Remembrance 2011

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?

John Binn? - Behind the name

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.

Preparing a Remembrance Day talk

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.”

Remembering Captain Samuel McKnight - Bank Messenger

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

Day of Remembrance plea to Occupy Glasgow camp

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.”

Scottish Poppy Appeal for 2010 raised more than £2.3 million

From the Galloway Gazette

The Scottish Poppy Appeal for 2010 has raised more than £2.3 million - the highest in its history.

A total of £2,343,150 has been donated in the 2010 appeal, with a record £2 million from collection tins. The figure is 5% up on the 2009 appeal total.

Poppyscotland ambassador and BBC Reporting Scotland presenter Jackie Bird said: "This is a wonderful result for Scotland's veterans and their families.

"The theme of the 2010 appeal was 'small things, big difference'. The simple act of buying a poppy may seem like a small gesture but all money raised can make a huge difference to the lives of Scotland's veterans."

The presenter was joined by three Royal Marines to reveal the figure near the Science Centre in Glasgow.

Colin Flinn, Poppyscotland head of fundraising, said: "It's a spectacular amount.

"It's a record throughout the 89/90-year history of Poppyscotland and the Scottish Poppy Appeal.

"This is the most we've ever raised and particularly in such a tough economic climate to be 5% up on the previous year is, I think, a real testament to the support that our veterans get from the Scottish public."

Mr Flinn said a key difference in the 2010 appeal was the public putting money in tins at a "hugely increased level" to break the £2 million barrier on the streets.

Money from the Scottish Poppy Appeal and other fundraising activity is used to provide year-round support to veterans and their families, many of whom suffer as a result of physical, psychological and financial problems as they struggle to readjust to civilian life.

The SMRG Advent Calendar - Day 7

Today's advent calendar treat is a link to a short excerpt of film courtesy of the British Pathe website.

The film is dated 1931 and shows ex-servicemen gathered for a service of remembrance.

We hope you enjoy it. Be sure to check the British Pathe website for many more clips of interest.

EX-SERVICEMEN OF EVERY SCOTTISH REGIMENT

On this day in Scottish military history #9 - The Burial of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey

What has the Unknown Warrior and Westminster Abbey got to do with Scottish military history? The reason I’m posting this that it is worth pointing out that there is a chance the man buried in the most revered grave in London ninety years ago today was a Scot.

No-one knows for sure who he is because so much trouble was gone to, to make sure his identity would never be known. He could have been any rank, from any regiment, from any of the British Empire troops who fought on the Western Front.

He could have been a Scot in a Scottish regiment or in a corps like the Royal Field Artillery; he could have been a Scot serving in an English or Irish or Welsh regiment. He could have been a Scot in a Canadian, Australian, New Zealand or South African unit because thousands of Scots served in those armies. He could have been a Scots officer in an Indian regiment even because death was a great leveller and he could have been a corporal or colonel.

And that is the point of the unknown warrior. He could have been any one of over 200,000 men from the British Empire who died on the Western Front and have no known grave. He was an everyman.

Today any serviceman or woman who is tragically killed in Afghanistan is returned home and is given a military funeral with pall-bearers and firing party. Before that they are reverentially driven through Wootton Basset after their body is flown into RAF Brize Norton.

95 years ago the men who died in France and Flanders and have no known grave were buried where they fell. No ceremony in the UK, and no grave for relatives to mourn at.

With no body to bury they could visit their local war memorial and see a name. They could also go to London and visit Westminster Abbey. There they could lay a poppy on the grave on the unknown warrior and imagine that was their son, or husband, or brother, or father in a proper grave, honoured by the King and his ministers, generals and admirals and the great and good of the land.

During the two minutes silence today as we remember the fallen and the perils they faced at the front, also stop and think of those families left at home who had lost a loved one and never gave up hope that one day their missing soldier would somehow turn up at their door.