battalion. Fife.

No. 58.—Counties of Renfrew, Bute, Stirling, Dumbarton, Argyll, Kinross, andClackmannan.
Depot at Stirling.
Regular Battalions—72nd and 91st Foot.
Militia - Highland Borderers L.I., and Royal Renfrew.
Volunteers—1st, 2nd, and 3rd Administrative Battalions. Renfrewshire, 1st Administrative Battalion. Stirlingshire, 1st Administrative Battalion. Argyllshire, 1st Administrative Battalion. Dumbartonshire, and 1st Administrative Battalion.. Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire.

No. 59.—County of Lanark.
Depot at Hamilton.
Regular Battalions—26th and 74th Foot.
Militia - 1st Royal Lanark (two battalions).
Volunteers—1st, 3rd, 4th, 16th, and 29th Lanark Rifle Volunteers.

No. 60.—County of Lanark.
Depot at Hamilton.
Regular Battalions—73rd and 90th Foot.
Militia - 2nd Royal Lanark (two battalions).
Volunteers—19th, 25th, 31st, and 105th Lanark Rifle Volunteers, and
3rd Administrative Battalion. Lanarkshire.

No. 61.—Counties of Ayr, Wigtown, Kirkcudbright, Dumfries, Selkirk, andRoxburgh.
Depot at Ayr.
Regular Battalions—21st Foot (two battalions).
Militia - Scottish Borderers, and Royal Ayr and Wigtown.
Volunteers—1st Administrative Battalion. Roxburghshire and Selkirkshire, 1st and 2^nd Administrative Battalions. Ayrshire,1st Administrative Battalion. Dumfries-shire, and 1st Administrative Battalion. Galloway.

No. 62.—Counties of Edinburgh, Peebles, Haddington, Berwick, and Linlithgow.
Depot at Glencorse.
Regular Battalions—1st Foot (two battalions).
Militia - Edinburgh L.I. (2nd battalion not yet formed).
Volunteers—1st and 3rd Edinburgh Rifle Volunteers, 1st Mid-Lothian Rifle Volunteers, 1st Administrative Battalion. Mid-Lothian, 1st Administrative Battalion. Berwickshire, 1st Administrative Battalion. Haddingtonshire, 1st Administrative Battalion. Linlithgowshire.

For the command and training of the auxiliary artillery, artillerysub-districts were similarly formed, of which there were two in Scotland, eachin charge of a lieutenant-colonel of the Royal Artillery, who commanded andinspected the corps of militia and volunteer artillery and the army reserve ofthe artillery in his sub -district. The 1st North British Sub-district,headquarters at Edinburgh, comprised the counties of Argyll, Ayr, Berwick,Bute, Clackmannan, Dumbarton, Dumfries, Edinburgh, Fife, Haddington, Kinross,Kirkcudbright, Lanark, Linlithgow, Mid-Lothian, Peebles, Renfrew, Roxburgh,Selkirk, Stirling, and Wigtown, and the 2nd, headquarters at Aberdeen, the rest(North) of Scotland.

The mounted volunteers of Scotland were placed for command and inspectionunder the lieutenant-colonel and inspecting officer of the 1st Cavalry Districtfor Auxiliary Forces, headquarters at York, and the engineer volunteers werekept under the direct command of the Commanding Royal Engineer, North BritishDistrict. Thus the volunteers were for the first time brought into closeorganic connection with the other branches of the forces of the Crown, and inthis same year a beginning was made with a scheme of mobilisation which, itmust be confessed, existed at first only on paper, according to which definiteduties in the defence of the country were told off to the various corps on thecoast, which were formed into "local brigades" for its watching anddefence, or as "detachments from corps" for the garrisoning of thefortresses.

Lost & Missing war memorials

2011-11-19T22:15:00.019Z

Recent posts on the Scottish War Memorials Project have been heartening about the fate of missing war memorials and rolls of honour. Some have definitely been destroyed when a building has been demolished, and some have been thrown away in refurbishment, but as we add to the entries of memorials recorded by the project we are finding more memorials in storage and in private hands.

While some people place no value on them, it's obvious others do. People will happily hold memorials and rolls of honour for now defunct companies, churches and clubs in trust. Sometimes a new home can be found in a local museum but sometimes that is not possible and people just take them home rather than see them sit in a skip.

Even ones which we know have gone forever have sometimes been photographed. Both the St James's church and North Merchiston church in Edinburgh have been demolished but photographs of their war memorials are held by Greenside Church and St Michael's Church.

Killiecrankie School's Roll of Honour may have disappeared, and may never re-appear, but the names it listed were recorded in the local paper at the time and are still known to us today.

And hopefully in the absence of the original memorial a transcription will do.

In 1964 When St George's Church in Charlotte Square merged with St Andrew's on George Street in Edinburgh, St Andrew's was to be the home of the new congregation. The St George's war memorial was built into the fabric of the building so instead of moving it the names were inscribed onto a brass plaque and hung in the renamed St Andrew's and St George's. At St George's in Glasgow City Centre the names are listed on a contemporary glass plate. The original memorial has gone into storage but the most important thing on it, the names, are at least still on public display.

So while Killiecrankie may never get back its original Roll perhaps they can still create a new one with the names of those who never returned, and fulfil the hope of the people of Killiecrankie of 1922 that the names would not be forgotten.

p.s. Another Killiecrankie Roll survives from 1915 which lists those from Blair Atholl and Killiecrankie serving in the Forces.

In Memoriam 2014 and the SmartWater Foundation

2011-11-16T17:44:00.003Z

Thanks to Paul Goodwin for passing on this news about the In Memoriam 2014 project and the SmartWater Foundation

A project has been launched to combat the theft of metal elements from war memorials and to support their preservation to ensure that the names of those who died are remembered by future generations.

War Memorials Trust and the SmartWater Foundation are asking war memorial custodians to register for the In Memoriam 2014 project which is also making SmartWater’s state of the art crime prevention liquid available free of charge to mark all war memorials in the UK.

SmartWater is a forensic solution which contains a unique chemical code and is only visible under ultraviolet (UV) light. Once applied to a war memorial the liquid is virtually impossible to remove and can withstand burning or melting making it harder for criminals to dispose of stolen war memorials.

Police forces across the UK are actively searching for traces of SmartWater as a means of positively identifying stolen property and linking criminals back to specific crime scenes. More and more scrap metal dealers are also checking for traces of SmartWater and refusing to handle any items marked with the liquid.

Sir Keith Povey, SmartWater Foundation Chairman, stated "As the centenary of World War I approaches, In Memoriam 2014 encourages communities to reconnect with their local war memorials and remember the sacrifice that so many people made for their country. It is an exciting prospect for the SmartWater Foundation to be a partner with the War Memorials Trust in this project. The Foundation’s main role will be to offer greater protection for war memorials in the United Kingdom by offering SmartWater which is a proven crime deterrent, free of charge. I hope that people embrace what this project offers and take an interest in locating and preserving these symbols of our commemoration."

Meg Hillier MP Hackney South and Shoreditch and War Memorials Trust Trustee said "This project is an opportunity to protect war memorials in communities across the UK. War Memorials Trust seeks to both protect and conserve this unique part of our national heritage and so I am delighted to be supporting this project. I encourage people to take an active interest in the project and ensure the custodians of your local war memorials are taking advantage of this wonderful opportunity to protect your local war memorial free of charge."

Notes to editors
1. War Memorials Trust is an independent registered charity. Established in 1997 due to concerns about neglect and vandalism, it works to protect and conserve war memorials. It provides advice, information and administers grants schemes that assist the repair and conservation of war memorials across the UK. As a charity the Trust relies on voluntary contributions to undertake its work. Supporters include annual and life members, donors, charitable trusts and corporate contributors. Further details of the Trust can be found at http://www.warmemorials.org/.

2. The SmartWater Foundation, the charitable arm of SmartWater Technology Ltd, are providing the resources for the In Memoriam 2014 project and for SmartWater liquid to be offered free of charge to war memorial custodians. SmartWater Technology Ltd is a commercial company which provides crime reduction strategies. The company works closely with the police and other crime reduction agencies. Their clients include British Airways, Comet, Group 4 Securicor, HSBC, National Grid, Network Rail, Royal Mail and Thames Water. Further details about SmartWater Technology Ltd can be found at http://www.smartwater.com/.

3. SmartWater is a forensic solution which contains a unique chemical code and is only visible under ultraviolet (UV) light. Once applied to a war memorial the liquid is virtually impossible to remove and can withstand burning or melting making it harder for criminals to dispose of stolen war memorials. Police forces across the UK are actively searching for traces of SmartWater as a means of positively identifying stolen property and linking criminals back to specific crime scenes. More and more scrap metal dealers are also checking for traces of SmartWater and refusing to handle any items marked with the liquid. Further information about SmartWater liquid can be found at http://www.smartwater.com/.

4. In Memoriam 2014 is a joint project between War Memorials Trust and the SmartWater Foundation. Further information about the project can be found at http://www.inmemoriam2014.org/.

5. War Memorials Trust has approximately 150 Regional Volunteers, members of the charity who act as local contacts. They raise awareness of the charity and also alert the charity to local war memorial issues.

6. War Memorials Trust provides grants that can assist repair and conservation of war memorials. Contact the Conservation Team to discuss eligibility on 020 7233 7356 / 0300 123 0764 or conservation@warmemorials.org or download an ‘Expression of interest form’ from www.warmemorials.org/grants/.

7. War Memorials Trust provides a free advisory service to anyone with a war memorial enquiry. Specialist Conservation Officers are available on 020 7233 7356 / 0300 123 0764 or conservation@warmemorials.org.

8. Details of grants made can be viewed on the Trust’s Grants Showcase www.warmemorials.org/search-grants/. You can search by area, scheme, value and type of work.

9. Photographs and images of war memorials, and grant cases, may be available from the Trust. If images are on the Showcase www.warmemorials.org/search-grants/ then we should be able to provide digital versions. However, we are not a photo library and, whilst endeavouring to provide images, cannot guarantee to be able to provide them as many of the images sent to the Trust are not accompanied by a copyright licence.

10. War Memorials Trust has had a membership since around 2,200. Annual members pay £20 per annum with lifetime members contributing £100. Joint memberships are available and the charity has a gift membership scheme for those who would like to give the gift of membership to a family member or friend.

Remembrance 2011

2011-11-13T11:15:00.004Z

Over the last few days there have been many Remembrance services across Scotland. Some today, on Remembrance Sunday; others two days ago on the anniversary of Armistice day on 11th November.

Whatever the date the one thing all ceremonies had in common is that at 11:00 a.m. those assembled paused for two minutes in silence. People might remember those listed on the memorial they were standing next to. Perhaps they may have remembered others they have known personally, or through family stories, who were not on the memorial but who died on active service. They may have thought of the men of the 51st (Highland) Division who captured German-held Beaumont Hamel on this day ninety five years ago. In the middle of a public ceremony each will have had their own very private thoughts.

When you read this all Remembrance services will be over for 2011. Why don't you tell us what you did this year to remember?

On this day in Scottish Military History - The birth of John Moore - 1761

2011-11-13T06:00:00.003Z

Today is the 250th anniversary of the birth of Glaswegian general and army reformer Sir John Moore. You'd be hard pressed to find many modern Glasgow residents who have heard of him. Even if they knew of his statue in George Square they would probably not know what he is famous for.

We've already covered his life in one of our Who's who articles so you can read that to find out more about him.

As we remember the dead of more recent wars on this remembrance Sunday, spare a thought for the Scotsmen lost fighting Napoleon's tyranny and the brave Sir John Moore, killed in action 16th January 1809.

John Binn? - Behind the name

2011-11-11T11:11:00.010Z

For the last few days we have been giving you some information on a few servicemen listed on Scottish war memorials. Today's name is slightly different because there are no details to give. There is a mystery though.

At St. Madoes in Perthshire there is one name listed which can't be identified.

Trooper John Binn, Royal Scots Greys is the second man listed on the red sandstone Celtic Cross in the village; despite the best efforts of Derek Robertson of Arbroath, and Mark Duffy of Blairgowrie, they can't identify him.

They have tried the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and Scottish National War Memorial databases but to no avail. This could possibly mean one of two things.

1. He was a non-commemoration, or
2. He used an alias

The House of the Binns was the home of Tam Dayell who raised the Scots Greys in 1681 and there is a Binn Farm near St Madoes, so either of them could perhaps account for use of Binn if it is an alias.

He's not listed on the Royals Scots Greys memorial in Edinburgh either so maybe he died after the war and that is why his not commemorated?

Hopefully at St Madoes today, or on Sunday when they have their Remembrance Day service there will be someone there who knows who Trooper John Binn was.

Missing Dumfries War Memorial

2011-11-11T10:00:00.005Z

Thanks to Paul Goodwin for another Blog article today. Paul found references to a memorial unveiling in Dumfries in 1922 but has not been able to trace the memorial, or even its original location. I'll copy Paul's words from the Scottish War Memorial Project.

Dumfries and Maxwelltown Painters

Location: Original location not confirmed but believed to be in the main bar of the Globe Inn, 56 High Street, Dumfries at OS Map Ref NX 972 759. Its current location is unknown.

The unveiling of this memorial was reported in the Dumfries and Galloway Standard and Advertiser of 26th April 1922 and in another local paper of the same date. In one paper it is reported that the memorial is in the Hall of the Globe Inn and in the other that it is in the Globe Hotel Hall. Over a hundred men from Dumfries and Maxwelltown Painters Trade had served in the war so we can suppose that the number of men at the unveiling would have been close to, or even exceeded 100. There are currently two Globe Inns in Dumfries, one is a small bar in Maxwelltown which has never had a hall and is large enough for only 20 – 30 people with no sign of any memorial so we can discount that. Local trades directories, enquiries at the Ewart Library and the local Family History Society show no other Globe Hotels or Inns at the period so that leaves only the one on the High Street.

The Globe Inn (High Street) has never had a separate hall, nor is there any sign of the memorial there currently. The Inn has been in the ownership of the same family since the 1930s and they have no knowledge of the memorial, nor have any major changes or alterations been made in their ownership, it is a very historical building. It is difficult to understand that the memorial might have been removed within just 10 or so years of its unveiling. All of the rooms are quite small and could not relate to the hall described except for one large (long) room which is now used as the main bar.

The newspaper reports the position as occupying a prominent position in the centre of the end wall of the room, facing the door. If this refers to the main bar then this is exactly where the doors are to the Ladies and Gentlemens Toilets. So that is the probable location, but what happened to it and when?

Transcription from Dumfries and Galloway Standard and Advertiser dated 26 April 1922.

Dumfries Painters Memorial

Roll of Honour Unveiled

An interesting gathering was held in the Globe Hotel Hall, Dumfries on Saturday evening, when a memorial to members of the painters’ craft belonging to Dumfries and Maxwelltown, who fell in the great war was unveiled with appropriate ceremony. The memorial, a symbolical figure of “painting” occupies a prominent position in the centre of the end wall of the room, facing the door. It is the work of Mr George Graham, one of the veteran members of the craft in the town, and of his son, Mr Claude Graham, who, unfortunately, was taken ill and died while the work was in progress. The painting has a representation of a female figure holding a palette in her right hand, while with the left she points to the inscription which occupies the centre of the upper part of the picture. The inscription is as follows: “In commemoration of those belonging to the painting trade in Dumfries and Maxwelltown who made the supreme sacrifice during the great war.” At the bottom left hand corner there is a shiedl with the painters’ arms and the motto, “Amor et Obedientia.” An ornamental border with the rose, thistle and shamrock intertwined encloses the symbols, and the list of
NAMES OF THE FALLEN
which are as follows: Second-Lieutenant J. M. Haining,, K.O.S.B.; Sergeant J. Hewitson, A. and S.H.; Corporal R. Constantine, H.L.I.; Lance-Corporal A. McGeorge, K.O.S.B.; Private A. McKenzie, K.O.S.B.; Private J. Bryden, K.O.S.B.; Private Albert Law, K.O.S.B.; Private J Coyle, K.O.S.B.; Private D. Bouskill, K.O.S.B.; Private R. Brown, K.O.S.B.; Sergeant William Brown, R.G.A.; Private William Neisham, R.E.; Private J. Nelson, S.R.; Private A. Jamieson, B.W.; Private J. McAdam, Con. R.; Private J. Graham, H.L.I.; Private Alexander McAdam, R.E.; Private R. Simm, R.S.; Gunner J. Bell, R.G.A.; Private Alexander Harrison, K.O.S.B.; Private Robert Jackson, K.O.S.B.

The memorial is enclosed in a massive oak frame, this part of the work having been executed by the late Mr D. Constantine.
(transcription ends)

In the article, there follows a description of the ceremony which mentions a welcome home ceremony for members of the craft which had been held in the same hall two years previously. Also mentioned that over 100 members of the trade had gone to fight and 21 had “made the supreme sacrifice”. The memorial was unveiled by the president, Mr Wilson who accepted it into their safe custody.

Preparing a Remembrance Day talk

2011-11-11T06:30:00.003Z

Paul Goodwin has written today's Blog article where he shares his thoughts about giving a talk on Remembrance at this time of year.

In 2008 I was privileged to be given the opportunity to speak at a school assembly for Remembrance Day. This would be a new experience for me and had to be done correctly. I would have about fifteen minutes and would be watched by the pupils and teachers, the local minister and the head teacher (my boss).

I started with a short video clip of a reading of ‘In Flanders Fields’, it sounds better in a Scots accent and mine is English. I followed this with a few words on the origin of war memorials and a slide of our local claim to fame, the oldest civic memorial in Scotland, the Crimean memorial at Balmaclellan which is in the school catchment area. I then gave a few examples of different types of memorials with a slide of each, all from the local area of course so that they would be known to the audience.

With these words I continued “I tried to think how best to bring a sense of presence to these memorials so I decided to focus on one man , and to make it straightforward, I chose the first man listed on the nearest memorial (the one on Main Street, Dalry).” I will leave the story of Robert James Clark for a future blog but I showed slides of his name on the memorial, the man himself, his house and told the story of how he lived and died. I held up examples of the medals and his cap badge.

At about this time I realised that I could not hear anything so wondered if I was going deaf! I looked up and saw everyone watching in silence, I had never seen the pupils that quiet before. Ok, I had given them the intro, grabbed their attention by showing them something familiar and turned a name on a piece of granite into a face on the screen in front of them. Now for the sucker punch!

“If he had lived then his great grandchildren would probably be here now as pupils of this school, perhaps sitting on those two empty chairs behind you.” They all turned around and looked at two empty chairs I had placed at the back of the room and one or two gasped. I hoped that I had now turned a war so long ago into a real event for them and, at least for some, given them the understanding that the loss of those men continues to affect us all. (As an aside, that use of the empty chairs is still occasionally mentioned by pupils two and a half years later so it obviously left an impact).

“Behind every name on every memorial is a story like this one, of a real person, a real family and a real loss.” That’s it, job done; now time to wrap up with a few words to plug the Scottish War Memorials Project and the War Memorials Trust.

(If anyone would like a copy of the script I used that day, just send a PM to ‘spoons’ at the Scottish War Graves Project.) And now I will end as I did on that day…………

“The next time you pass a war memorial, please STOP………… and read a name…………. and pause for thought.”

Midlothian Fallen - Behind the names

2011-11-10T20:51:00.004Z

We have been running a short series of behind the names on the Blog, but Ken Bogle of Midlothian Libraries has delved into a few of the names on some Midlothian war memorials and today we are using the article he contributed to yesterday’s Edinburgh Evening News

A roll call of local heroes

Published on Wednesday 9 November 2011 13:46

MORNING had dawned over France, the skies were bright and clear, the air crisp and fresh. A perfect day, perhaps, if not for the bloody nightmare of war.

Young 2nd Lt Ian Gilmour Cameron from Loanhead had slipped into the front seat of the small, single engine two-seater biplane. It was just after 8am, the Battle of the Somme was nearing its conclusion but today, November 9, 1916 – precisely 95 years ago – the teenager’s mission for the Royal Flying Corps was to soar into the skies over northern France, bombs loaded on board to pound the Germans below.

Higher the little plane soared. Lt Cameron – just 19-years-old, the handsome son of a well-respected doctor, a strapping rugby player, winning shot putter and enthusiastic Sandhurst officer – leaned over the open cockpit of the BE2c Royal Flying Corps aircraft number 2506, eyes peeled for signs of the enemy.

Whether he and the pilot sitting behind him were aware they had company, only they ever knew.

What is certain is that Manfred Von Richthofen, the Red Baron, Germany’s “ace of aces” did not go on to earn his reputation for being deadly accurate without good cause – with typical stealth and fatal precision, he’d fly his distinctive red biplane, adorned with its black Iron Cross, above and behind his unsuspecting prey, often with the sun behind him, sneaking up until close enough to blast them from the skies.

By the end of his war, the results of the fighter ace’s prowess in the skies over France would lie shattered on the ground below in the shape of 80 planes downed by his steely eye and rapid reflexes. Among the debris, the corpses of brave allied airmen, their bodies later committed to lie forever on foreign soil.

And on this crisp November morning in the blue skies of northern France, 1916, it would be 2nd Lt Cameron’s turn.

His plane went hurtling down around 10.30am, according to the few records that remain of the fateful incident.

Lt Cameron, pictured not long before he left for France dressed in spats, a jaunty top hat and with a cheeky lopsided grin, who’d won a rugby blue and was school shot put champion, had been shot down.

With his fellow officer’s lifeless body slumped behind him and no doubt pursued by the Red Baron himself, pilot Cameron somehow battled to land the biplane. It’s thought he survived but only to end up caught by his German foes and taken prisoner.

For the Red Baron, flying proud in his distinctive Albatros D11 491/16, it was just another scalp, his eighth in what would be a long and bloody career.

Later, he’d order a silversmith in Berlin to make a cup engraved with the date and details of his Scottish victim and pin the plane’s number – 2506 – alongside other war trophies on the walls of his bedroom in his parent’s home in East Prussia, a ghoulish shrine to his killing prowess.

As for 2nd Lt Cameron, his parents, the widely respected Dr James Cameron and wife Mary, received the dreadful news at their home in Hawthorn Gardens, Loanhead.

Today, his remains lie in a Commonwealth War Grave at Achiet-le-Grand cemetery in the Pas de Calais, a final resting place for 1526 fellow fighting men.

Closer to home, his name is one of 91 inscribed in stone at the entrance to Loanhead Memorial Park. Highly visible, the memorial graces the park’s gateway as a constant reminder to visitors of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

But while the memorial bearing the name of the Red Baron’s victim is strikingly obvious, until now only a few to pass under it could surely know who Ian G Cameron really was. Or, indeed, any of the no doubt equally moving and tragic stories behind the names of the fallen etched into stone, copper and in stained glass war memorials scattered around Midlothian.

However, as the clock ticks down to the poignant centenary in 2014, marking the start of the “war to end all wars”, Midlothian Council has embarked on an ambitious challenge to track down as many of the war memorials within its modern boundaries as possible and bring them vividly to life by unmasking the people and the stories behind the names.

Already, researchers from the council’s Local Studies office have unearthed fascinating and long-lost details – some thrilling and dramatic, like the Red Baron’s encounter with Ian Cameron, others deeply moving in their simplicity, such as the brief but poignant story behind Andrew Watson of the Royal Scots, whose name also takes its place on Loanhead park’s memorial. “He was just an ordinary young man of his time,” says Ken Bogle, Midlothian’s local studies officer and archivist. “He worked in the local paper mill and was a committed Christian, who sang in his church choir and taught Sunday school.

“He joined the Royal Scots and went to Gallipoli in 1915 where he lasted less than two weeks. His body was never found. Like thousands of others, he never stood a chance.”

The briefest of details of Andrew’s fate emerged in a postcard found by a collector in Stirlingshire and forwarded to Ken to help with his research.

That, and the picture of the young man, posing in his Sunday best, a flower in his buttonhole, his dark hair carefully parted and a solemn look on his face – perhaps etched with concern for the hell that lay before him – help paint a vivid picture of the real people whose lives were sacrificed in the name of freedom.

As does the heartrending story behind two names that appear one after the other on Dalkeith’s war memorial.

George and Mary Allan of the town’s High Street sent three of their sons to war.

Robert was severely wounded in action. As for Tom and Willie, news of Willie’s death arrived in the morning post and the same evening came the telegram informing the grieving parents that Tom, too, was dead.

Likewise, the striking stained glass window that serves as a war memorial within Crichton Parish Church holds a similar story of family anguish. Brothers Charlie, John and Willie Flynn, who lived at Crichton Mains farm, were all killed.

Imagine, too, the heartbreak for the parents of Royal Scots privates David and George, and Corporal Tom Webster, brothers named together on the Glencorse war memorial.

“Stories like that are very moving to read,” says Ken. “To lose three sons would be terrible but, of course, not unique. It happened across the country.”

So far, the team has drawn up names from around 60 memorials located in the district, including one from Penicuik Co-operative Society, which was rescued from a skip and efforts made through researching historical documents, old newspapers and records to piece together at least a little background to the person behind each name.

The aim, explains Ken, is to ultimately create a Midlothian Roll of Honour.

And with some memorials now long forgotten, lost or hidden from public view in private buildings, it is hoped the public can provide vital information to help track them down and make the roll as comprehensive as possible.

One memorial known to have existed but now lost once honoured the dead at Bonnyrigg Town Hall. Another, long gone, used to grace the entrance of Dalkeith High School – no doubt listing the names of former pupils and staff who gave their lives on the field of battle.

“We’d like to find out more about the people named on the memorials, who they were, where they lived, how they died,” says Ken.

“Did they play football for a local team, what schools they went to? Maybe a photograph – we know people have stuff in the attic, it might be what we need.”

The question for some – even in this most poignant of weeks when the nation pauses to honour those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for freedom – might be “why?”

“Of course, there is no one left alive from the First World War but it’s not really consigned to history, it’s still very much alive and very poignant,” says Ken.

“It’s the sheer scale of sacrifice and the fact that so many people were affected.

“Every family has some story or connection with the First World War, so everyone is involved in some way. It had such a huge impact.”

* Anyone with information about lost memorials should contact the Local Studies team on 0131-271 3976.

Alexander Campbell - Behind the name

2011-11-09T06:30:00.010Z

If you've seen the film The Heroes of Telemark with Kirk Douglas, about the attack on the Vemork Norsk Hydro Heavy Water Plant; you'll perhaps remember that in one scene an aircraft full of British troops crashes into a Norwegian hillside. The film is based on fact and two Horsa gliders full of Airborne Royal Engineers, and one Halifax bomber tug, did crash in Norway on the night of 19-20th November 1942.

The aircraft had flown from RAF Wick as part of Operation 'Freshman' and a memorial cairn commemorates all the soldiers and airmen who died on that mission.

There were a few Scotsmen on the raid and one is listed on the Grangemouth War Memorial.

The Alexander Campbell listed on the memorial in Zetland Park is this man:

CAMPBELL, ALEXANDER
Initials: A
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Lance Corporal
Regiment/Service: Royal Engineers
Unit Text: 261 (Airborne) Field Park Coy.
Age: 24
Date of Death: between 19/11/1942 and 20/11/1942
Service No: 1923037
Additional information: Son of Alexander and Catherine E. Campbell, of Grangemouth, Stirlingshire.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Z. 2.
Cemetery: STAVANGER (EIGANES) CHURCHYARD

And this is what the Commonwealth War Graves Commission say about Eigans Churchyard in Stavanger

In November 1942, an attempt was made to destroy the hydroelectric power station at Vermork, in Telemark, where heavy water was produced for German atomic research. Two gliders and an aircraft engaged in the raid crashed in southern Norway. All those aboard, Royal Engineers of the 1st Airborne Division and members of the Commonwealth air forces, were either killed in the crash or died later, at the hands of their German captors. The heavy water plant was eventually destroyed by a party of six Norwegians dropped by parachute in 1943. Stavanger (Eiganes) Churchyard contains the graves of 25 servicemen who died in the raid.

Lance Corporal Campbell was one of those who "died later at the hands of their German captors". He and thirteen others had been captured and taken to Slettebø Camp, Egersund where they were all interrogated and executed. One month before on 18th October 1942, Hitler had issued his Commando Order which stated that all Allied commandos encountered by German forces in Europe and Africa should be killed immediately even if they had surrendered. Alexander Campbell was a victim of that order.

At the time the Commando-trained Engineers were buried in unmarked graves at Slettebø by the Germans but after the liberation of Norway in 1945 the bodies were exhumed and reburied in Eignes Churchyard in Stavanger.

Dunoon school pupils investigate Christmas truce death

2011-11-09T00:32:00.003Z

The BBC reports on Dunoon school pupils investigating the death of a local man on Christmas Day 1914.

5th Scottish Rifles man Walter Smith was shot by a German sniper on 25th December 1914, one of the few men to be killed on a day generally observed as a truce on the Western Front.

More of the story can be found on the BBC website

Bargrennan War Memorial Rededication

2011-11-09T00:25:00.002Z

Thanks to Paul Goodwin for this information about Bargrennan War Memorial

There is to be a service to re-dedicate the Bargrennan memorial in its new location in the grounds of Bargrennan church on Friday 11th November at 10:45. I understand that soup and sandwiches are to be provided nearby. If anyone is able to attend in this remote location (North of Newton Stewart) then I am sure they will be made very welcome.

Clement Agnew - Behind the name

2011-11-08T06:30:00.003Z

The first name on the 1939-1945 names on the Armadale War Memorial is Clement Agnew. There is no rank or unit on the memorial but he is easy to find on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission database. He was a tragically young sixteen years old when he died. Surprisingly the boy from deepest West Lothian was a volunteer in the Royal Navy.

AGNEW, CLEMENT WILLIAM
Initials: C W
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Boy 1st Class
Regiment/Service: Royal Navy
Unit Text: H.M.S. Royal Oak
Age: 16
Date of Death: 14/10/1939
Service No: P/JX 159143
Additional information: Son of Clement and Susan Agnew, of Armadale, West Lothian.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 34, Column 1.
Memorial: PORTSMOUTH NAVAL MEMORIAL

Boy Agnew was lost on the 'Royal Oak' when it was torpedoed in Scapa Flow by U-9. 833 other sailors were lost that night many of them teenage ratings like Clement Agnew. The tragedy was that the 'Royal Oak' had returned to Scapa Flow from the North Atlantic after a patrol which showed she was too old for active service. When she was sunk she was actually of little threat to the German Navy.

Her loss was a bitter blow to Britain and a propaganda coup for Germany. It also brought home the war to a small Lothians town.

David Ramsay - Behind the Name

2011-11-07T22:15:00.003Z

Kirriemuir Parish Church's Second World War memorial lists their war dead by unit and name but there is no other information. One of the names listed is D. Ramsay of the Black Watch.

RAMSAY, DAVID ANDERSON GOVE
Rank: Lance Corporal
Regiment/Service: Black Watch (Royal Highlanders)
Unit Text: 2nd Bn.
Age: 24
Date of Death: 04/08/1944
Service No: 2755969
Additional information: Son of Isabella Anderson Dickson, of Kirriemuir, Angus.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: 13. H. 24.
Cemetery: TAUKKYAN WAR CEMETERY

In August 1944 2nd Battalion Black Watch was part of 14th Infantry Brigade, 3rd Indian Infantry Division also known as Special Force or more commonly The Chindits.

Orde Wingate's formation was conceived as an airborne large-scale raiding force which would be sent behind Japanese lines in force to disrupt communications and supply lines.

The life expectancy for a Chindit was not great. When in the field they suffered a lack of nearly all supplies and had very little respite from the Japanese, the jungle and the weather.

By the time Lance Corporal Ramsay died Orde Wingate was already dead. The man who had conceived of and led the Chindits was gone. Control of them then passed to the American commander of the Chinese forces in the area, General Stilwell. Stillwell had no real idea of what the Chindits were or were not capable of, and threw the lightly armed raiders into costly attacks on well defended Japanese-held towns.

The Chindits suffered horrendous casualties in the late summer of 1944 and were soon withdrawn for battle. Unfortunately it was too late for David Ramsay of Kirriemuir.

I'll be honest and admit that I don't have a great knowledge of the Chindits. My interest has always been centred more on the Western Europe campaign, and the Far East campaigns have always been a little bit of a mystery to me. A new book published recently may help to shed some light on that campaign.

"War in the Wilderness: The Chindits in Burma 1943-1944" by Tony Redding is an incredibly comprehensive account of the Chindit campaigns, drawing on interview of fifty veterans of the campaign. It is a remarkably detailed book, well illustrated and offering a new insight into a campaign which I, and possibly many others, possessed only scant knowledge of.

For those wishing to know more about this fascinating campaign, this book would be a valuable starting point.

Author Tony Redding and Chindit veteran John Hutchings were interviewed for BBC Radio 4's Today programme - you can hear that interview here.

Flight Engineer John Kinnear - Behind the name

2011-11-06T06:00:00.001Z

In the Fife town of Newport-on-Tay the war memorial sits at the side of the Firth. The Second World War names are on two bronze panels flanking the mercat cross memorial erected after the First World War. The names are listed but there are no ranks or units to give any clues as to how they died.

One of the names is John Kinnear. A search on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission database comes up with this man:

KINNEAR, JOHN
Initials: J
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Sergeant (Flt. Engr.)
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force
Unit Text: 617 Sqdn.
Age: 21
Date of Death: 17/05/1943
Service No: 635123
Additional information: Son of William and Helen Kinnear, of East Newport, Fife.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: 21. D. 14.
Cemetery: REICHSWALD FOREST WAR CEMETERY

Note his squadron and date of death. Flight Sergeant Kinnear was a Dambuster. He was lost when his Lancaster AJ-B 'Baker' flew into a pylon before reaching the target.

Nothing at the Fife memorial indicates that one of the men listed had been picked as the cream of the RAF to fly on one of the most difficult and daring air raids in history.

Sadly he was one of the fifty three men lost that night. Was his death worth it? The debate still continues to this day but nearly seventy years later he is still remembered in Newport.

Seaman James Anderson - Behind the Name

2011-11-05T06:30:00.009Z

We have not posted a ‘Behind the name’ post for a while so in the week leading up to Remembrance Day we are going to pick a few names from Scottish war memorials to highlight. If you happen to be standing in front of one of these names next Friday (11th) or Sunday (13th) then you will know a little bit more about why that person is commemorated.

The small village of Thrumster in Caithness on the Pentland Firth has an obelisk for a war memorial. After the First World War it was erected as an estate memorial but by the time it had come to add the Second World War names it was for the community.

The first name on the list of Second World War names is the only sailor listed. He is Seaman J Anderson R.N.V.R.

He is this man.

ANDERSON, JAMES
Initials: J
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Seaman
Regiment/Service: Royal Naval Reserve
Unit Text: H.M.S. Jervis Bay
Age: 27
Date of Death: 05/11/1940
Service No: C/X 10533
Additional information: Son of Donald Anderson and Martha Foster Anderson (nee McKellar); husband of Ellen Anderson, of Thrumster, Caithness-shire.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: 40, 1.
Memorial: CHATHAM NAVAL MEMORIAL

The ship he served and died on, on this day in November 1940 was the 'Jervis Bay'. We covered it as an 'On this Day' last year.

Seaman Anderson's ship was pulverised by the German battleship 'Admiral Scheer' to allow the convoy it was protecting to scatter and escape from the Germans. It was a costly act of self-sacrifice which earned the Captain of the 'Jervis Bay' a Victoria Cross but saved many valuable merchant ships and seamen.

Remembering Captain Samuel McKnight - Bank Messenger

2011-11-04T11:05:00.003Z

Anti-capitalist protesters are currently targeting financial districts in cities around the world. In Edinburgh they are camped across from 36 St Andrew Square, the former head office of the Royal Bank of Scotland. Whilst bankers are easy targets for media and protesters it's worth considering that most people employed by the bank are ordinary folk like you and me; and that was the same almost 100 years ago.

In the run up to Remembrance Day as we start wearing our red poppies, it is maybe worth remembering that in August 1914 many bank staff were already keen volunteers in the Territorial Force in Scotland. Many more left their branches and head office departments to answer Kitchener's call to arms, and joined the ranks of the New Army when war was declared.

The Royal Bank of Scotland Archives have an item from 1918 from one of the bank's volunteers which at first glance seems nondescript; it is a simple postcard with just a few words. The significance is that it is a postcard sent from the front by a former bank messenger to his old colleagues just four weeks before he was killed in action.

One of his colleagues wanted to make sure he wasn't forgotten and saved his postcard. It was put in an envelope around the time of the official end of the war in 1919, when peace and victory parades were being organised, and filed away in a room at 36 St Andrew Square. Luckily it was found years later and passed to the bank archives.

Twenty five year old Captain Samuel McKnight of the 17th Battalion, Royal Scots was one of eighty four Royal Bank of Scotland staff killed in the Great War; and one of fifteen hundred bank workers who lost their lives between 1914 and 1918 from all the banks which now makes up the British part of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group. He is listed on the bronze and marble war memorial in the entrance hall of the Royal Bank of Scotland branch at 36 St Andrew Square. You can see the memorial, Captain McKnight's postcard, and the moving story behind it on the RBS Archives website:

http://www.rbs.com/about-rbs/g2/heritage/rbs-history-100/themes/people-at-work/46.ashx

The City of Glasgow Roll of Honour 1914-1918

2011-11-03T06:20:00.000Z

We have posted updates on our progress with the Glasgow Roll of Honour project before, and today we are proud to be able to say that this project is now complete and the full Roll can now be downloaded entirely free of charge.

Below is a short piece we have written giving further information on this Roll, which may be of interest to you. It also gives the link where the Roll can now be downloaded. It is free of charge for a digital download, and a printed copy of the Roll can be purchased for a reasonable charge.

The Scottish Military Research Group is proud to announce the release of the fully transcribed Glasgow Roll of Honour 1914-1918.

The transcription of the Glasgow Roll of Honour 1914-1918 by the Scottish Military Research Group has made a valuable historical resource available online for the first time. This will enable genealogists, military historians, social historians and local Glasgow historians to study a snapshot of Scotland's biggest city from nearly 100 years ago.

Two of our members have worked on it for several years and the transcription was only recently completed. The late Kevin O’Neill and David McNay transcribed and double checked 17,695 entries which listed the name, rank, regiment and address of the men of Glasgow who died in the war. (There are no women listed but there are actually some men who survived the war listed!). There are original copies in the Mitchell Library and City Chambers in Glasgow, but this is the first time the Roll has been made available to the general public to own. It is now available to be downloaded for free.

Although this Roll cannot be seen as a completely true reflection of Glasgow’s sacrifice in the war because of the way it was collated, it does give a very good indication of the distribution of Glaswegians through the armed forces. For example it shows that approximately 21% of the men on the Roll were serving in the Highland Light Infantry (3,726 men). Not surprising for the City’s local regiment. A further 2,234 were in the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles).

The number of men who joined the Service battalions of the Highland Regiments is highlighted too with large numbers serving in the Cameron Highlanders (1,032); Seaforth Highlanders (795); Black Watch (442); Gordon Highlanders (724) and the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (993).

Those men who had chosen to emigrate or work abroad before 1914 are listed too with 401 men serving in the Canadian Forces, 181 in the Australians, 44 in the New Zealand Forces and 25 with the South African Forces. There are even two Newfoundland Regiment men. Newfoundland was still a British Colony in the First World War, it wasn't part of Canada until 1949, and Alexander MacDougall of 105 Elder Park Street, Govan and William Maddock of 119 New City Road both served in the blue-putteed regiment attached to the British 29th Division.

At the other end of the scale are smaller units such as the Egyptian Camel Corps with two entries and the Nyasaland Force in which one Glasgow man, Private Leonard Dumelow of 16 Dudley Drive, Hyndland died.

Not surprisingly there are a large number of sailors listed. 812 men are listed under Royal Navy, Royal Naval Reserve and Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve. Many men are listed under the land-based Royal Naval Division and eight as serving on HMS' Indefatigable' which was sunk at the Battle of Jutland in 1916.
The Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force are also represented with a combination of 178 entries in total.

Some well known names can be found within the Roll. One officer who can be found listed under 419 St Vincent Street is a surprise entry. Professional footballer and the British Army’s first black officer Walter Tull is believed to have visited Glasgow in 1917 to speak to Rangers about signing for them once the war was over. It’s not his football club but rather a family connection which sees him listed. His brother Edward Tull-Hunter lived at the St Vincent Street address.

Visitors to the new Riverside Museum in Glasgow will no doubt have seen the display on the Glasgow Tramways Battalion which features Company Sergeant Major George Cockburn. The Roll lists his address as 53 Barloch Street, Possilpark.

Although the Roll does not list any gallantry awards, some winners of the Victoria Cross can be found on the list. One in particular is Lieutenant Colonel William Anderson VC of the Highland Light Infantry. He is listed along with his three brothers Alexander, Charles and Edward who also died. All are listed under their father's address at 18 Woodside Terrace.

It is the Scottish Military Research Group's intention that this Roll of Honour should be made available to view for free. It can be downloaded in pdf format where the names are listed alphabetically. It can also be printed for those who prefer a hardcopy book. Both the download and printed book can be found at the following website:

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/scottishmilitary

Scottish Regiments in TV Programmes and Films

2011-11-02T06:00:00.008Z

A few years ago I compiled this list of Scottish regiments I had seen in films and television programmes. It has been a while since I updated it so recent appearances of Scottish troops on large or small screen may not have not been noted. If anyone can add any more, or correct any mistakes please leave a comment here or on our facebook page.

Note that most entries are for highland regiments. As far as I know, no KOSB or HLI soldiers have featured in a film.

Real Regiments

Scots Guards

TV Film ‘Tumbledown’ – Robert Lawrence’s story based on his own book about his time with the Scots Guards before and during the Falklands Conflict.

TV Drama ‘The Camomile Lawn’ – Character Hector is in Scots Gds in WW2. Service Dress tunic on screen is of Grenadiers but his wife refers to the three button spacing of his tunic in another scene.

Film ‘Paratrooper’ – Harry Andrews’s Para RSM is ex-Scots Guards.

Royal Scots Greys

Film ‘Waterloo’ – Charge of the Union Brigade. See also Gordons

Royal Scots Fusiliers

TV Series - Poirot special. Chronologically the first story but not first one made. See also unknowns

Black Watch

Film ‘The Sand Pebbles’ – Extras in scenes in Shanghai Bund

TV Series ‘Strathblair’ – Son is a Black Watch Major

TV Series ‘Monarch of the Glen’ – Flashback special where one character is a Boer War period Black Watch officer.

Film ‘Gunga Din’ – Easy to identify British soldiers for the US movie goers

Film ‘Soldiers Three’ – Easy to identify British soldiers for the US movie goers

Film ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ Black Watch on march behind Allenby in one scene

TV series ‘Northern Exposure’ – The former astronaut’s father or grandfather was an ex- Black Watch piper. His kilt and pipes are found in his loft.

Seaforth Highlanders

TV Series - Evelyn Waugh autobiographical comedy / drama – One of the officers wears a Seaforth glengarry

Film ‘Tobruk’ - Nigel Green’s colonel is a Seaforth.

Film ‘Appointment with Venus’ – David Niven as Seaforth Commando

TV Series - Blood Red Roses – Crippled father is a Seaforth. Fought in N.Africa, Italy N.W. Europe and Norway in the script. No Seaforths in Norway.

74th Highlanders

Film 'The Rare Breed'- James Stewart Western about breeding cattle. Brian Keith is a rival rancher and Scottish ex-soldier who turns up in 74th Full Dress to impress Maureen O'Hara. Keith’s ridiculous accent is more than matched by the fiery thatch of ginger facial hair he sports. (Rip Torn recreates this ridiculous combination of hair and tortured accent as a drunken Scottish sailor in Goldie Hawn / Kurt Russell comedy ‘Swept Away’)

Gordon Highlanders

TV Series ‘The Monoc’led Mutineer’ – Involved in rioting in town.

Film ‘Waterloo’ – Several scenes. See also Scots Greys

Film ‘Zeppelin’ – Michael York as a half-German, half-Scots Gordon

Film ‘The Heroes of the Krait’ Gordons officer leading Operation Rimau against Japs – all captured, tortured and beheaded.

Film ‘The Highest Honour’ Gordons officer leading Operation Rimau against Japs – all captured, tortured and beheaded.

TV Series ‘The Heroes’ Gordons officer leading Operation Rimau against Japs – all captured, tortured and beheaded.

Film ‘The Drum’ – Volunteers from regiment help Political Officer Roger Livesey on North West Frontier during the 1930’s

Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders

TV Film ‘Kim’ – Deserter is a Cameron

Film ‘Whisky Galore’ – Island in Inverness-shire. Home Guard in Camerons uniform

Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders

Film ‘Too Late the Hero’ South-East Asia 1941/42

Film ‘To End All Wars’ – Several key characters are Argylls

Film ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’ – 93rd Highlanders

Film ‘The Captive Heart’ – Blind Gordon Jackson is an Argyll. See also unknown regiment section.

Recent TV Film ‘The Thirty Nine Steps’ – Set in 1914. Wrong sporrans.

The Highland Regiment

TV Sitcom ‘Dad’s Army'

Canadian Scots

Film ‘The Devil’s Brigade’ – Canadian contingent led by Pipe Band. Several Canadian Scots regiments represented.

Seaforth Highlanders of Canada

Film ‘Paratrooper’ Alan Ladd joins Paras via Seaforths of Canada. Also Harry Andrews is an ex-Scots Guards RSM

Unknown regiments

Poirot special – In military hospital red tartan kilt. Canadians? See also RSF

Film ‘The Captive Heart’ – Reformed 51st Div personnel used as extras playing captured 51st Div. men using real POW camp in Germany for film set. See also Argylls

Film ‘The Man who Would be King’ Sean Connery and Michael Caine laughing about one of the pipers in their old regiment during their campaign in Afghanistan. Could be 72nd or 92nd Highlanders?

Confused Soldiers

Sean Connery in 'Murder on the Orient Express' is a Royal Scot in one scene and a Scots Guard in another

Richard Todd is referred to as a Cameronian and but dressed as a Cameron Highlander in the ‘Hasty Heart’. Both regiments had battalions in Burma where it is set.

Made-up Regiments

Caledonian Highlanders - Film ‘Bonnie Scotland’ Laurel & Hardy. Uniform based on Black Watch and Camerons

Spofforth Highlanders - Film ‘The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer’. The Colonel of the Regiment, Julian Glover, is bribed to steal the Swiss gold reserves for Britain to avoid amalgamation. Can’t remember uniform details (Camerons?)

Third Foot and Mouth - Film ‘Carry-on Up the Khyber’ – Uniformed as Camerons

Un-named Highland Regiments

Film ‘Tunes of Glory’ - Uniformed as Camerons. (Regiment in book based on Gordon Highlanders. See also the book George McDonald Fraser’s ‘The General Danced at Dawn’ which has characters very obviously based on the same real life people as Kennoway’s ‘Tunes of Glory’)

TV Series ‘The Avengers’. Episode from 1st series ‘Esprit de Corps’. Duncan MacRae. Roy Kinnear, John Thaw. 1960s Jacobites in Camerons uniform.

Film ‘The Amorous Prawn’ hard up General uses his HQ as a Country house hotel. Camerons? turn up at the end.

Film ‘Bedknobs and Broomsticks’ – Song & Dance scene in Portobello Road. Uniform of government tartan kilt, Black Watch bonnet badge (Not hackle).

TV Pathologist Series from early 1990’s. Officer Presiding at a Court martial. QOHldrs glengarry with a thistle badge. Couldn’t identify kilt.

Film ‘You Must be Joking’ – Several military / secret service folk are set some tasks around London to assess their suitability for a mission. Lionel Jeffries as Sgt. Maj. McGregor turns up in Full Dress including feather bonnet. Argyll uniform?

Others

I have a feeling that Alexander Korda had a Highland regiment in his Sudan shots in ‘The Four Feathers’. This story has been remade several times and pretty much all of them re-used Korda’s footage so there may well be several more films with these Highlanders in them.

I’m not sure that ‘Young Winston’ has some Highlanders in the Battle of Omdurman scenes but it has been many years since I have seen that film so can’t be sure. The Seaforths and Camerons were both involved in this Campaign. In the same film Edward Woodward plays an officer in the Boer War train derailment scene. In real life Churchill was travelling with Royal Dublin Fusiliers but in the film I’m pretty sure the officer had a helmet flash of the Douglas tartan of the Cameronians.

WWII Lancaster bomber crash site artefacts listed

2011-10-31T18:46:00.003Z

An interesting article from BBC News today. The Highland Council's Historic Environment Record can be found here.

An engine was among almost 50 items recovered from the wreck of a World War II Lancaster bomber, a Ministry of Defence (MoD) report has revealed.

Six Royal Australian Air Force personnel and an RAF crewman died when the aircraft came down on Balavil Estate, near Kingussie.

A team from RAF Waddington, Lincoln, from where the bomber flew missions, recovered the objects in 2008.

The MoD report listing the items has now been published on a database.

Its entry on Highland Council's Historic Environment Record said more objects were recovered than expected from the wreck site and had included one of the Lancaster's Merlin engines.

The aircraft's camera, an oxygen mask, part of a parachute and a section of the rear gun turret were also recovered.

Part of a propeller blade that was found is now a memorial to airmen killed during World War II in a cemetery at Balavil House on the estate where the bomber crashed.

The other items found are now being cleaned and preserved at RAF Waddington.

Artefacts were recovered from the crash site under a licence and their locations in the landscape were recorded using GPS before being removed.

The crew from 467/463 Sqd were on a night training flight over the Cairngorms and Monadhliath mountain ranges when the bomber came down.

The cause may have been damage as a result of anti-aircraft fire, or freezing conditions, encountered during a mission the previous night.

The six Australian crew members were interred in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in Cambridge, while the sole RAF airman was buried in Glasgow.

Black Watch museum suspends its research service

2011-10-30T13:05:00.000Z

Just spotted the following when browsing the web today. Hopefully this will be a temporary suspension.

Suspension of Research Enquiries

We are sorry but at present the Museum has suspended its enquiry service. The staff who operate the enquiry services are working hard on improving collections care and management as part of our major redevelopment project.

The project will involve an extension to the castle which will provide:

increased display space
a large area for special exhibitions, education and events
better storage for the Museum and archive collections
an improved shop and ticket office
accessible visitor facilities, including a tea room for visitors
improved parking

The project will involve a major redevelopment of the existing museum building and galleries. We possess a fine collection of artefacts and records spanning the whole history of The Black Watch. Through this we tell the story of the Regiment and the part it has played in the history of our nation. We wish to add to, conserve and display our collection so as to honour in perpetuity the memory of the Regiment and the countless men who have served in it.

We therefore cannot respond in any detail to your request at this time. Please see our Tracing a Soldier webpage for further information that may be able to assist in answering your query.

Once again our apologies for not being able to help you at this time

Day of Remembrance plea to Occupy Glasgow camp

2011-10-29T21:00:00.001+01:00

I saw this article in The Herald today. I noticed the camp this week and realised they were camped on the area traditionally used for the Garden of Remembrance - I'll be keeping on an eye on these proceedings with interest.

A veterans’ charity has called on anti-capitalist protesters who have camped on the Garden of Remembrance in the heart of Scotland’s largest city to leave.

The Royal British Legion in Scotland said the Occupy Glasgow group’s encampment in George Square threatens to disrupt the upcoming Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday services in the city.

The demonstration, which takes up a corner of the square near the war memorial opposite the council chambers, has been in situ since October 15 and is made up of about 20 tents with a similar number of full-time residents.

Last week, a woman was raped by two men at the camp, though none of those involved is thought to have been part of the protest.

Last night, Neil Griffiths, spokesman for the Royal British Legion Scotland, said the charity had held discussions with the activists about them leaving so services could take place unimpeded, but their pleas had so far been rebuffed.

He said: “They assured me they would move away from the area needed for the remembrance service, but I’ll believe it when I see it.

“We do not have a problem with their protest, although we do not accept their argument that millions of servicemen died so they could camp in George Square. Our main concern is that their camp disrupts the Garden of Remembrance and the plans for the Armistice service.”

He said the demonstrators would be welcome to attend any of the services, but said a request by them to lay a wreath had been refused as the Royal British Legion does not align itself with any single-issue groups.

Glasgow City Council has issued the camp with a notice of expulsion and will go to court on Tuesday to get an eviction order, clearing the way for the demonstration to be forcibly removed.

The camp’s presence could also affect the Christmas lights switching-on festivities, as well as a fun fair planned for the end of November.

A source at Glasgow City Council said the authority was continuing to hold discussions with the demonstrators. The insider said: “Our first hope is that the sheriff grants the order and it’s complied with.”

Images of the Day - 29th October 2011

2011-10-29T07:30:00.000+01:00

As with yesterday's post, some more images courtesy of my wifes grandfather.

As before, we have nextto no information. So, any info provided will be gratefully received.

Some more group photos today. A formal group, and a more relaxed grouping, including at least one rather interesting hat...

Click on the images for a closeup view.

Image of the Day - 28th October 2011

2011-10-28T06:10:00.000+01:00

It's been quite a while since we had an image to show you, not through a lack of decent images, just we've had so much going on in recent weeks we've not had a chance to catch our breath!

The next few days I shall be uploading the final images from the album which belonged to my wife's grandfather.

Today's photos feature several group shots. We don't know the identity of any of the men in these photos but there are a variety of distinguishing features. Cap badges are clear in these images, and given my wifes grandfather served in the 10/11th Highland Light Infantry, it seems likely that would be the unit depicted here.

There are also several medal ribbons, wound stripes and overseas service stripes, so it is possible these photos are post-war.

As with previous "image of the day" posts, if you have any further information, please either email us at scottishmilitaryresearch@live.co.uk or add a comment on the post here.

Click on each image for a larger view.

Lanarkshire FHS Events in November

2011-10-23T10:19:00.010+01:00

Two events organised by the Lanarkshire Family History Society coming up in November with a military / naval history bent

Thursday 10th November 2011 7:00pm - 9:00pm in the GLO Centre, Motherwell.

Society Meeting: Eric J. Graham "Clyde Built - Blockade Runners of the American Civil War "Author Eric J. Graham has written several books focusing on Scotland's Maritime History

Saturday 19th November 10:00am - 4:00pm at The David Livingstone Centre Blantyre

GATHERING THEIR MEMORIES

The National Trust of Scotland's DAVID LIVINGSTONE CENTRE and LANARKSHIRE FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY are proud to host a Military and Family History Day on Saturday 19th November 10:00am - 4:00pm at The David Livingstone Centre Blantyre

Admission Free

Family History Advice/Help DesksFamily/Local History Bookstall

Military Medals and Memorabilia Display / Military Information Desk

Display of Ex-Military Land Rover Vehicles

Programme of Talks £2

Donation gives entry to all talks.

(Donations going to the Erskine Hospital)

10:30 Starting Your Family Tree Ian McNeill

12:00 Lanarkshire Yeomanry Campbell Thomson

13:30 War Memorials in Lanarkshire & Cameronian War Diaries Allan Colthart

15:00 The Battlefields & Cemeteries of France & Flanders Joseph O'Raw

To book a place at the Talks and for further information:

phone David Livingstone Centre on 0844-493-2207

Hawick War Memorial Highly Commended by RBL

2011-10-23T09:40:00.001+01:00

From the Hawick News

Memorial awarded highly commended recognition

HAWICK’S Glorious Dead war memorial has been placed highly commended in the annual Royal British Legion War Memorial competition.
However, there were no points awarded to the Boer War memorial, despite the Hawick branch gifting a duplicate cairn earlier this year.
Chairman of the Hawick Branch of The Royal British Legion Scotland, Jim Coltman (pictured) said: “The award means a lot to us and a lot to the Legion in the town. We know there’s been cutbacks with the parks staff but they’ve really worked hard this year, while two or three of us were down giving them a hand to tidy up beforehand.
“With very little extra work from the parks department, I’m confident we could have been outright winners of the whole thing.”
Branch secretary Brian McLeod said they wished to thank the following for their help in preparing the war memorials for this year’s competition: The Hawick parks department staff, Frank Scott and Jason Hedley (parks manager) at Scottish Borders Council. He added: “We in the Hawick branch will endeavour to assist as is necessary so that we can improve both war memorials for 2012.”

Missing Coatbridge soldier to be reburied 93 years after his death.

2011-10-22T22:07:00.006+01:00

A missing soldier, born in Coatbridge in Lanarkshire who died in the closing stages of the First World War, has been identified by National Defence in Canada. Private Alexander Johnstone was serving with the Canadian Expeditionary Force in France when he was killed in September 1918.

From what I can take from the article below his body was taken off the battlefield and probably buried in a shallow grave. Unfortunately after the war his grave was not found until 2008. He was identified earlier this year through a DNA test on his great-nephew and he will be buried with full military honours on Tuesday.

From the Ottowa Citizen

Great War soldier finds his final resting place

By Jennifer Campbell, The Ottawa Citizen October 17, 2011

OTTAWA — For 90 years, his final resting place was unknown. His service, however was commemorated on the Vimy Memorial near Arras, France, where the names of more than 11,000 other Canadians who have no known grave also appear.
But next week, the remains of Pte. Alexander Johnston, which surfaced when a First World War battlefield became an industrial construction site in 2008, will be buried, with full military honours, at Le Cantimpré Canadian Cemetery in Sailly, France. And his Ottawa-based next of kin will be on hand to see it.
Indeed his great grand-niece, Ann Gregory, who is a bugler with the Governor General’s Foot Guards, will play The Last Post as part of the ceremony. She’s travelling as part of the National Defence delegation and her father, Don Gregory, and brother, David, will also be on hand thanks to Veterans Affairs, which provides funding for two family members to attend. In addition, three of Johnston’s relatives who live in Scotland, where he was born, will also travel to France for the ceremony.
Ann Gregory says her father, who was a jet pilot in the air force, knew about the death but it wasn’t something that she grew up knowing about.
“I guess because it was a long time ago and maybe because he didn’t have a known grave. It wasn’t something we talked about,” she said.
That said, she admits that it’s deeply meaningful to get to play The Last Post at his service. “It’s something that’s very special to me.
As a trumpet player, it’s the biggest honour you can be given. It helps families with closure and honours military service.
“It’s surprisingly emotional for me,” she said. “It’s a person I’ve never met, who died 93 years ago, but somehow it still feels close.
Also, The Last Post brings up emotions. It seems such a shame that someone dies in battle and they die so young.”
She said she’s impressed and touched by how much trouble National Defence took to identify his remains, find his family and “do the right thing” by giving him a proper burial. And, she was amazed they were able to track down her father, who is the last living Canadian who could have provided the mitochondrial (descended from the mother) DNA they prefer to use for testing in these cases (men have mitochondrial DNA but they can’t pass it on to their children.)
Pte. Johnston was born in Coatbridge, Scotland, in 1885 and moved to Hamilton, Ont., in his late 20s. He joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force on Jan. 5, 1918 and was part of the 78th Battalion when he died during the Battle of the Canal du Nord on Sept. 29, 1918. He was 33.
His remains were found less than a kilometre where he died and fought, said Laurel Clegg, casualty identification co-ordinator at National Defence. She was notified in 2008 by the Canadian Embassy, which had been contacted by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. She travelled to France to look at the remains and begin the search for who he was.
Canada has signed an agreement that says no soldiers’ remains (the Unknown Soldier’s notwithstanding) get repatriated to Canada so she is only allowed to bring genetic samples back to Ottawa, and even those she will return to France to be interred with the rest of the remains next week.
“We take it very seriously, the idea that you don’t repatriate because you can’t repatriate them all,” Clegg said. “There’s also the sentiment that he’ll be interred with those he fought with, near to where he died. It does make the investigation more difficult but we stand by it.”
With these investigations — they do (on average) between two and three per year — they do two kinds of sleuthing. First, there’s historical research where they look at badges that might have been found with the remains (in this case there was a 78th Battalion medal) and then military service records to see whose remains were never recovered from that battalion and that area. Then Clegg goes to France to do the physical anthropological research to determine who old the soldier was, how tall, whether he had injuries — “you’re just looking for all these clues.” In some cases, and this is one, there aren’t enough clues, and she then takes a DNA sample as well.
While the historical research determined there were a total of 11 missing from that battalion, only two fit the profile they’d put together.
A genealogist then spent the next year looking for maternal descendants (that is, the soldier’s sister’s daughter’s children in this case) of those two soldiers and in the end found appropriate relatives for both the missing. Once tested, Don Gregory’s DNA was the perfect match.
“We made the identification in March and contacted the family,” Clegg said.
And on Oct. 25, Pte. Alexander Johnston will be buried with his fellow soldiers, less than a kilometre from where he fell.

Gordon Highlanders statue to be unveiled in Aberdeen

2011-10-12T00:38:00.002+01:00

Aberdeen City Coucil has posted a press release on their website about an unveiling this Saturday of a memorial to the Gordon Highlanders.

The Duke of Rothesay was the last Colonel-in-Chief of the Gordons and he will unveil the statue at 11am on Saturday 15 October 2011, at the city's Castlegate.

Sculptor Mark Richards FRBS, created the over life-size sculpture which features two Gordon Higlanders, one from the early days of the regiment, and the other from its closing years before amalgamation.

One of "The Few" remembered in Glasgow today

2011-10-10T20:17:00.007+01:00

The BBC Scotland News Website reports on the funeral of 19 Squadron Ace Wallace Cunningham from Glasgow, who passed away in Lanarkshire last week.

Funeral for Battle of Britain ace Wallace Cunningham

A funeral service has been held in Glasgow for a Scottish World War II Spitfire pilot.

Wallace Cunningham, 94, was among Churchill's famous "few" who took part in the Battle of Britain.

During the summer of 1940 he destroyed five German aircraft and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He later spent three and a half years as a prisoner of war.He died at his retirement home in South Lanarkshire last week.

In a speech in August 1940 Winston Churchill famously said about the Battle of Britain pilots: "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."

Mr Cunningham, who was born in Glasgow in 1916 and attended Govan High School, joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve in 1938 and trained to fly at Prestwick.

On the outbreak of war in 1939 he was called up for service and after completing training was posted to 19 Fighter Squadron, based at Duxford in Cambridgeshire.

Dr Jeremy Crag, a historian based at the University of Edinburgh, gave a eulogy at his funeral.

He met the Battle of Britain pilot in the late 1990s and became good friends with him after persuading him to speak to some of his history students about his wartime experiences.

He said: "19 squadron was to become part of Douglas Bader's famous 'Big Wing' during the Battle of Britain and Wallace was in the thick of the fighting.

"During that epic summer he destroyed five German aircraft, making him an Ace.

"It's interesting that was the first Glasgow airman to be awarded the DFC in the Second World War. The citation actually reads that 'Pilot Officer Cunningham...has shown great personal gallantry and splendid skill in action'. "

In 1941 Mr Cunningham's Spitfire was shot down and he crash landed on Rotterdam beach in the Netherlands.

Dr Crag added: "He came to rest close to a German gun post and in the officers' mess there he was given a tomato sandwich and a glass of champagne, and a German major said to him 'for you the war is over'."

Mr Cunningham spent most of the next three and a half years in Stalag Luft III, the camp made famous by the Great Escape.

After the war he worked as an engineer, firstly in Kent, then he returned to Glasgow in 1960.

Dr Crag said: "They are not very many of the 'few' left. Wallace was a very modest and unassuming man. He would never have regarded himself as a war hero.

"But he was a hero and as long as the epic events of the summer of 1940 are remembered, he too will be remembered.

"I think we owe him and his comrades an enormous debt of gratitude."

After the funeral service at Linn Crematorium, near Glasgow, there was an RAF flypast in honour of Mr Cunningham.

Locals divided over commemorating Milton of Campsie submariner

2011-10-10T20:03:00.003+01:00

From the Kirkintilloch Herald

THERE have been calls to pay tribute to a war hero born in Milton of Campsie.

Captain George Hunt sank more enemy ships than any other during World War II. Rammed twice, sunk once and bombarded with hundreds of depth charges, the steely-eyed submariner sunk 28 enemy vessels. He died on August 16 in Australia, aged 95.

Strathkelvin and Bearsden MSP Fiona McLeod has lodged a motion in the Scottish Parliament.

It calls on MSPs to mark his sad passing and to recognise “that he was a most skilled and brave naval officer, whose courage and determination earned him both respect and decoration”.

The motion also notes his full career in the Navy and British High Commission where he earned a reputation for “unsurpassed daring and brilliance, and, in light of what are considered his incredible achievements, supports the campaign for a permanent memorial”.

The Herald has been in touch with Australian author Peter Dornan, who wrote the book ‘Diving Stations – The Story of Captain George Hunt and the Ultor’. He is pleased that Captain Hunt is being remembered locally.

Campsie and Kirkintilloch North councillor David Ritchie said: “I was totally amazed by Captain Hunt’s naval exploits. This man received numerous decorations for his bravery and determination in defeating those who were intent in destroying our democratic way of life and he was truly an unassuming hero.

“To find out that he was born in the village of Milton of Campsie must be recognised by the council and I will be writing to the chief executive of East Dunbartonshire Council to ask what can be done to ensure that his memory lives on.”

However, Councillor Charles Kennedy said Captain Hunt had left Milton of Campsie at a very young age and it was unlikely that a memorial could be created for him in the village.

He said: “He was an incredible man and a man who served his country with great distinction and bravery, any community would be proud to call him one of their own, but I think it would be stretching it a bit for Milton of Campsie to claim him.”

Assembly Rooms in Wick closed after wartime grenades uncovered

2011-10-04T21:05:00.002+01:00

News of wartime munitions found in Wick, courtesy of the John O'Groats Journal and Caithness Courier.

by Alan Shields

A CACHE of at least two dozen Second World War hand grenades have been discovered in the centre of Wick.

Police have confirmed that the Assembly Rooms is closed after multiple cases of what is thought to be No 76 special incendiary grenades were uncovered just behind the building this afternoon.

Northern Constabulary’s Sergeant Ian Sutherland said: “A cache was uncovered on the other side of the wall behind the Assembly Rooms by a person digging the foundation for a flagpole.

“There’s at least a couple of dozen, but we don’t know how deep it goes. They appear to have placed there.”

Sergeant Sutherland added: “It appears they were only really issued to Home Guard units during World War Two, so it’s a bit of mystery how they got there.”

The area has been secured with a police presence and the Assembly Rooms closed as a precaution.

A Royal Navy bomb disposal unit is expected to deal with the munitions tomorrow morning.

The No 76 special incendiary grenade or A.W. bomb (named after manufacturers Albright & Wilson, of Oldbury) was mass produced during the 1940s.

The weapon is essentially a flask containing a volatile mix of yellow phosphorus, benzene and water.

The flask would be thrown at enemies and when broken the contents would instantly ignite producing poisonous fumes and heat – in a similar fashion to modern-day petrol bombs.

For more on the find see Wednesday’s Caithness Courier.

Forest plan reveals wartime secret in "starfish" bunker

2011-10-04T21:02:00.003+01:00

An interesting news article from the BBC News today, about a concrete bunker where "decoy lights" were controlled.

By Reevel Alderson BBC Scotland's social affairs correspondent

A project to plant a new forest on moorland above Dumbarton has unexpectedly revealed a wartime secret.

The Woodland Trust has unearthed a concrete bunker in the centre of the Lang Craigs site that controlled decoy lights.

These tricked German air crews into dropping their bombs away from population and industrial centres.

It was part of a successful campaign of subterfuge which, it was claimed, led to many lives being saved in the Blitz.

The rough moorland above Dumbarton will soon be transformed by the planting of 200,000 trees, providing a wildlife haven and amenity for local people.

A sham

It is empty now, apart from some grazing cattle. But during the Second World War, it was top secret, with War Office signs warning passers-by away.

Its work came to the fore on May 5, 1941 when the Luftwaffe raided Dumbarton.

Air crews saw explosions and fires on the ground as they dropped their bombs; but they were a sham -- decoys, controlled from a concrete bunker in the middle of Lang Craigs.

It was part of a network of SF or "starfish" bunkers, named after the wartime code for "secret fires."

Lights, spread out on the ground, simulated the outline of a town or industrial complex, tricking the bomber crews into targeting what was in reality an empty site.

It appears many of the German bombs on the raid over Dumbarton dropped harmlessly onto the Lang Craigs moor.

It was littered with debris when 11-year-old Bill McLeod cycled up the next morning.

"As I turned into the farm, the large barn that was there, there was still smoke coming out of the top of it," the 82-year-old said.

"There were two huge big bomb craters in the field and there was an unexploded bomb on the other side of the wood, which the farmer took me to see for some reason!"

Control room

The bunker, which had two rooms under a mound of earth and concrete is now derelict, but the charity creating the new woodland wants to use it as way of telling the unusual history of the site.

"We think there was a control room inside, and also an engine room providing electrical power to some of the decoy systems," said Roy Barlow, site manager for the Woodland Trust which has bought the land.

"Out on the moors there would be fires which were meant to simulate a town which had already been bombed, so that further waves of bombers would come and drop their bombs on the moor instead of on the town."

The RAF which controlled the starfish sites across the UK said after the War that 674 night attacks were delivered on decoy lights and fires during the Blitz.

Seventeen people died in the 1941 Dumbarton raid -- compared to more than 1,000 two months earlier in the Clydebank Blitz further up the river.

To commemorate the dead, 17 young trees have already been planted in the new woodland.

Scots soldiers honoured for Afghan bravery

2011-10-02T12:15:00.000+01:00

From the BBC News website. Congratulations to all members of our armed forces honoured. You can see the full list of Honours and Awards on the MOD website here and read more about some of the awards here.

An army dog handler from Fife who died along with his record-breaking spaniel in Afghanistan has been given a posthumous award for his bravery.

L/Cpl Liam Tasker, from the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, received a Mention In Despatches, the oldest recognition of gallantry in the Armed Forces.

He was shot by insurgents while on patrol with his specialist arms and explosives search dog, Theo.

He is one of 140 soldiers on the latest Operational Honours list.

The list includes awards for Scots who rescued injured soldiers while under fire, and charged enemy positions.

Ardrossan soldier Sgt Glen Gardiner, of the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, received the Military Cross for running through enemy fire to try to save the life of an Afghan National Army soldier who had been critically wounded.

The 35-year-old said it was a normal part of life as a soldier in Afghanistan, and the day of the incident "wasn't different to any other day".

He said: "People say you must have the adrenalin going, however it was just a normal day."

The soldier, who was blown off his feet by enemy fire in a separate incident, added: "It's a job. There's set standards, there's set drills that you put in place, and those set drills and standards save lives."

Life-saving heroics

Skye Army Officer, Captain Iain Curren also received a Military Cross. The 29-year-old, of The Royal Highland Fusiliers, commanded an infantry platoon in an extremely dangerous area, and charged an enemy ambush twice to rescue an injured soldier.

A Mention In Despatches was awarded to Port Glasgow soldier Cpl Scott Cox, for his life-saving heroics charging a Taliban machine-gun post while serving in Afghanistan.

He said: "My team and I were conducting traditional dismounted infantry operations on a daily basis and that is exactly the reason that I joined the Army and specifically the Infantry."

Fife soldier, Warrant Officer Class 2 Iain Martin received a Queen's Commendation for Bravery for his work defusing Improvised Explosive Devices.

A Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service was awarded to officers including: Glasgow Army Officer Lt Col Dougald Graham, Fife Army Officer Maj Nick Wight-Boycott, and Edinburgh Army Officer Maj Piers Strudwick.

A Peebles soldier is also to receive a Mention in Despatches.

Lt James MacDonald of the third Battalion The Parachute Regiment put himself in the firing line to identify a Taliban sharpshooter earlier this year - before leading a team to neutralise the threat.

The awards are for actions approximately during the period from 1 October 2010 to 31 March 2011.

Craigneuk's hard work pays off.

2011-09-30T22:40:00.005+01:00

They can't spell Argyll but good-on the folk of Craigneuk for all the efforts in refurbishing their war memorial and adding name panels. It was only unveiled a few weeks ago and they have already been awarded a Keep Scotland Beautiful trophy.

Judges from Keep Scotland Beautiful awarded the Jim Murdie Trophy for Permanent Landscaping to the town.

Derek Robertson, chief executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful, and master of ceremonies at the Awards said: “Beautiful Scotland celebrates the communities which are working to improve and enhance their local areas through environmental education, community participation, and encouraging litter-free environments as well as horticulture.

The Historical Association's 2011 Glasgow Winter Lectures

2011-09-30T22:17:00.000+01:00

The Hisorical Association have a series of winter lectures and this season they have four with a military bent.

Glasgow & West of Scotland Branch Programme 2011-12

All events begin at 5.30 pm in Byres Road Library, Glasgow, except in December in the Mitchell Library, Glasgow.

13 0ctober 2011
‘William Wallace and the Declaration of Arbroath'
Professor Davit Broun

10 November 2011
‘Digging the Trenches - the Archaeology of a WW1 Battle'
Dr. Tony Pollard

8 December 2011
‘The Forgotten Convoy JW53'
Mr. David Craig

9 February 2012
‘The Scottish Temperance Movement'
Dr. Irene Maver

8 March2012
‘The Impact of Scots Law in Scottish History'
Dr. John Finlay

12 April 2012
‘Our brethren of Scotland - Parliamentarians and their Scottish Allies in the English Civil Wars'
Professor Jackie Eales

Come along, join in and contribute your ideas. To find out more, phone the Secretary on 0141 956 1172 or email davidsonmh@googlemail.com

Memorial honours Lancastria victims

2011-09-30T22:05:00.000+01:00

From the Press Association

A memorial dedicated to victims of the worst maritime disaster in British history is to be unveiled.

HMT Lancastria, which was built on the River Clyde, was attacked by a German bomber more than 71 years ago - on June 17, 1940 - receiving three direct hits.

It sank off the coast of France at St Nazaire in less than 20 minutes, taking up to 6,500 people with it, making it the largest single loss of life for British forces throughout the whole of the Second World War.

More people were killed than when the Titanic sank in 1912, and more than double the number of victims in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond will unveil the memorial on Saturday on the banks of the Clyde, at the site of what was the William Beardmore shipbuilding yard where HMT Lancastria was built.

The memorial is a bronze sculpture, set on a granite block with a commemorative text, and was created by Fife artist Marion Smith. The bronze represents the early steel sheet construction of the Lancastria.

Jacqueline Tanner, 73, from Worcester, who is the youngest known survivor of the disaster, will attend the unveiling. She was just two years old when the ship sank, and her parents are said to have held her up out of the water for more than two hours before they were rescued. Mrs Tanner, formerly Jacqueline Tillyer, had to be revived and still has the sailor's jersey in which she was wrapped by her rescuer.

Mark Hirst, whose grandfather Walter Hirst, from Dundee, survived the disaster when he was 25, is the founder of the Lancastria Association and secured the site for the memorial. Walter Hirst was a Sapper with 663 Company, The Royal Engineers. About one-third, or 91, of the men in his company died when the Lancastria sank.

His grandson, 42, from Jedburgh in the Borders, said: "The memorial to the victims of the Lancastria is a fitting and lasting tribute to the thousands who died in what remains Britain's worst ever maritime disaster. Their sacrifice was ignored for decades because successive British governments refused to formally acknowledge the loss of the Lancastria for propaganda reasons.

"The site on which the new memorial stands is where the Lancastria was constructed in 1920 and where this once great liner came to life. The unveiling of this memorial brings the story full circle and I am certain it will be a place of pilgrimage and remembrance in the years to come."

Princess Royal to unveil battalion's war memorial

2011-09-23T17:07:00.001+01:00

From today's Edinburgh Evening News:

The Princess Royal is to visit soldiers in the Capital to unveil a new war memorial.

She will visit The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (1 SCOTS) on Tuesday to take part in the unveiling and dedication ceremony.

The battalion's spokesperson, Major Norrie McKinnon, said: "The memorial was commissioned to commemorate members of 1 SCOTS killed on operations. There are three names on the memorial: Corporal Johnathan Moore, Lance Corporal Joseph Pool and Private Sean McDonald, who were all killed in Afghanistan.

"The memorial is a modern- design Celtic cross. It has been donated by Stancliffe Stone Limited and the Commanding Officer of 1 SCOTS would like to publicly thank them for their generosity.

"The memorial can be moved with the battalion wherever it is based and will serve as a lasting memory to those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice".

Wartime Stuartfield Gun found in Aberdeenshire quarry

2011-09-21T21:24:00.001+01:00

A very interesting news item from the BBC today. Many villages and towns had a captured gun on display, and it was thought that many of them had been melted down to re-use the metal in the Second World War. It seems the people of Stuartfield instead buried theirs in a quarry!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-15003303

Last survivor of SS Creemuir's sinking returns to Stonehaven

2011-09-17T12:14:00.000+01:00

An interesting article from The Courier:

It's the first time 89-year-old Noel Blacklock had been in Stonehaven since the Second World War.

Mr Blacklock, who now lives in Bedford in England, was one of 12 men to make it out alive after the SS Creemuir was sunk in 1940.

Aberdeenshire author Rod Macdonald posted a blog about the Creemuir after diving at the shipwreck as part of his research for a new book.

Mr Blacklock's story came to light through the blog and he visited Stonehaven, where he met Mr Macdonald and gave the author a full account of what happened.

Mr Macdonald said: "I'm writing a book just now called The Darkness Below and as part of that I had put in an internet blog that I dived the SS Creemuir shipwreck.

"I only put a line or two in the blog and I thought nothing more about it."

He added: "Then, about six months later, you could have knocked me over with a feather because here was a posting from the ex-radio officer of the SS Creemuir on my blog.

"It was absolutely fascinating to talk to someone who was part of this wreck that we had seen."

Recalling the sinking of the ship, Mr Blacklock said: "We went down in about two or three minutes. The ship was light and the sea came in very quickly.

"I don't actually remember getting into the water as I had passed out by that time."

He added: "My first recollection was being underwater, coming up through the water and bumping my head on a piece of wood.

"That was when I realised I was still alive."

Fife Family History Fair today

2011-09-17T09:22:00.000+01:00

Adam tweeted the news last night, but we're here at the Fife Family History Fair in the Rothes Halls, Glenrothes today.

If you're in the area, pop in and see us. We'll give you a warm welcome, and you can catch a sneak peek at some of our new stuff....

602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron - On this day in Scottish Military History - 1925 and 1940

2011-09-15T08:00:00.000+01:00

A slightly different On-this-day because it covers two events on the same date, fifteen years apart.

In the mid-1920s it was decided to form an air reserve equivalent to the Territorial Army and Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve. It would be called the Auxiliary Air Force and several squadrons would be formed around the UK. The first auxiliary squadron to be raised was No 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron. It was formed at RAF Renfrew on this day in 1925. It was initially equipped with Airco DH9As. The DH9A was an aircraft which had served during the last months of the First World War and was effectively obsolete before it was even sent to 602 squadron.

Another Scottish squadron was raised shortly afterwards; No 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron was formed at RAF Turnhouse on 14th October 1925. Both squadrons went through various aircraft over the next fourteen years; Avro 504Ks, Fairey Fawns, Westland Wapitis, Hawker Harts, Hawker Hinds, Hawker Hectors, Gloster Gauntlets and Gloster Gladiators. Over that time they changed role from light bomber to army co-operation to fighter squadrons.

By late 1939 both squadrons were equipped with Spitfires and were on defensive duties in Scotland. In October 1939 603 squadron intercepted the first German raid against the UK when Luftwaffe JU88s attempted to attack the naval base at Rosyth. 603 were still at their base at RAF Turnhouse and brought down the first German aircraft to fall on British soil. 602 were based at RAF Drem in East Lothian and were also in the air on that day. Shortly after 603 shot down their bomber, 602 claimed their first kill. The Commander-in-Chief of Fighter Command, Air Marshall Sir Hugh Dowding sent a message to the squadrons that night. "Well done. First blood to the Auxiliaries!".

By August 1940 the Battle of Britain was reaching a critical point. The Luftwaffe had switched to bombing London after a raid on Berlin by the RAF. Air Marshall Dowding replaced his tired squadrons in 11 Group in the South of England with squadrons from the Northern Fighter Groups. 602 Sqdn went to RAF Westhampnett in Sussex on 12th August 1940, and 603 Sqdn went to RAF Hornchurch in Essex on 27th August 1940. They were soon in the thick of the fighting and would be for the rest of the battle.

This day seventy one years ago was the turning point of the Battle of Britain. Both squadrons were in action on this day. 602 squadron shot down 10 German aircraft, and 603 Squadron intercepted two Luftwaffe raids, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

Germany had launched 1,500 aircraft against London over the day but Luftwaffe losses were so great on 15th September 1940 that two days later Hitler postponed his invasion plan, Operation Sealion, until 1941. Luftwaffe tactics also now changed from day attacks to night bombing.

The Battle of Britain had reached its climax but there was still a lot of hard fighting to be done by both Scottish fighter squadrons over the next five years.

We should also not forget No 612 (County of Aberdeen) Squadron. It was formed at RAF Dyce on 1st June 1937 during a pre-war expansion of the Auxiliary Air Force and soon took on a reconnaissance role. It served throughout the war in the vital but not very glamorous maritime reconnaissance role as part of Coastal Command.

In 1957 all three Scottish reserve squadrons along with all other Royal Auxiliary Air Force squadrons were disbanded.

In 1999 it was decided to reuse the old RAuxAF squadron numbers for non-flying RAF part-time reserve units. No 2 (City of Edinburgh) Maritime Headquarters Unit became 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron. In 2006 the mission support element of the Edinburgh Squadron was split away to form another squadron in Glasgow and No 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron was back on the RAF books after a hiatus of nearly fifty years.

Eighty five years after it was first formed, Glasgow's own is still going strong. It now has an ISTAR (Intelligence Surveillance Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance) mission support role. In recent years Its members have served at RAF Kinloss and on attachment to RAF units in Iraq, Cyprus and Afghanistan.

Cave Leonem Cruciatum

The Admiralty issues AFO 2239/31 - On this day in Scottish Naval History, 1931

2011-09-13T20:13:00.000+01:00

On this day in Scottish naval history the Royal Navy posted an Admiralty Fleet Order AFO 2239/31 on ships' notice boards. This order had been anticipated by the crews of many ships in port. News of it had leaked on 12th September and the Sunday newspapers, read by many sailors on shore leave, had picked it up. The contents of the order confirmed the rumours and sent shockwaves through the Atlantic Fleet anchored at Invergordon Naval Base.

The Royal Navy had conducted a savings review as part of the previous Government's belt-tightening exercise because of the financial fallout of the Wall Street crash of 1929. The huge cuts needed in public expenditure had split the Labour Government and in August 1931 it had to resign. A new National Government was formed from all parties which forced through the cuts. Each part of the government needed to make savings and the armed forces were no exception.

Morale was already at a low ebb within the forces as they had been repeatedly starved of money and new equipment after the First World War, and these new cuts were always going to be unpopular. As with all big business the biggest cost is personnel; so the Admiralty Fleet Order reported that from 1st October 1931 there would be a pay cut across all ranks of the Royal Navy.

Officers, Non-commissioned officers and ratings who had enlisted after 1925 would face a 10% pay cut, but any sailor below the rank of Petty Officer who had joined before 1925 would face a cut which would see them receiving the same pay as the post-1925 men. This would be comparable to a 25% pay reduction.

Unsurprisingly the long service men facing the biggest cuts were not happy. There was little animosity felt to their officers and petty officers because they were also facing pay cuts but there was still simmering discontent both ashore and on the ships anchored in the Cromarty Firth.

A fleet exercise was being planned for 15th September 1931 which would bring matters to a head. The Invergordon Mutiny was still two days away but the posting of the AFO on this day eighty years ago was the lighting of the touch paper.

The Scottish Military Research Group - now a society

2011-09-13T06:20:00.000+01:00

For once onthe blog, the news we have to report is our own. Below is the text of the "press release" we sent out to various places last night. We thought it might be of interest to you all in establishing what our future plans are.

The Scottish Military Research Group has decided to move to a more formal footing by forming themselves into an association. Although the SMRG has been in existence for a number of years it has always been run as an informal organisation. On Saturday 3rd September 2011 at a meeting of its members in Glasgow it was agreed to form an association and appoint a committee.

The Scottish Military Research Group is a troop of dedicated volunteers who have worked on the Scottish War Memorials Project since 2006, and the Scottish War Graves Project since 2007. The Group members are also working on transcribing the Glasgow Roll of Honour 1914-1918, and indexing the Daily Record between 1914 and 1919. Just this month the Scottish Military Research Group has also agreed to work in partnership with Edinburgh's War to further the aims of both groups.

Although a great deal of the Group’s activities currently focuses on the First World War, the Group is keen to research all aspects of Scotland's military history. The War Memorials and War Graves project record memorials and graves commemorating the Wars of Independence, Covenanters, Jacobites and the British wars which involved Scots from the Seventeenth Century up until the Twenty First Century.

The future aim of the Group is to consolidate its online databases onto one dedicated website as well as co-ordinating a nationwide newspaper indexing project in the run up to the 100th anniversary of the First World War. This will create an index of references to military individuals (casualties, enlistments, decorations for gallantry) in Scottish newspapers from 1914-1921.

The first Chairperson of the Group is David McNay, the co-founder of the Scottish War Memorials Project.

The Group can be contacted at scottishmilitaryresearch@live.co.uk or through the website http://www.scottishmilitaryresearch.co.uk.

The Scottish Military Research Group is on facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Scottish-Military-Research-Group/171539162876337

and Twitter as @S_M_R_G

The Big Picnic - Govan

2011-09-10T07:52:00.007+01:00

I was lucky enough to see Bill Bryden's 'The Big Picnic' during its original run, in fact I came across the programme recently. It was quite a spectacle even though the pedant in me didn't like 'New Army' men being at Mons. However it was set on a truly epic scale; originally in a huge old shipyard engine shed and not a theatre. That allowed the production crew to build a section of trench and no man's land.

One scene particularly stands out in my mind from near the end of the play. An islander who enlisted in Glasgow sings the 23rd Psalm in Gaelic. It was one of those moments when the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

A theatre company made up of young Glasgow students called Shoogalie Road chose 'The Big Picnic' as their first big show and put it on for the first time in seventeen years. They also went back to Govan to put it on.

Unfortunately the show has been and gone, it was on the 7th and 8th September, so we can't plug it. Instead we'll publish the very favourable review that they got in 'The Scotsman' here

THE BIG PICNIC - PEARCE INSTITUTE, GOVAN
By Joyce McMillan. Date: 10 September 2011

REID Kerr College, Langside College, Telford, Coatbridge, and the University of the West of Scotland: recession or no recession, Scotland's colleges keep churning out students with a burning interest in theatre, and a determination to build careers for themselves.

To judge by their latest production at the Pearce Institute in Govan, though, the new Glasgow company known as Shoogalie Road must be one of the most ambitious graduate groups in Scotland, in that they've chosen, with the consent, support and first-night presence of the playwright himself, to tackle Bill Bryden's huge 1994 epic The Big Picnic. The play tells the story of a group of nine working-class Govan men who join Glasgow's famous Highland Light Infantry at the outset of the First World War, and are plunged into the hell of the trenches. It also keeps an eye on the story of their wives and womenfolk, trying to keep the home fires burning back in Glasgow; and it remains a well-researched and moving, if slightly predictable, slice of Glasgow working-class history, which resonates powerfully in the local setting of the Pearce, a focal point of the Govan community since 1906.

Directed by Jemima Sinclair and Liam Lambie – who also adapted the text – this young production of Bryden's play is never flawless; all of the actors have a tendency to lose control of their voices in moments of high emotion, and there is too much aimless shouting. At its best, though, it combines some impressive acting with a fine soundscape, and an outstanding grasp of how to use a large cast – there are 17 on stage – to create memorable stage pictures; and although there are some theatrical events in Scotland this week which achieve a higher professional polish, there are few driven by such an urgency to tell a tale which should never be forgotten, and by such a powerful emerging sense of theatrical poetry, in telling it.

Fans plan new Hearts war memorial

2011-09-05T22:13:00.001+01:00

An article from the Edinburgh Evening News about a new memorial for McCrae's Battalion. Would it be wrong to point out that McCrae's Battalion already has a memorial in Edinburgh? It's in St Giles Cathedral - maybe they should go and have a look for it. And if it's to the team as they say, then there's a memorial to the men from Hearts at Haymarket...

A New memorial to the Hearts players who fought and died in the First World War could be created outside Tynecastle.
Hearts supporters' groups have come together to launch a bid to raise £60,000 for a new memorial to the famous "McCrae's Battalion" or "footballer's battalion", which took part in the Battle of the Somme.

The 600 men that were part of the battalion included all 13 players in the Hearts first team of the time, which had been at the top of the table when they agreed to fight.

Now it is hoped that a statue, likely to take the form of a soldier with a football, can be created outside the club's home ground to recognise the role the club's staff played on the battlefield.

A group of fans have come together to raise money under the name of the 1914 Memorial Trust.

Steven Kilgour, vice-chairman of the new trust, said: "This was a unique team not only to Hearts but to Scottish history and this will be a lasting tribute to them. We don't want a war memorial as such, but something to commemorate the actual team."

The Hearts players that took part formed the backbone of the 16th Royal Scots, later dubbed the "footballer's battalion". The majority never returned.

Many players and officials from other clubs took the lead of the Hearts squad and signed up to the 16th Royal Scots. On the first day of the Battle of the Somme, three of the Hearts players were killed along with 21,000 others.

Gorgie councillor and former Lord Provost Eric Milligan said: "Every supporter in the world thinks there is something special and unique about their football club but I do not think there is any football club anywhere that has a story that surpasses the story of Heart of Midlothian Football Club.

"It stands unique in the world with a rich history that is not just about the football field but a lot more than that and those players that took part in the First World War are a big part of that."

Lanark Festival of History 2011 - photo and video report

2011-09-04T06:40:00.001+01:00

A little later than planned, here are some photos and videos from the Lanark Festival of History which took place a couple of weeks ago.

WW2 Bren Gun carrier

Romans in their camp

Time travelling soldiers

95th Rifles

Napoleonic Era Durham Light Infantry

WW1 Gordon Highlanders

Napoleonic War display

A young recruit tries his hand at avoiding the barbed wire...

Here's a video showing part of the Napoleonic Wars demonstration.

And here's a short video of the Gordon Highlanders showing some of the items on their display table.

Scots Army crushed 100 miles from London - On this day in Scottish History 1651

2011-09-03T07:59:00.015+01:00

Much is made of the Jacobites reaching Derby in 1745 on their march to London. It was only 150 miles to the capital and it got Londoners in a panic.

Three hundred and sixty years ago a much larger Scottish army was also on its way to London to put a Stuart monarch on the throne, and got to within nearly 100 miles of the capital.

12,000 Scots under David Leslie had streamed south with Charles II as Cromwell and Monck were behind him in Central Scotland. Leslie moved fast but worryingly very few English Royalists rallied to their cause.

Having left Monck to subdue Dundee, Cromwell was hot on Lelsie's heels. At the same time he assembled troops from his New Model Army in the North of England. Militia were raised too; instead of the panic in London in 1745 the citizens of 1651 raised 14,000 men in the Trained Bands to see off the Scots.

Cromwell eventually consolidated 28,000 men against the Scottish-led army and caught up with them as they rested in the walled town of Worcester. Now nearly 16,000 strong the Scottish / Royalist army was vastly outnumbered.

I'll not go into detail of the battle here, you can read more on this website.

The outcome was a complete destruction of the Scottish army at the hands of Cromwell. Oliver Cromwell was a natural leader and soldier; he had his experienced army behind him, many of them his well trained and led New Model Army. The relatively inexperienced Scots and Royalists were no match and although they put up a fight there was never going to be any other outcome than a Parliamentary victory.

Exact figures are not known but it is estimated 3,000 Royalists died and 10,000 were taken prisoner on this day in 1651. The Parliamentarians under Cromwell only suffered a few hundred casualties. 8,000 of the prisoners were Scottish. The 2,000 English prisoners were sent to Ireland to serve in the New Model Army; but as with the aftermath of Dunbar exactly one year earlier the Scots were once again sent to the American and West Indian colonies as indentured labourers (effectively slaves).

Worcester was the last major battle of the Wars of Three Kingdoms and paved the way for Cromwell to become Lord Protector of England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland. He had routed two Scots armies in a year and killed and captured thousands.

It would take a few more months for Scotland to be subdued but the defeat at Worcester sealed Scotland's fate. It would now lose its independence and be absorbed into the republican English Commonwealth.

Nine years before at Worcester the First English Civil War had broken out, and it would be another nine years in 1660 before the Restoration. Only then would Scotland once again be in charge of its own affairs.

Stained Glass War Memorials

2011-09-03T06:00:00.002+01:00

Although stained glass windows as war memorials are not something you come across every day, there are several tens, perhaps as many as a hundred or so such memorials in Scotland. It may come as a surprise that not all of these are in churches or former churches and some are not even in their original location.

Stained glass faces some particular problems when churches close or are modified, or the windows just deteriorate and need repair. Such windows are fragile, and only the exterior of the window is designed to be weatherproof, the interior of the window is likely to be painted so is not weatherproof like the outside. Most significantly the windows are designed to be seen from inside the building and rely on a supply of light from outside in order to be seen.

So what are the implications of this from a war memorial perspective? Well firstly the windows are very expensive to design and install and may therefore be quite valuable in their own right. Glasgow’s open museum acquired a three light memorial window at a cost of £132,000! Should a window need repair and renovation, costs are likely to be many thousands of pounds. Finally if a window needs to be relocated for any reason such as demolition of the building, relocation costs are likely to be similarly large.

A fine example of how such memorials can be saved for the future is the WW2 memorial at Lochend Church, Beeswing, Dumfries and Galloway.

When the church was sold, the building was listed with special mention being made of the window and that it should not be obscured by internal structures or by blocking up, furthermore there was a covenant placed on the deeds to the effect that anyone who wishes to see the memorial must be allowed access providing they make an appointment with the occupier. A great result all around.

Another closure of a church (and its demolition) led to the move of a Boer War memorial window from St Ninian’s school, Moffat to the nearby St John’s church. It took a number of years to raise the funds needed to renovate and install the window which entailed demolition and rebuilding
of the entire end wall of the church!

Burnside parish church in Pollockshields had an even more impressive relocation when the whole church was moved to a new site ‘brick by brick’ including the stained glass window.

It does not all go well however; many years ago it was necessary to install an internal first floor in a church in Annan, this results in only being able to view the top half of the windows from upstairs and the bottom half from the ground floor.

Sometimes there is no choice but to move the window and place it into a light box. If you have not seen one, this is a box which has internal lighting (preferably neon rather than bulbs) so that, when switched on, the window is illuminated – the whole must be indoors. Good examples are the windows which are now in Dunscore Church, Dumfries and Galloway and in Canongate Church, Edinburgh.

St Andrews church, Castle Douglas is now the Lochside Theatre and what is believed to be the war memorial window is now blocked up. Little detail can be seen and there is no photographic record but at least we believe it remains to be uncovered by perhaps some future generation who will hopefully recognise its value.

Finally a sad tale………. Tarff Church in Dumfries and Galloway had a pair of memorial windows when it closed. One of these is now believed lost and the other is stored under canvas as four panels by the present owner of the building, unfortunately a piece of the glass bearing two surnames is missing from this surviving window and its future is uncertain.

(Today's Blog was written by Paul Goodwin)

Royal Highland Fusiliers Museum, Glasgow

2011-09-02T06:20:00.003+01:00

It's been a while since we took a look at one of Scotland's military museums, so on Monday I took the opportunity of a day off work to visit the museum of the Royal Highland Fusiliers, situated at the top of Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow.

I've visited the museum on many occasions, but on this particular day it seemed I took a little more time around the exhibits, looking at the displays with fresh eyes.

If you've never visited the museum, then you're in for a treat. It's a veritable treasure trove of artefacts from both the Highland Light Infantry and the Royal Scots Fusiliers spanning several hundred years.

The layout stretches over two floors, with the ground floor covering the regiments from their formation up until the outbreak of the First World War, with displays for India, Africa and other parts of the world where colonial campaigns were fought.

The ground floor also features displays for the volunteers and militia, the pipe bands and other musicians, as well as displays of uniform and medals.

The upper floor covers the two World Wars in great detail, with imaginatively laid out displays.

The First World War section is particularly fascinating - it contains many items, a lot of them unique.

The Second World War section is no less interesting, and both the war in Europe and the Far East have a large number of items on display.

The Second World War display then leads on to the final displays covering the RHF from amalgamation to the present day.

The final section is a little disappointing, as it is almost sidelined in a small alcove - another minor grump is that one of the displays is empty, with a sign stating that this display will cover the regiment since its merging in to the Royal Regiment of Scotland. That sign has been there for some time - hopefully the display will be filled fairly soon.

There are plenty of fascinating items to see here, and it's well worth giving yourself plenty of time to take it all in. We plan to feature a number of the items in the museum in our "object of the month" feature in the coming months.

Finally, for the researchers amongst you the museum contains a well-stocked library which is definitely worth visiting. I can testify to discovering many fascinating records in my time there.

The museum also holds one "hidden" aspect.For those of you with an interest in Glasgow design, this museum is a must visit as the interior was designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Many of the design features he created can still be seen, particularly in the metal work around the lift shaft.

Mackintosh designed decorative work on the lift shaft.

So if you're visiting Glasgow, make a point of seeing the RHF museum. It really is a hidden gem in the city. More people deserve to know about it.

For more information on the museum, as well as opening hours and a link to their online shop, visit their website at www.rhf.org.uk

General Monck takes Dundee - On this day in Scottish Military History - 1651

2011-09-01T06:20:00.000+01:00

Thanks again to Karen Nichols of Dundee for today's 'On this Day'. Karen is steeped in the history of Dundee and runs several themed tours of the City. Her Royal Burgh Tour covers the old town and includes a stop at George Monck's former lodgings.

The Siege of Dundee 1651

The 1651 siege of Dundee by General George Monck is one of the few episodes in the city’s history that most residents are sure they know. During the Civil War there was a six week siege that ended with a nine year occupation by the English.

According to legend the royal burgh was assailed by Cromwell’s General for six weeks before an innocent boy climbing over the dilapidated town walls gave Monck the information that the guards were in the ale-house for breakfast and drunk by lunchtime. This allowed a brutal assault and dishonourable execution of the Governor followed by three days of looting and mass murder that ended when Monck himself came across a suckling infant at the breast of his dead mother. During the occupation the treasures of the town were placed on 50 ships for export to England. The discovery of human remains throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries seems to add weight to this legend. As with most legends the key facts have been forgotten and unsubstantiated details are now ‘fact’.

After assaulting St. Andrews, Dundee was called upon to surrender on 26th August 1651 by General Monck. The royalist Governor of Dundee, Robert Lumsden, replied that as a king’s officer he desires all that bear arms against the king to lay them down and conform with his Majesty’s declarations. Not surprisingly this request was not considered. On the last Sunday of August firing began against the walls and continued throughout the night. On the morning of 1st September 1651 an assault took place either from 4am or before 10am. The town was stormed at the east and west as well as by gunboats on the River Tay. The Governor and his loyal men had taken possession of the first floor in St. Mary’s Tower and were shooting through a rose window towards the invaders until smoked out. After surrendering in the honoured fashion in the kirk yard an un-named English commander made a decision to shoot the Governor and gave the order for his decapitated head, still in its helmet, to be placed on a spike of pinnacle on the south-west corner of the Steeple’s lower parapet. It allegedly fell down of its own accord in 1660, which is coincidentally the year of Charles II’s Restoration.

By 1811 newspaper accounts had every house broken down and pillaged with every man and officer shot down at the Yarn and Fish markets, where ‘lust, rapacity and cruelty reigned supreme’. Indeed, men were ‘robbit, evin to the sark’. Another nineteenth century account allows for no quarter until the market place. The discovery of a cast-iron musket ball found in the woodwork of a house being demolished 235 years later suggests fighting was still heavy in that market-place. Although Monck granted 24hr plunder with ‘nane escaping their handis’ the order to cease had to be repeated, with increasing punishments threatened, on each of the following three days. With booty recorded at in excess of ‘twa millions and halffe (£) Scots’, it has been speculated that the average booty for each of the soldiers was £60 Scots.

The church stables that had been ‘made useless’ by the Marquis of Montrose six years earlier seemed capable of stabling Monck’s horses and reputedly Bonnie Prince Charlie’s in 1745. There is no evidence for Monck repeating his 1643 visit to Peterborough when he ‘did miserably deface the Cathedral church, break down organs and destroy the glass windows, committing many other outrages on the house of God…’.

The population loss during the massacre 'cannot be estimated at much less than 1/5 of the whole population.’ Monck’s chaplain and chronicler, Gumble, strangely accounted for seven score women killed and twenty-two Edinburgh men. Nicolls in his Diary offers ‘be estimation of wyse men wes about ten or ellevin hundredth beside four or five hundredth prissoneris’. It is known that up to 300 prisoners were captured and placed on ships leaving nearby Broughty Ferry for London. Ironically, the population had been temporarily increased as many saw the walled town as a safe retreat for their bodies and possessions in the troubled times. The 1791 Statistical Accounts names many visitors to the town, including a minister, a parson and the former Governor of Stirling. Their fate is undetermined. Also slaughtered were two battalions of Duffus' regiment and another battalion at the Fishmarket. For the interested, Robertson’s account of the siege goes into greater detail.

The remains of an unknown woman and child were found in Thorter Row, adjacent to the parish church, in 1810 and have been immortalised as victims of the massacre. This area has been subjected to regular development and is now notorious for producing human bones. Indeed, when internal changes were being made to the parish church so many bones were found that it was thought to relocate the remains in a pit to the north. However, this plan was foiled when the chosen spot uncovered even more bones. Hearth tax records in 1690s indicate a population of approximately 8,250, which is a third below that of pre-war figures.

Gumble, Monk's chaplain and chronicler, talks of Dundee as a 'very rich and thriving place' and '60 ships taken in the harbour, & sent away loaded with booty, consisting chiefly of plate and money'. Unfortunately ‘the ships were cast away …and the great wealth perished without any extraordinary storm … ill got, soon lost.’ Although Dundee’s port was the second in Scotland it is doubtful if 50 or 60 ships could be berthed simultaneously. In one action Dundee was reduced from a position of wealth to destitution.

The effects of this second attack compounded the losses after Montrose’s attack, which were calculated at £162,000. The town walls that had cost £162 to repair after the 1645 attack by Montrose were now declared as ‘inconvenient’ and ordered to be dung doon. By the following year the state owed the royal burgh £26,500 for outstanding war funds, £31,000 for quartering of troops and £35,000 for fortifications. From dues totalling £250,000 they received a mere £20,000. Despite losses and a financial decline worse than Aberdeen that suffered similar military action the burgh remained the 2nd highest revenue payer in Scotland until overtaken by the Glasgow tobacco lords from the 1670s. This speaks volumes of the wealth of the royal burgh as do the fragments of architecture that survive from the period.

It took three Acts of Parliament to restore the losses by granting privileges and revenues on imports, a national collection for harbour repairs and the inauguration of two eight-day annual fairs. As if that wasn’t enough a 1649 Act excused the burgh two months maintenance because of a plague outbreak that put the town in quarantine.
Dundee’s trade had always been based on imports and exports through the harbours. Due to Cromwell’s war with the Dutch this trade diminished and again during the 1665-67 war. The following year a great storm that swept up the River Tay broke the seawalls of the harbour causing ruination of the ships and their goods. By 1707 the burgh that was attacked by both sides of the same argument faced bankruptcy. Contemporaries blamed the attacks by Montrose and Monck.

Further Reading

Diary of public transactions, J Nicolls, 1836
Dundee and the Civil Wars, 1639-60, J. Robertson, Friends of Dundee City Archives, 2007.
Dundee, Renaissance to Enlightenment, C, McKean, B Harris, C Whatley (eds), Dundee University Press, 2009
Lost Dundee, C. McKean, P Whatley, Birlinn, 2008
Statistical Accounts, 1791-99, J Sinclair, (ed) Vol XIII

Craigneuk War Memorial restored and refurbished

2011-08-31T07:00:00.018+01:00

The war memorial at Craigneuk, near Motherwell was officially unveiled on Saturday past. It has been given a makeover, and a new wall surrounding it now contains panels with the names of the fallen of the area.

The memorial as it looked prior to refurbishment

Overall the additions blend in well with the existing memorial - the stone of the surrounding wall is similar to the stone originally used, and in time it should look like a natural part of the memorial.

An interesting addition is a panel (which you can see in front of the memorial) commemorating the award of the Victoria Cross to William Clamp. Clamp's links to Craigneuk are vague to say the least - he attended school there - but if Craigneuk wish to claim him as their own I have no complaints about that. My home village of Carluke and the town of Armadale both claim William Angus VC as "theirs", so why shouldn't Craigneuk "claim" William Clamp as one of theirs?

The white circles you see are some kind of plastic items - perhaps a lighting system? It's unclear and unfortunately I didn't take the time to examine them. Whatever they are, I don't feel they fit in with the decor, which then brings me to my major gripe.

The original memorial had (and in fact still does) black letter laid into it. The new panels are as you can obviously see made of shiny black stone with gold lettering. I'm sure there was a reason behind this - cost perhaps, or this material will stand up to the elements better, but to my mind it looks wrong. Could they not perhaps have used the same style of lettering as on the original memorial? It seems a lot of effort was put into the stone of the wall blending with the original memorial, could the same effort not have been extended to the name panels as well?

Regardless of how they are displayed, it is good to see the fallen of Craigneuk being remembered. A couple of things do stick out a little, though.

The first is the First World War entry for Charles McKenna of the Scots Guards - his is the only entry not to display his rank - why? A search of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission shows only one Charles McKenna in the Scots Guards - a Private who died on the 30th March 1916. Why not include his rank?

The entry for Royal Artillery for the First World War is strange - technically these men would have been Royal Field Artillery, Royal Garrison Artillery or Royal Horse Artillery - I'm a little unsure why they are all grouped together in the singular Royal Artillery? Just because these units became one unit doesn't mean they should be grouped together - you wouldn't group the Highland Light Infantry and Royal Scots Fusiliers together just because they later became the Royal Highland Fusiliers - why not list the men under the name of the regiment they served with?

Some of these points seem like nit-picking, and I don't want them to detract from the fantastic effort that has gone into getting the names listed and properly commemorated, but there is one point I really do have to take issue with.

As you can see above, the final panel includes men who died serving in Egypt and Northern Ireland. Two of them were serving with the Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders. Wait, the who?

That's right. Despite being correctly spelled as Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders on both the WW1 and WW2 panels, for some reason the regiment is given as Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders for two men killed in Northern Ireland.

Did I miss something here? I don't know of any time in their history that the regiment spelled it Argyle. I really hope I'm wrong, and please do let me know if I am. I will be prepared to eat a huge slice of humble pie and will issue a grovelling apology if I am, but until I am corrected I can't help but feel there's been a massive cock-up here. If anyone knows different to me (and its not unusual for me to be wrong) please do let me know in the comments.

As I said above, I don't want these criticisms to detract from what has been a magnificent effort from the people involved in the restoration. On the whole a fantastic job has been done and everyone should feel proud of the effort that has gone into commemorating these men.

The first Shetland Bus operation - On This Day 1941

2011-08-30T07:10:00.000+01:00

When war broke out in September 1939 the islanders of Shetland probably thought that it would be unlikely that the actions of Hitler's Germany would impact them directly. They were a long way from Poland and the battlefields of Europe. Even the naval blockade of the North Sea would be operated from Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands further south.

The events of Spring 1940 changed all that; Norway was invaded by the Germans and a hastily assembled British and French expeditionary force was beaten back home with their tails between their legs.

By the summer of 1940 the Germans may have been in charge in Norway and had a few tame collaborators like Vidkun Quisling to help them but there were many brave Norwegians who were ready to resist.

It is often quoted that Oslo is nearer Shetland than London; and so it was to the Northern Isles where the Norwegian section of the Special Operations Executive looked to when they were wanting a base for incursions into Norway. They went to Lunna near Lerwick first, but then moved to a purpose built pier at Scalloway.

Using Norwegian fishing boats crewed by a mix of fishermen and sailors who knew the coasts of Norway like the backs of their hands the SOE ran agents and supplies into Norway. They returned with intelligence, volunteers and men and women in danger of arrest by the Nazis. In 1943 the heavy losses of fishing boats led to the US Navy lending them three fast submarine chasers, and the civilian volunteer crews joined the Royal Norwegian Navy. With their new boats there were no more losses.

Between August 1941 and May 1945 the SOE ran 198 operations across the North Sea. 44 men of the operation died in those three and a half years but through their sacrifice they landed 192 agents and 383 tons of weapon and supplies in Norway. They had retuned with 73 agents and 373 refugees.

Throughout the war years the already close relationship between Shetland and Norway was strengthened further. Today on Scalloway's Main Street a magnificent memorial to the Norwegians of the Shetland Bus shows a small fishing boat battling the sea. It is a fitting subject. At night and in winter it was a perilous journey across the North Sea, but German patrol ships and aircraft added extra perils for these brave volunteers

On this day seventy years ago the defeat of Germany would have seemed a long way off. But for the brave Norwegians of the Shetland Bus their first mission from Lunna Voe on 30th August 1941 would mean the liberation of their country would happen that little bit sooner.

The Release of "Highlander" in UK -On this day 1986

2011-08-29T06:30:00.004+01:00

OK, I'm prepared to take a bit of abuse for this being today's 'On this day', but let's be honest how many Hollywood films can you name which start off with a 16th Century Scottish clan battle? I don't think you'd even need to have all your digits to be able to count them on one hand. It also finishes with an RAF jet tearing along a glen so I think on that basis it can be included here.

Shean Connery'sh Shpanish accshent leaves a lot to be desired, as does Christopher Lambert's Scottish accent. But forget the ridiculous plot and the appalling sequels and enjoy some of this 1980's movie thanks to YouTube...

Image of the Day - 28th August 2011

2011-08-28T07:00:00.000+01:00

Today's Image of the Day was bought from a postcard seller at a Family History Fair recently. There are no marks or comments on the back of the image - all we have to go on is the image itself.

For once we have a lovely clear image of the shoulder title, so there's no doubt whatsoever that this is a Highland Light Infantry man.

Unfortunately, that's about all we do have to go on. This unfortunately will have to remain one of those mystery photos, and the identity of this man will sadly remain unknown.

(Click on the image for a larger version)

Can you identify this man? Does this image look familiar? Can you add any information at all? We'd love to hear from you. Email us at scottishwarmemorials@hotmail.co.uk or contact us via the "feedback" page on the SMRG website.

Sir Hector Munro - Who's Who in Scottish Military History

2011-08-27T06:00:00.006+01:00

We’ve mentioned Sir Hector Munro before in the Who’s Who about Lord Macleod. They were contemporaries of each other but while Macleod was a Jacobite, Munro was a staunch supporter of the Hanoverians. When MacLeod was an exile in Europe, Munro was rising through the ranks in the British Army.

In his long career Munro served in many parts of the world but it was in India he had his biggest success, and biggest failure.

It’s not clear exactly when he was born but his father moved from Novar to Clayside at Dunrobin Mains, near Golspie when he was a baby, so he was probably born in 1725-1726.

He was first commissioned into Loudon’s 64th Highlanders in 1747 but biographies mention previous service against the Jacobites. He may well have served in one of the Independent Companies raised by the Northern clans in 1745-46 and under Loudon’s command which were beaten at Inverness and Dornoch. If he was captured, as has been rumoured, then he was unlikely to have taken part in Cromartie’s defeat at Golspie.

After being commissioned in the 64th Highlanders he went with them to the Low Countries, where they were serving in the War of Austrian Succession. His regiment was in action at Bergen-op-Zoom near Antwerp but saw little service apart from that. It was disbanded in June 1748 at the end of hostilities.

Munro was after an army life so transferred into the 48th Foot as an ensign, and then in the days of purchasing commissions he bought himself a lieutenancy in the 31st Foot in Ireland, and a few years later he was a Captain and company commander of the 2nd battalion 31st Foot (which became the 70th Foot in 1758).

Another regiment soon followed in 1759 when Munro got his majority in the newly raised 89th Highlanders. This was during the Seven Years War and Imperial commitments saw the 89th being sent to India.

With Munro in charge the 89th arrived outside French held Pondicherry in Madras in September 1760. They were there until early 1761 when they were sent to Bombay after the French capitulated.

When the 89th sailed for home in 1763 Munro elected to stay in India. In 1764 he was sent to his third East Indian Company Presidency in India, Bengal, with some other European troops to help quell a mutiny amongst EIC sepoys.

No believer in taking a soft line Munro decided that the only way to deal with the sepoys, whether their grievances were justified or not, was to execute the ringleaders in typical EIC fashion - by tying them to the wheels of a cannon and blowing them apart. He also disbanded the most rebellious native regiment.
With the mutiny suppressed Munro was given charge of the Bengal Presidency Army and took it north from Calcutta to head off an invasion force of Mughals on the Bihar – Oudh border.

On 22nd September 1764 Munro’s army met the Mughals at Buxar, under the command of Nawab Wazir Shuja ud-Daula.

On paper it looked like there would be no contest. The Indians had a force of 40,000 and Munro had only 7,000 men. However since taking command Munro had drilled his men hard to prepare for battle and it would be no walkover.

In a shocking display of underestimating your opponent Shuja ud-Daula left his prepared defences and advanced over open ground to meet Munro’s force.
Wave after wave of Mughal cavalry attacked the Bengal Presidency Army but Munro’s training had paid off and the disciplined firepower of the redcoats held off the horsemen.

Munro then showed his tactical prowess by throwing forward his sepoys at the point of the bayonet onto his opponent’s left flank. The Indians were unprepared for this assault and fell back. Retreat soon turned to rout as the whole Indian front line collapsed.

Whilst Plassey in 1757 may have been the decisive battle to decide which European power influenced Indian affairs, it was the overwhelming victory at Buxar which led to the East India Company becoming the de facto rulers of India’s richest provinces and it tuned British traders into rulers.

It was the high point of Munro’s career and with a very large haul of prize money he resigned his commission and returned to Scotland in early 1765. His uncle had left him the Munro estate at Novar in Cromarty near Evanton, and his money bought him a seat in Westminster as MP for Inverness Burghs. For the next few years he led the life of a country laird spending his Indian fortune on improving his house and estate.

Investment mistakes and loss of money in the 1770s probably led to his decision to rejoin the army. India was where he had made his name and his fortune over ten years before; so with his EIC and parliamentary connections, and his reputation preceding him, he was appointed in 1777 as commander-in-chief at Madras. Now he also had a local royal commission as an EIC major-general and a seat on the Madras council.

Things were complicated in India when Munro arrived. Struggles for control of the East India Company were taking place in London and in Madras the local rulers were not as compliant as the ones in Bengal. It was a recipe for future disaster.

Munro had to deal with weak allies, a strong and antagonistic neighbour, and the involvement of the French and Dutch. Both had enclaves in India and the American War of Independence saw them become allies of the Unites States and enemies of Britain. When the news of the French taking the American’s side reached Munro in 1778 he immediately marched south to take their base at Pondicherry. He had last been there nearly twenty years before with the 89th Highlanders and once again the French capitulated.

Eager to capitalise on his success he captured the other French settlements on the Coromandel Coast / Malabar Coast. Unfortunately this eagerness to defeat the French antagonised Hyder Ali, the powerful ruler of Mysore at Seringapatam.

Ali had no love for the British and had beaten them in a war in 1768. He also considered the French possessions to have been under his protection. Munro’s attacks on Pondicherry was too much for Hyder Ali and he made preparations to march across the Eastern Ghats and onto the Carnatic Plain.

Time and again we’ve seen in our who’s who and on this day articles that pride comes before a fall; and once again a Scot in a position of power chose to ignore the advice of others and carry on regardless.

Hyder Ali and his son Tipoo Sultan amassed 90,000 men. It took time to assemble an army of that size and throughout 1779 and early 1780 it was obvious to everyone except Munro that he would be marching East in strength. Munro chose to ignore the signs. Even when reinforcements were sent to him, including the newly raised Lord Macleod’s Highlanders, they were sent to outlying posts.

In June 1780 Ali moved. Munro finally responded. Instead of ordering his outnumbered troops back to the protection of Madras to regroup he decided to push his force forward and consolidate his army in the field.

The man who lead the Bengal Army to victory against impossible odds at Buxar must have thought he could outfight Ali’s native host. Munro was sadly misjudging his opponent. Ali’s army was well trained by French advisors, and equipped with the latest guns. As Munro advanced on Arcot he expected his other troops to meet him at Conjeeveram.

Unfortunately for Munro his supply train was not as good as he had hoped and his advance bogged down. Ali advanced to meet him before he could congregate all his forces, and Colonel Baillie’s column containing Macleod’s Highlanders was attacked and soundly beaten at the Battle of Pollilur by Tipoo Sultan’s force. 2,800 men, including the future general, David Baird, were killed or captured.
Munro knew his position was untenable and finally retreated to Madras leaving Hyder Ali in control of most of the Carnatic Plain.

Munro’s handling of the affair nearly wrecked his career. He was criticised by Macleod on his tactics and his failure to support Baillie’s men once battle commenced. Certainly no other East India Company in the Carnatic had been beaten so badly. Rather than being sacked Munro was effectively demoted when Eyre Coote was sent to take command of the Madras Army. Munro continued to serve under Coote and attempted to rebuild his reputation as Coote took the fight back to Ali.

Eventually after a spell in his sick bed in Madras he was given independent command again. This time it was to capture the Dutch port of Negapatam in November 1791. Munro’s old skill returned and this attack was a success.

Munro’s second spell in India was now coming to an end. With the campaigning over he resigned his appointment and returned to London. Mixed fortunes awaited him at home. He was granted a knighthood for capturing Pondicherry and then sacked by the East India Company for losing Baillie’s column. He must have cried all the way to the bank because he was awarded yet more prize money and was made a major general in the British army.

He remained a soldier on paper an eventually becoming a full general on 1st January 1798 and he was also Colonel of the 42nd Highlanders (the Black Watch).

His main activity between his return to the UK in 1782 and his death in 1805 seems to have been interesting himself on improving his estate in the then current fashion of replacing tenants with sheep. The man who restored order in Bengal by blowing mutineers from his cannon had no problems bringing the army in to restore order when his improvements provoked protests in the summer of 1792.

However he also showed a slightly more benevolent side when he built a folly on his land to provide jobs during a period of unemployment. Fyrish Monument is said to represent the gates of Negapatam, the city he had captured in 1781 and which had saved his reputation. It doesn’t, but it certainly has an Asian feel to it, and given he renamed many of the parks on his estate after places in India then it’s likely Fyrish was built to remind him of his many years in the sub-continent.

Finally was it civic duty as the local MP, or right-wing tendencies, which led him to provide a substantial sum of money to the building of the new court house and jail in Inverness? The building is gone but Munro’s steeple and clock still survive to mark his contribution to his constituency’s policing.

It was at Novar where Munro died. Uncertainty over his date of birth was matched by the uncertainty of his date of death. Sources quote late December 1805 or early January 1806. His headstone says 27th December 1805.

Munro is a little known figure in his own land. I come from East Sutherland and had never heard of him until recently, but he was an important figure in the history of the British in India. His reforms in the Bengal and Madras EIC armies and his victory at Buxar had laid solid foundations for British supremacy in India and the establishment of the Raj.

The Siege of Dundee 1645

2011-08-27T06:00:00.002+01:00

On 1st September we will be publishing an 'On this day' about the 1651 siege of Dundee.

Before we do that we'd like to set the scene by publishing an article on the 1645 siege. Karen Nichols has written about Montrose's attack on the city for us.

Montrose attacks Dundee

At the time of his attack on Dundee the Marquis of Montrose had achieved victories on behalf of King Charles I and his army was no longer considered an inconsequential pack of mercenaries. The Covenanters were waging full-scale war and Oliver Cromwell was steadily rising through the ranks with another nine years to wait until becoming Protector of England.

The royal burgh of Dundee had been on alert since 1643-44 with militia appointed to guard its four quarters. The Council had reclaimed strategic land and buildings from individuals and were in the process of repairing the boundary walls. Originally an open seaport the burgh was not walled until it had been attacked twice during the Wars of Independence, then again by Richard II and Edward VI. In its need for funds the Council had made several requests to have loans repaid that had been given for government forces to be equipped, such as 4000 merks granted to the Marquis of Argyle who was in pursuit of James Graham, the 1st Marquis of Montrose.

Montrose first approached the burgh with a view to attack within days of his victory over the Covenanters at Tippermuir. Finding it strong and prepared to fight he kept this hotbed of sedition until after the battle of Aberdeen. Most accounts agree that Dundee was a solution to a prestige dilemma. Montrose had to find a reason for being north of the Tay so attacking covenanting Dundee would offer supplies and keep the men busy. Given advance warning by the Earl of Crawford, Dundee called out its men and stood ready. Unfortunately, they weren’t ready enough when the attack came.

Leaving a base at Dunkeld, Montrose headed for that ‘most seditious place, which was a faithful receptacle to the rebels in these parts…’ and arrived to the north by 10am, April 4th 1645. His approach at three angles took advantage of defences still in need of rebuilding and took the burgh’s volunteer garrison by surprise. His men took control of the town’s ordnance that had been placed on Corbie Hill (now quarried out) and turned Dundee’s guns on itself. His targets included the parish church, the hospital and Bonnet Row (now Hilltown) where he ‘wilfullie and treasonablie raised wilful fire in the suburbs thereof called the Bonnet Raw’.

A servant to the Laird of Rothiemay, trumpeter John Gordon, was sent to order magistrates to surrender. It is accepted that the town fathers followed usual practice and secured the messenger in the Tolbooth. Any reply to the surrender request was understandably slow in arriving so Montrose started the assault by ordering Lord Gordon and Macdonald to storm the town. Soon they received news that the experienced Covenanter Generals Baillie and Hurry were riding from Perth and barely one mile away with 3000 foot and 800 cavalry. As his own raiding party comprised barely 700 men with 150-200 horse Montrose was advised in two ways; retreat and leave his forces to their fate or charge and die gloriously on the battlefield. Montrose decided to take a third option. Most commentators regard his next move as an example of his leadership skills and command over his troops. He rode into the market place rounding up the inebriated and pillaging soldiers before dividing the force onto two diverging roads and closed the rear himself before ‘the sun had set’. Assuming entry soon after 10am the invading army were present in the burgh for no more than six to seven hours.

Hurry and Baillie had divided their troops in half before entering the west of the burgh expecting that their prey was an assured capture. Whilst Montrose was exiting the east walls a reward of 20,000 gold pieces was offered as an incentive to the pursuing troops.

Montrose then continued to march a section of his troops through the night until they reached Arbroath. In thirty hours the army had marched sixty miles, plundered a town, got drunk, made a hurried retreat and marched over open countryside in darkness. One biographer, Williams, noted that the Covenanters claimed the salvation of the town as a victory - although the Scots knew different! Buchan offers open admiration for a leader who could gather together drunken men laden with plunder claiming that ‘he who could execute such a flight was a consummate strategist’. With light skirmishes the chase continued until Montrose and his men were safe in the hills of Glenesk. His biographer, Wishart, writes

‘Whether such an account will be believed abroad or in after ages I cannot pretend to say; but it rests on the most certain information and the best of evidence. In fact, I have often heard officers of experience and distinction, not in Britain only, but also in Germany and France, prefer this march of Montrose to his most famous victories.’

This fleeting visit left a legacy of damage, calculated at £162,299 15s, for the burgh and its residents. The boundary walls alone cost £162 to repair. An Act of Parliament, 13 January 1646, reported that the burgh had suffered

‘not onlie the slaughter of manie of the inhabitantis bot also a great pairt of the biggingis of the toun, whiche was ane of the chiefe of this kingdome, is fearfullie defaced and maist pairt of the inhabitantis rwined, the toun disabled to undergoe the publict service and burdingis and without supplie is likelie to decay.’

This attack may sound vicious but my attention has been captured by recent accounts and a novel that equate it as equal, if not exceeding, in verocity to the later siege of the opposing side in the same argument by General George Monck. How this opinion came about is not quite clear. For instance, the 1645 attack claimed the loss ‘of manie..’. The 1651 attack by Monck’s forces reduced the population ‘be estimation … about ten or ellevin hundredth, beside four or five hundredth prissoneris.’ Other calculations rate the deaths at approximately 800 men, women and children.

Another point of disagreement, in my mind, is the separation of the main parish church, St. Mary’s, from its tower, known locally as the Steeple. This ‘fact’ is clearly stated by 20th century historians yet I find no contemporary evidence to support it. It is not mentioned in town records or by any biographer. An 1893 account quoting Wishart claims the invaders took control of the market–place and the church whilst others fired the houses. This same account states that ‘the South church was made useless’ but was this by a fire bad enough to reduce a church to rubble whilst leaving its bell tower standing? Possibly. A gas explosion in 1841 did exactly that. The parish church of St. Mary’s has a complicated history with six reincarnations. Due to attacks as part of the Rough Wooings (1547-50) there was a gap in the church grounds. This section was rebuilt as the South church in 1558. A collegiate system was established by the end of the 16th century with one building divided into separate charges to accommodate different congregations. In later periods the South Church was contained within the transept of St. Mary’s not the nave which is the part connected, then disconnected from, the tower. Although modern usage may reflect past tradition it is not enough on which to base a conclusion. Had it been St. Mary’s nave which was destroyed so completely why would records refer to the South church? There was no northern church to differentiate from and the site is at the western edge of town.

An artist in the 19th century image portrayed Civil War combatants in front of the derelict tower suggesting that the tower was destroyed in the conflict. By dating their clothes I conclude that the artist has dated the separation of tower and church to the 1640s. Is this belief based on fact or an urban myth?

If Dundee thought it was hard pressed in 1645 it was to suffer even more six years later. Unknown to the inhabitants they would be besieged six years later by General George Monck on behalf of Cromwell.

Despite their adherence to the reformed faith and the Solemn League and Covenant the people of Dundee showed kindness and sympathy when the defeated Montrose was en route to his execution in Edinburgh.

References
Act of Parliament, Dundee, 13 Jan 1649, www.rps.ac.uk
Cavalier in Mourning, Ronald Williams, 1975
Dundee & the Civil Wars 1639-1660, Friends of Dundee City Archives, 2007
Dundee in the Civil Wars, Whatley, Swinfen & Smith (eds), in Life and Times of Dundee, 1993
George Wishart, Rev., in Deeds of Montrose 1639-50, Murdoch & Simpson, 1893
Life and Times of Montrose, Mark Napier, 1840
Montrose for Covenant & King, Edward Cowan, 1977
Montrose, John Buchan, 1928,

When is a Group not a Group?

2011-08-26T07:00:00.008+01:00

...When it is a society.

Recent issues with the availability of the war memorials and war graves forums on a 24 x 7 basis, plus the realisation that we are not as well known as we thought, have convinced a few of us that we finally have to take the bull by the horns and form a committee to run things. We've always taken a bit of pride in our independence and the fact everything is done by volunteers and on free hosting sites. However we have reached a stage where we need to take a more mature view on how we operate.

For one thing the data we have on the forums need to be stored on a secure database. The only way we can see that happening is by getting some sort of funding, and a large amount of it at that. To get funding we need to be a charity, and to be a charity we need a society with a properly elected and constitutionally bound committee. We also need to raise our profile too. Being a proper society should help with that.

Since we have come to that decision we feel there is no point hanging around so a meeting a.s.a.p. to kick things off would be a good thing.

We have decided to meet at 2pm at the Camperdown Bar in Queen Street Station in Glasgow, on Saturday 3rd September. We felt that was a good central location in Glasgow and should be easy to get to from a lot of places.

We'd like to invite anyone interested along to the meeting, hopefully the first meeting of a new society interested in all aspects of Scottish military history.

If you'd like to come along please let us know by contacting us on the SMRG website feedback page. Let us know your e-mail address and mobile phone number. That way we can make sure that everyone knows if there is a sudden last minute change of plan.

For those not able to attend we would still like you to be involved so please feel free to contact us with thoughts on the future of any society formed; plus any items you'd like discussed so I can add them to an agenda I am preparing for the day.

The meeting place of a bar has been chosen so that once the formalities of the day have been finished with we can have an infomal get together. It's a Wetherspoons pub so they are quite happy to serve tea and coffee during the day too for those driving. I'm hoping the actual meeting will take about 60-90 mins and then we have the rest of the afternoon to chat.

Motivated by family's sacrifice

2011-08-25T13:11:00.006+01:00

We've covered the story of the Cranston family on the blog before.

Here is an update from the East Lothian Courier

Motivated by family's sacrifice

Bryan Copland • Published 25 Aug 2011

A DESCENDANT of a Haddington family which was decimated during the First World War will next month travel to the town from Australia in his quest to have the family's loss commemorated.

Stuart Pearson, from Sydney, Australia, is a distant relative of the Cranston family - which lost four of its nine sons at war and another two were horrifically injured. Only one of the seven who went to war returned unscathed.

It is widely believed that this may rank among the most significant sacrifices made by a Scottish family in the Great War.

Mr Pearson has never been to Scotland before but has been in regular contact with local author and historian Bob Mitchell - with whom he is co-writing a book about the Cranstons - as well as the town's community council and East Lothian councillors.

A reunion of all the Scottish descendants of the Cranstons will take place on Saturday, September 17, while another Australian descendant will also attend.

While here, Mr Pearson also wants to discuss the possibility of an appropriate memorial to the family.

Mr Pearson has previously suggested that a stone cairn, or naming a street or local park after the family, would be a suitable tribute - though Haddington Community Council has been reluctant to provide a dedicated memorial without putting the loss into context, as it is concerned it may overshadow other families' losses during the war.

Mr Pearson said: "A previous request [for a memorial] was declined but this Antipodean descendant would like another opportunity to present his case, this time in person.

"It is my opinion that this remarkable Haddington family who made such an extraordinary (perhaps unprecedented) sacrifice, suffered such devastation yet ultimately survived should have their story told. They should be commemorated in writing and in stone.

"As we near the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War, I hope that a memorial to the Cranston family could become a metaphor for every Scottish family's loss during that terrible event."

Fort George to mark links to Liverpool

2011-08-25T06:52:00.003+01:00

We've mentioned the Fort George museum refurbishment before. More news now from the BBC News website.

Liverpool's military links to the Highlands are to be remembered in a new museum display.

The museum at Fort George, near Inverness, is being upgraded a cost of £3.2m. So far £2.5m has been raised.

A donation of £1,500 covers the cost of a display dedicated to the Liverpool Scottish, which was raised to fight in the Second Boer War in 1900.

In 1937, it became a territorial battalion of the Cameron Highlanders, based in Inverness.

The Highlands Museum is dedicated to the Cameron Highlanders, Seaforth Highlanders, Queen's Own Highlanders and their affiliated regiments.

The Liverpool Scottish, whose soldiers wore the Forbes tartan and saw action during World War I, later became part of the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.

Money for the display was donated by the Liverpool Scottish Regimental Trustees.

When first raised, the regiment recruited mainly from Scots living in the city.

The revamped museum at Fort George, a 1700s artillery fort which remains a working barracks, is scheduled to open in 2012.

Actor Hugh Grant launched the public appeal to help raise funds for the project in November 2010.

His grandfather Col James Murray Grant, from Inverness, received the Distinguished Service Order for bravery during World War II.

The Seaforth Highlander was depot commander at Fort George after the war.

Grant's father Capt James Murray Grant also served with a Highlands regiment.

'Safe keeping'

Museum chairman, Maj Gen Seymour Monro, said he was thrilled by the Liverpool Scottish support.

Col Ian Paterson, president of the Liverpool Scottish Regimental Association, added: "The Liverpool Scottish was an important and valued member of the regimental family in the Highlands for the major part of the 20th Century.

"As such it is appropriate that we support this splendid museum at Fort George and that we place here notable items reflecting that great history for display and safe keeping."

Can't our museums stay open a wee bit longer?

2011-08-24T15:48:00.000+01:00

I don't think any of us feel we've had a summer, and here is autumn approaching already. When the leaves start to fall it seems it is time for certain museums and attractions around Scotland to start dusting off the shutters and canvas as the closed season is nearly upon them.

In an earlier post we bemoaned the fact that certain Scottish military museums have reduced opening hours that are almost farcical. They are open when no-one can visit them and are closed at weekends and evenings when people could actually visit them. Then they wonder why their visitor numbers are so low.

Now it's time for us to scratch our heads at attractions which don't even stay open until then end of the October holidays! The poor old KOSB museum at Berwick-upon-Tweed has been in the news a few times this year. As a show of support a few SMRG members were planning a trip down to visit them later in the year. A quick check on their website shows they close for the season on 30th September.

Another planned trip to Cumbria's Military Museum in November will have to bypass the Devil's Porridge Museum at Gretna as they will have been shut for two weeks. (to their credit the Carlisle museum only closes on four days of the year, 24th, 25th 26th December and the 1st January).

I've recently returned from France and the museums and attractions there stay open until 7pm in the summer, even on a Sunday. Would that happen over here? Fat chance

How many times in Scottish museums have staff made it clear you are unwelcome once it nears closing time? If it says it it closed at 18:00 then it's lights off and doors locked by six p.m. sharp, and hard cheese if you were enjoying your visit.

We understand times are tight and many museums rely heavily on volunteers but can things be so bad in Scotland's military museums that they have to be shut for so much of the year?

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When Gaddafi's Barracks Housed Highlanders

2011-08-22T21:34:00.002+01:00

The barracks which have been at the centre of Gaddafi's rule for 40 years, Bab al-Azizia Barracks, are in the news again today as fighting rages across the Libyan city.

These were the barracks bombed by the US Air Force 25 years ago, but 65 years ago they were home to a battalion of Scotsmen.

In the immediate post-war period the former Italian colony of Libya was under British control, and amongst the British troops stationed there was the 2nd Battalion Gordon Highlanders. One of the officers of the battalion was a man who had been commissioned into the Gordons and sent to Tripoli from Burma. He would later become a famous author, screenwriter and journalist.

George MacDonald Fraser fictionalised his time with the Gordons in his "General Danced at Dawn" trilogy but he admits in the epilogue of the final book that his made-up highland regiment was the old 92nd Highlanders. He even mentions the 1986 bombing of the barracks and a feeling of sadness of what had become of his former home from 1945 - 1948.

We are witnessing momentous events in the Libyan capital today, a very 21st Century civil war. But for a piece of history, and a humorous one at that, I'd recommend MacDonald Fraser's books. They bring back a time when the most dangerous thing that happened at Bab al-Azizia, if the author would have you believe, was a drunken punch-up between squaddies when the bars emptied.

The Lanark Festival of History is this weekend

2011-08-18T23:58:00.005+01:00

Lets hope the rain holds off in Lanarkshire this weekend for the Lanark Festival of History.

From their website: http://www.lanarkmedievalfestival.co.uk/

Lanark: Scotland's Festival of History

20th and 21st AUGUST 2011

~ Fun for all ages exploring the ages ~

Roman • Viking • Medieval • 17thC • Jacobites • Napoleonic • American Civil War • WW1 and WW2, and more…

Experience History as it happened

They seem to have lost their list of participants from their website but when I looked at it the other day I recognised a good few names from the list of Scottish re-enactors we published earlier this year.

It's on for two days and looks like a good event to go to. Somebody from the Blog should hopefully make it along to one of the days so we'll hopefully have an update after the event.

World Pipe Band Championships 2011

2011-08-14T21:39:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I was in Glasgow Green to attend the 2011 World Pipe Band Championships.

230 pipe bands attended, taking part in competition across several grades, with the Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band being crowned World Champions.

The weather managed to stay reasonably dry, and there was plenty to see - it was certainly a busy day!

There's a fine military tradition where pipe bands are concerned, and while there didn't seem to be any bands from the Scottish regiments, there were several others with names that had a hint of the military tradition, starting obviously with the World Champions, named after the famous Field Marshal, "Monty" himself.

Not that there were no regiments present - the 1st Royal Tank Regiment were present in the 4B grade, and the 3B Grade saw the presence of the 101st Northumbrian Regiment, Royal Artillery - or the Tyneside Scottish as they might be better known.

We stayed to watch the Grade 4A final, and here was found a band which clearly honours the fallen of the Great War - Thiepval Memorial Pipe Band. You probably can't see it in this video, but their bagpipe covers have an image of the famous memorial on them.

The Grade 4A was won by Scottish Borders Pipe Band with a fine performance it's worth highlighting here:

All in all, it was a fantastic day out with plenty to see and do. I would highly recommend checking the dedicated page on the BBC website to watch the Grade One performances, and make sure you book your tickets for next years contest - I'll see you there!

Historic find goes on show at museum

2011-08-10T23:49:00.000+01:00

A fascinating article from the Lochaber News. It just goes to show, you never know what you might turn up!

A Lochaber woman's chance discovery in the attic has gone on permanent display this week at Fort William's West Highland Museum.

Kate Cameron was clearing out boxes from the loft of her former Fort William town centre home when she came across a framed photograph of her father. But when she removed the picture from its frame, there was a surprise in store.

Tucked behind the portrait was a magnificent military memento: a roll of honour document from the First World War which was been presented to her grandfather Kenneth Kennedy Cameron, known as KK, who served as a lieutenant with the Cameron Highlanders and was posted to India.

There was also a poem, written by H Cartwell of Southend on Sea as a tribute to KK following his death in 1944. The touching, five-verse piece comments on KK's life as a soldier and well-known and respected businessman.

After liaising with Jimmy Smith, of the Fort William branch of the Royal British Legion, Kate, who lives at Banavie, has now presented both documents to the world famous museum in Cameron Square where they are being displayed alongside other military-related exhibits.

Kate (64), a Link Housing officer, had originally intended to donate the roll of honour to the Cameron Highlanders Association in Inverness, but is glad the scroll will remain locally and be accessible to the wider Lochaber public.

She told the Lochaber News: "It was really by chance that I found the roll of honour in the loft, but I was really delighted by its discovery.

"It is headlined 'Roll of Honour, Inverness and District B' and is for the period 1914-19 and features all the different regiments. It's a beautiful document.

"I found it in my old house at 143 High Street, in the west end, which was located above the family business. It was tucked behind the picture of my father. I liked the frame, but not the picture so much, so I took it out and got the nice surprise.

"I had made enquiries about putting the roll of honour up to Inverness and spoke to a British Legion representative about this. Then recently, Jimmy Smith got in touch, suggesting it would be fitting to put it to the West Highland Museum.

"I'm really pleased it's staying in Fort William. My grandfather was a well known and popular character in the town and I'm sure there will be a fair bit of interest from locals.

"I never knew my grandfather, but I'm very proud of him. I know that as well as his exploits in India he also had a great escape in France when he was shot at Ypres. Miraculously he survived because the bullet struck his cigarette tin tucked in his chest pocket."

West Highland Museum curator manager Mairi Mooney said: "We're delighted Kate has chosen to present the roll of honour to the museum. We're sure it will generate a lot of local interest as KK was a highly-regarded man in Fort William."

l Kenneth Kennedy Cameron was born on December 8, 1885, and died on February 16, 1944. He met his future wife Mary Margaret Evans, known as Meg, before his posting to India.

KK and Meg married in 1920 and started married life at 103 High Street. In the early 1920s they moved to Lochaber House, 1 Reform Place - now 141

143 High Street - having purchased from his father, Walter, the family business which was a bakery/tearoom and hotel upstairs.

The business, established by Walter in 1874, then became known as KK's.

KK became a very respected business man and although he suffered poor health with malaria and angina he devoted much of his time to the MacIntosh Memorial Church and British Legion.

KK died in 1944 aged 58. His son Kenny was serving with the RAF in the Second World War but was given compassionate leave to carry on the business with his mother.

While the premises at 141-143 High Street no longer remains part of KK's business, fourth-generation Kim Cameron, Kate's brother, carries on the family tradition in Caol Shopping Centre.

The Inventory of Historic Scottish Battlefields Consultation

2011-08-08T22:47:00.002+01:00

From Historic Scotland's website: http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/battlefieldconsultation

The Inventory of Historic Battlefields Consultation

Through the Scottish Historic Environment Policy (SHEP) 2009, Scottish Ministers announced that Historic Scotland would prepare an Inventory of Historic Battlefields to identify and provide information on Scotland’s nationally important fields of conflict to aid in their future management, preservation and enjoyment. SHEP 2009 can be viewed at www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/shep-july-2009.pdf.

In March 2011, the Inventory of historic battlefields was launched, containing records for the first 17 battlefields identified as nationally important. Historic Scotland has now opened consultation for the second tranche of Inventory records, comprising a further 11 battlefields identified as being of national importance: you can view these reports at http://data.historic-scotland.gov.uk.

Research is currently taking place on a third tranche of sites, which will be subject to separate consultation in due course.

What is the Inventory of Historic Battlefields?

The Inventory identifies battlefields considered to be of national importance for the contribution they make to the archaeology and history of our nation. It includes our most significant and iconic battlefields, and provides information to aid their protection, management, interpretation and promotion. Selection criteria are set out in SHEP 2009 (Annex 5).

For each site there is a concise report describing the battlefield, the reasons for its inclusion and a map of its boundary. The Inventory map indicates the extent of the battlefield, defining the overall area considered to be of interest on the basis of research undertaken. At the end of each report, there is a list of key source material and references to aid further research and for educational use. An extended report is also available, which adds more detailed information to that in the concise report, where possible.

Further information about the Inventory can be found at www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/battlefields

British Army recruiting takes a new and bizzare turn....

2011-08-07T16:02:00.001+01:00

Spotted in a shop today, one of the pipers from the new Meerkat Division.

And yes, that is a Cameronians badge on his glengarry. Perhaps the anorak in me should point out that a piper would have a different badge to that one...

Scots Army Invades England - On this day in Scottish Military History - 1651

2011-08-06T06:00:00.003+01:00

Three hundred and sixty years ago today during the War of Three Kingdoms General George Monck laid siege to Stirling Castle.

Since breaking the deadlock at Inverkeithing he had moved his New Model Army forces across the Central belt towards one of the most strategic positions in Scotland.

At the same time the Scots Army was not approaching Stirling; it was heading South.

In alliance with Charles II the Scots were heading for London. They intended to steal a march on Cromwell's forces who were now behind them, and rally Royalist Englishmen on the march south.

On this day in 1651 the Scots crossed the border into England. Little did they know they were playing into Cromwell's hands.

Liverpool Scottish double V.C. gets a new memorial

2011-08-05T22:34:00.008+01:00

Captain Noel Chavasse V.C. and bar, a doctor who served in the Liverpool Scottish during the First World War has had a new memorial unveiled in his memory in Liverpool.
The BBC and Liverpool Echo have both reported on the unveiling.

Chavasse was one of only three men to have been awarded a bar to the Victoria Cross. His second award was posthumous.

Captain Chavasse died on 4 August 1917 and is buried at Brandhoek New Military Cemetery in Belgium.

New Craigneuk war memorial to be unveiled

2011-08-04T17:52:00.007+01:00

From today's Wishaw Press

New Craigneuk war memorial to be unveiled

Aug 3 2011 by Robert Mitchell, Wishaw Press

CRAIGNEUK’S war memorial has sat proudly in the village for decades but the names of the fallen have been missing from it for all that time – until now.

Almost 300 people from Craigneuk died during the two World Wars and the community’s efforts to erect a new monument that pays respect to all of them are about to be realised.

Campaigners spent over three years raising around £65,000 to pay for the specialist work to add the names of the fallen to the cenotaph and the new-look memorial will be unveiled later this month on Saturday, August 27.

Joe O’Raw of Craigneuk War Memorial Group said: “The new addition of walls with the names of the fallen of Craigneuk and Berryhill district who died in the two World Wars and other conflicts is nearing completion.

“The new memorial will be officially dedicated on Saturday, August 27, at 11am but anyone wishing to attend should be at the memorial for 10.30am as a large attendance is expected.”

The memorial group tracked down the records of every person from the area who died during the two World Wars and later conflicts so their names could be added. The 1914-18 war claimed 159 lives from the area, the 1939-45 conflict saw another 84 men make the ultimate sacrifice and two lives were lost in Northern Ireland.

A special panel will be reserved for Victoria Cross holder William Clamp who, although born in Motherwell, was educated at Craigneuk Public School. He was killed when he rushed a machine-gun post in October 1917 at Poelcapelle in Belgium, capturing 20 prisoners before being cut down by a sniper.

Members raised tens of thousands of pounds for the memorial, which sits outside Craigneuk Library, with help from the community. The Environmental Key Fund handed over £30,000, while Orange Lodge members from Wishaw raised around £5000.

Patsy Tait is one of the locals behind the ambitious plan and she told the Wishaw Press: “We want the memorial to become a new focal point for the community, as we feel there’s something missing. For such a small village there’s a lot of war dead and we’d like the fallen to be honoured.

“The memorial is a real focal point for the local community and allows people to pay their respects. We’ve had lots of great feedback on our plans. Lots of children have been saying to us that they will be able to find their great-granddad’s name inscribed on the cenotaph.”

Details of the dedication programme and parking arrangements will be published in the Wishaw Press nearer the day. In the meantime, relatives of the fallen are asked to send their names to the war memorial group, even if they have done so previously.

The group have decided that family of the fallen should carry out the dedication part of the ceremony. While everyone is welcome to attend the event, it was felt the most solemn part should be carried out by relatives.

As there will be so many people there, 18 names will be drawn by the children of Craigneuk Nursery to represent all the relatives of the fallen, which is why the group are asking people to get in touch with their names as soon as possible. There will be six new panels on the memorial. Anyone wishing to lay a wreath after the dedication service will be welcome to do so.

Those wishing to take part in the draw to represent the families are asked to phone either Jean Ewart at Craigneuk Library on (01698) 376689 or Joe O’Raw on (01698) 350945.

Special honour for Victoria Cross winner

ONE of the fallen whose name will appear on the memorial is Victoria Cross winner William Clamp, who was killed when he rushed a machine-gun post in October 1917 at Poelcapelle in Belgium, and captured 20 prisoners before being cut down by a sniper.

For that act of bravery, he was awarded the highest award that can be given to British forces.

Patsy Tait of Craigneuk War Memorial Group said: “He’s not been truly recognised for what he did. There is a road named after him in Craigneuk, but I’m not sure how many people realise that.”

The VC winner was born to Charles and Christina Clamp of Motherwell’s Bridge Street in October 1892, and was educated at Craigneuk School.

He had eight brothers and nine sisters. Clamp also attended the local Salvation Army’s Sabbath School and played the bugle in the Motherwell Corps of the Salvation Army. He later became a member of the Good Templar Lodge.

In January 1914 he joined the 6th Scottish Rifles (Cameronians), the local territorial army unit. On the outbreak of the Great War, he was immediately called up and saw fighting with the 6th Cameronians at Festubert in 1915. He was twice seriously wounded and when he came out of hospital the second time, he was transferred to the 6th Yorkshires in January 1917.

Corporal Clamp won the VC for his bravery at Poelcappelle on October 9, 1917. When an advance was checked by intense machine-gun fire from concrete blockhouses and by snipers, Corporal Clamp attempted to rush the enemy. His first attempt failed and the two men with him became casualties, but he collected some bombs and two more men and, dashing forward, was the first to reach the blockhouse where he hurled his bombs, killing many of the occupants. He then entered, capturing a machine-gun and about 20 prisoners whom he brought back under heavy fire.

He went forward again encouraging his men and displaying the greatest heroism until killed by a sniper.

The memorial will be for all of the village’s war dead however, and the people behind the project hope that it will help transform Craigneuk

Object of the Month - August 2011

2011-08-01T06:10:00.001+01:00

Given that August is a month where a lot of people might be on holiday, we thought you might need a passport!

And what better passport to give you than that belonging to the Commander in Chief!

Yes, this is Field Marshal Douglas Earl Haig of Bemersyde's passport, issued to him in 1921 for a visit to South Africa. Seems even a Field Marshal needed a passport.

This rather unusual item is on display in the Museum of Edinburgh, located in Huntly House on the Canongate. The museum has a large collection of artefacts relating to Douglas Haig, and is well worth a visit.

July 2011 - That Was The Month That Was

2011-07-31T21:06:00.000+01:00

We've been forgetting to do this for a while, so here it is back again!

July was supposed to be the month we took things easy, but it proved to be anything but. Here's the list of the most-viewed articles from this month:

Just for a bit more fun, here's the top ten list of countries which have been visiting the blog:

United Kingdom
United States
Canada
Australia
Germany
France
Netherlands
South Korea
Hong Kong
Russia

Want some more stats? Here's the top ten list of things people searched for which brought them to our blog in July:

earl of strathearn
scottish military
andre chissel
fromelles relatives database dryburgh
david niven
edinburgh war research
http://scottishmilitary.blogspot.com/2010/10/edinburghs-war-1914-1918.html
majuba hill
1888 civil war painting by robert gibb
alexander wallace macdonald fort william

Image of the Day - 31st July 2011

2011-07-31T06:10:00.000+01:00

Today's image is one that I've had stored on my hard drive for some time now, and I thought I should make use of it.

It depicts a soldier in the Gordon Highlanders- this picture is in the possession of a friend of mine and I believe it depicts a man in the 10th Battalion.

There are several things I like about this picture. First of all, it's a very good image of a man and his kit. My main reason for liking it is the other soldiers looking out from the window with a mixture of looks ranging from curiosity to outright boredom. I'd love to be able to eavesdrop on their conversation.

Click on the image for a larger version.