The Scottish Military Research Group - Commemorations Project

David McNay · Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 11:02 am Post subject:

The memorial opens to visitors on the 29th October.

And it would go in the "Outside Scotland" section, since that's where it is geographically.

KevinStoke · . Joined: 09 Jan 2007 Posts: 175

Does the forum want photographs of the memorial as it is not Scottish. Its a bit like having a photograph of Leys School Cambridge war memorial posted because it has a Scotsman name on it. Just a thought.

Kevin

Adam Brown · Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 1:53 pm Post subject:

I've included Tower Hill Memorial in London on this forum because you can identify Scottish registered vessels.

If the names on this new memorial are arranged by regiment then I think we should have photographs of the Scottish Regiments panels.

If it is arranged by date then it may be an idea to get a photograph of the names of the Grangemouth TA Engineers killed in a training accident in the 1970s. (Anne Anderson posted their memorial in Grangemouth a few months ago).

If it's done alphabetically I think we should just have some photographs of the memorial and a link to the database. There are over 2,000 Scots or those serving in Scottish Regiments commemorated at this memorial so we should have something on this forum to record that fact.

Regards

Adam

KevinStoke · . Joined: 09 Jan 2007 Posts: 175

Its listed by year of death. No rank, no regiment, just the name. Could we open up a thread for requests from friend or relatives and post the photo of that name within the thread. I don't mind going once a month to the memorial and photographing and posting requests.

Kevin

Adam Brown · Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 3:45 pm Post subject:

The date of unveiling for the Glenrothes War Memorial is 7th Nov according to the BBC website.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7056813.stm

dhubthaigh · Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 3:49 pm Post subject:

I am on hols. round then and will be in that neck of the woods so could get a photo.
Unless someone is going to be at the unveiling?

Mark

spoons · Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 9:21 am Post subject:

There is an interesting article in yesterday's Sunday Times magazine about Iraq/Afghanistan and it contains a photo of every soldier who has died since 2002. I will be keeping the magazine so if any of these have been added to memorials, let me know and I will scan the relevant photo and post it. I think I remember seeing one, but I cannot remember where.

\Paul

Adam Brown · Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 1:45 pm Post subject:

Paul

I've got a thread running here about Iraq / Afghanistan deaths.

http://warmemscot.s4.bizhat.com/viewtopic.php?t=20

I haven't updated it with the Glenrothes memorial yet since It's not officially open but the other details of memorials are up to date as far as I am aware.

Adam

dhubthaigh · Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 5:49 pm Post subject:

Apologies if this has been mentioned elsewhere previously - Glasgow VC winners memorial at the Necropolis;
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/6973468.stm

spoons · Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 8:15 pm Post subject:

Adam Brown · Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2007 4:49 pm Post subject:

There’s talk today of Edinburgh raising its own memorial to its VC and GC winners.

There is an article in tonight’s Edinburgh Evening news:

http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1759922007#new

This is a council initiative so given the awful state of the council’s finances I don’t expect to see it happening. I was surprised to see the One O’clock Gun Association did not get a mention since they are usually involved in things like this in Edinburgh.

I suspect it’s been bandied about the council chambers recently because of two things.

1. The unveiling of Glasgow’s VC memorial a few weeks ago
2. The posthumous award of a GC to a Paratrooper from Edinburgh. His family were in the Edinburgh Evening News last week.

Corporal Mark Wright G.C. should be commemorated in Edinburgh but perhaps the Prestonfield War Memorial would be more appropriate. It was adopted by the local primary school a few years ago and Cpl Wright was a former pupil there.

The council proposed a WW2 memorial for the City a couple of years ago just after the Women of WW2 memorial was unveiled in London. It was to be in Princes Street Gardens. Someone must have pointed out that they already had one that covered the Second World War just outside their office windows. It was never heard of again anyway.

Adam

mfi · Joined: 22 Jul 2008 Posts: 11 Location: letham, fife

I visited the Armed Forces Memorial at Alrewas last week and would commend all interested parties to consider a quite remarkable and truly monumental structure. Not only is the white stone architecture massive and appropriate, by constructing the memorial on a raised circular earthwork, the structure evokes the ancient British iron-age forts, found from Orkney to Cornwall. It is more iconic and visitor friendly than the Cenotaph. (Dodging traffic in Whitehall brings survival rather than remembrance to mind). As several contributors have noted there is no regimental or campaign, let alone any 'Scottish' dimension to the memorial. The names of the dead are listed by year, and divided only between the three services. So unlike the impression created when accessing the UK Inventory, there is for instance no 'Korea' or 'Palestine' sections. Simply every name recorded by chronology of the fatalities. Staff explained to me the rationale was that visting veterans and survivors and families recognized groups of friends and comrades killed in the same incident, and this meant more to them than what might appear convenient and rational, e.g. an alphabetical, campaign or regimental basis. The sense of scale, the sense of enclosure within the circular structure creates a genuine feeling of reverence and concentration. The two sculptures one including a greiving wife and child, the other very cleverly arranged around an 'open door' in the vertical wall, through wihich the sun shines on 11/11, are both tastefully executed. The circa 16,000 names recorded cover approximately two-thirds of the internal surfaces of the monument. The unmarked hundreds of square feet of portland stone 'available' for future inscription is frankly a chilling prospect. For a full account of how the National Memorial Arboretum came to be located on such an intially unpromising location, ( it is entirely located on an abandoned gravel quarry site), and how the AFM came to be located at the NMA, after Geoff Hoon had originally wanted a London location, please see David Childs "Growing Remembrance, pub. Pen and Sword , 2008, ISBN 978 1 84415 7792, perhaps members could recommend to the their local libraries.
_________________
I am interested in the full contemporary recognition of current conflicts, (Afghanistan, Iraq, UN peacekeeping service etc.).

spoons · Posted: Sat Aug 30, 2008 11:35 am Post subject:

Anyone near Balavil House, Kingussie tomorrow (31 August). There is a new memorial being unveiled to crew of 467/463 Sqn. It consists of a propeller blade from Lancaster PD259 which crashed on the estate.

There is a detailed history of the wreck here http://www.467463raafsquadrons.com/TrueTales/PD259_JOG.htm

But note that the forgotten bombers site is totally inaccurate and has this confused with another aircraft

The BBC article http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7587769.stm

\Paul

spoons · Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 3:49 pm Post subject:

Another new memorial (bench) at the Eyemouth war memorial

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/7624766.stm

\Paul

Adam Brown · Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 7:18 pm Post subject:

It looks like Edinburgh is pushing ahead with its plans for a VC and GC memorial in West Princes Street Gardens. The Evening News has reported that the Council has put out a design tender notice.

http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/edinburgh/Design-bids-sought-for-memorial.4579536.jp

The fact that it will cost half a million pounds means I will be surprised if it comes to fruition in the form wanted by the council. Just a couple of years ago there was talk of a Second World War Memorial for the City in the Gardens. That came to nothing. (Probably because someone would have pointed out that they already have the City's War Memorial sitting at their front door on the Royal Mile).

Much as I would like to see this memorial being built, as an Edinburgh Council Tax payer I would rather that money was spent on more pressing things and right now £500,000 would go a long way to help schools buy equipment or even fill in some potholes.

Adam