The Scottish Military Research Group - Commemorations Project

jamiemcginlay · Joined: 20 Dec 2006 Posts: 930 Location: Glasgow

Cowdenbeath WWI memorial - Dunfermline District
UKNIWM Ref No. 8512

The Cowdenbeath war memorial is a grey granite obelisk set on tapering pedestal with cornice, which in turn rests on two low steps. The commemoration and a downturned sword with wreath is carved on the face of the obelisk. The names of the dead are listed on dressed granite tablets set into the faces of the pedestal.
The monument stands at the end of the High Street.

This photograph was taken in the mid 1990's. At that time the memorial was in a very poor condition. The surrounding area was covered in litter and grafitti and looked like it was used as a drinking den. Worse than this was the fact that many of the black lead letters had been torn off by vandals so that many of the names had become illegible, which is why I only took the one photograph and have no transcription. I sincerely hope it has been restored and is in better condition now.

dhubthaigh · Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 9:46 am Post subject:

dhubthaigh · Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 9:48 am Post subject:

PANEL 1

dhubthaigh · Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 9:49 am Post subject:

PANEL 2

dhubthaigh · Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 9:51 am Post subject:

PANEL 3

dhubthaigh · Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 9:54 am Post subject:

PANEL 4

dhubthaigh · Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 10:00 am Post subject:

The monument has certainly been spruced up since Jim's visit. However there is still graffiti scrawled over parts of it and the area surrounding the memorial still has its fair share of litter and could be better laid out which might help. It does occupy a commanding site over the town and countryside though.

dhubthaigh · Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 10:09 am Post subject:

PANEL 1

JOHN ADAMS
WILLIAM ADAMSON
DAVID ADIE
WILLIAM AITKEN
FRANK ANDERSON
HENRY ANDERSON
JOHN ANDERSON
JOSEPH ANDERSON
ROBERT ANDERSON
WILLIAM ANDERSON
ANDREW ARCHIBALD
DAVID ARCHIBALD
ANDREW ARMITT
ANDREW ARMITT
ARCHIBALD ARNOTT
ROBERT BALLOCH
R. BAPTIE - should be H BAPTIE (R replaced by H in renovations)
IVAN C. BARCLAY
W. K. BARCLAY
DONALD BEATON
JOHN BELL
ROBERT BELL
WILLIAM B. BINNING
WILLIAM BIRD
WILLIAM BLACK
ROLLAND BLAIR
DAVID BOWMAN
ROBERT BOWMAN
WILLIAM BOWMAN
JAMES BRAND
JOHN BRAND
ALEXANDER F. BREMNER
GEORGE BROWN
ALEXANDER BETT
JAMES BROWN
THOMAS BROWN
JAMES BRUCE
GEORGE BUCHANAN
THOMAS P. BURRELL
WILLIAM CAITHNESS
LEWIS P. CAMERON
GEORGE H. CAMPBELL
WILLIAM CAMPBELL
JOHN CHALMERS
THOMAS COOPER
GEORGE COWAN
THOMAS H. COWAN
ROBERT CRAIG
GEORGE CRIGHTON
GEORGE CRIGHTON
R. H. CUMMING
M. CUNNINGHAM
SAMUEL DEAS
JAMES DERRICK
HARRY DICK
THOMAS DONALDSON
S. DRUMMOND
EBENEZER DUFFY
JOHN DUNCAN
WILLIAM DUNCAN
ALEXANDER EASTON
GEORGE ERSKINE
DAVID EWAN
ALEXANDER EWING
HENRY FAIRLEY
JOHN FALCONER
GILBERT FERGUSON
ROBERT DAVIDSON

dhubthaigh · Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 10:37 am Post subject:

PANEL 2

JOHN FERGUSON
DONALD FINDLAY
JAMES FINLAYSON
JAMES FORTUNE
JAMES I. FORTUNE
JOHN FORTUNE
WILLIAM FRAME
ALEXANDER FRASER
WILLIAM FRASER
GEORGE FREW
JAMES FREW
WILLIAM FREW
ELIAS FYFFE
JOHN W. GALBRAITH
WILLIAM GOLLOWAY
JAMES GARDNER
JOHN T. GARDNER
ANDREW H. GARRIE
R. GIBB
CHRISTOPHER GILL
WILLIAM GILLIARD
JOHN GLASS
TOBERT GORDON
ARCHIBALD C. GRAHAM
GEORGE K. GRAHAM
THOMAS GRANDISON
DAVID GREIG
WILLIAM GREIG
CAMPBELL GUTHRIE
JOHN GUTHRIE
ROBERT GUTHRIE
WILLIAM T. HALL
ALEXANDER HAROLD
ANDREW HARVEY
ROBERT HAXTON
DAVID HAY
ANDREW HENDERSON
JAMES HENDERSON
ROBERT HORSBURGH
R. B. HOSIE
JOHN HOWARD
THOMAS HUGHES
WILLIAM HUGHES
ADAM HUNTER
ADAM HUNTER
ANDREW HUNTER
GEORGE HUNTER
JOHN HUNTER
SIMPSON HUNTER
THOMAS HUNTER
JOHNJAMIESON
WILLIAM JAMIESON
JOHN W. JOHNSON
JOHN JOHNSTON
WILLIAM JOHNSTONE
JOHN KEATING
J. KELLY
FRANK KENNEDY
WILLIAM KERR
WILLIAM KIRK
A. LAING
J. LAING
W. LAMB
DAVID LAW
WALTER LAW
DAVID LISTER

Adam Brown · Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 12:04 pm Post subject:

dhubthaigh · Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 1:12 pm Post subject:

PANEL 3

DAVID LOCKHART
CHARLES LOW
ANDREW LUNN
PATRICK LYNCH
ALEXANDER MACGREGOR
OWEN MCBRIDE
JOHN MCCALLUM
THOMAS MCCORMACK
JOHN MCDONALD
ANDREW MCEWAN
JOHN MCGAW
GEORGE MCGLASHAN
JAMES MCINALLY
DAVID MCKENZIE
WILLIAM MCLEAN
JOHN MCLEOD
PATRICK MCMAHON
EDWARD MCMANUS
MARTIN MCMINN
PETER MCNAUGHTON
ALEXANDER MCQUIRE
THOMAS C MCVIVAR
EDWARD MARSHALL
WILLIAM B MARTIN
JOHN MATHER
JOHN MELDRUM
JOHN MERGER
JAMES MICHIE
THOMAS MICHIE
ARCHIBALD MILLAR
GORDON MILLER
GEORGE S MARSHALL
WILLIAM MILLER
ANDREW MITCHELL
DAVID MITCHELL
JAMES B MITCHELL
JOHN MITCHELL
THOMAS MITCHELL
HUGH MORAN
THOMAS MUIRHEAD
WILLIAM MUIR
DAVID MURRAY
ALEXANDER NICHOLSON
JAMES NICHOLSON
CHARLES NISBET
DAVID O'NEIL
ROBERT O'NEIL
GEORGE R PATRICK
JOHN PATRICK
ROBERT PATTERSON
ALEXANDER PENMAN
JAMES PERT
ADAM H PETRIE
JAMES PETRIE
JAMES PHILIP
WILLIAM PRYDE
FRANK RAE
ROBERT J RATTRAY
RICHARD T REID
WILLIAM REILLY
ADAM RENNIE
WILLIAM RIDDEL
JAMES C RITCHIE
ROBERT ROBERTSON
ROBERT ROWAN
CHARLES SCOTT

dhubthaigh · Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 1:55 pm Post subject:

PANEL 4

W SCOTT
ALEXANDER SHARP
WILLIAM SHARP
WILLIAM SHAW
JAMES SINCLAIR
JAMES SMITH
JOHN S SMITH
RICHARD SMITH
THOMAS SMITH
JOHN SNEDDON
JOSEPH SNEDDON
THOMAS SNEDDON
ROBERT SOMERVILLE
JAMES B SPEID
ADAM SPENCE
WILLIAM STARK
DAVID STEIN
GEORGE STEIN
THOMAS S STEWART
WILLIAM STEWART
WILLIAM STEWART
JOHN STOBIE
FREDERICK STRACHAN
DANIEL STURROCK
JOHN SUTHERLAND
WILLIAM SUTHERLAND
A SWAN
J SWAN
EDWARD SWEENEY
DAVID SYME
JAMES TAYLOR
JAMES THAYNE
ROBERT THOMPSON
JAMES THOMSON
JOHN C THOMSON
WILLIAM THOMSON
WILLIAM THOMSON
WILLIAM THOMSON
ALEXANDER TODD
JAMES D TODD
ROBERT TODD
THOMAS TODD
ANDREW TOOLE
THOMAS TORRANCE
W TULLOCH
SAMUEL H TURNBULL
W B TURNBULL
WILLIAM A WATKINS
WILLIAM WATSON
JOHN WATSON
ANDREW WATT
PETER WATT
LIVINGSTON WAUGH
ALEXANDER WELSH
ANDREW WELSH
DAVID WELSH
JAMES WESTWATER
WILLIAM WESTWATER
WILLIAM WILKIE
DAVID WILSON
DAVID WILSON
JOHN WOOD
JOHN S WRIGHT
JAMES YOUNG

john burnett · Joined: 29 Jan 2007 Posts: 790 Location: Fife

I agree with comments that it is situated in a commanding site and that it could be better laid out.
However, the site is used as a drinking den and is the worst kept I have ever seen. An absolute disgrace. I am going to contact Fife Region.

ADP · Joined: 13 Jun 2008 Posts: 467 Location: Edinburgh

From The Scotsman, 30 July 1928.

COWDENBEATH WAR MEMORIAL UNVEILED.— The Cowdenbeath War Memorial, a granite obelisk set on the North End Hill, was unveiled on Saturday in presence of a large gathering. Mr David Adamson, who presided, explained the reasons for the delay in unveiling the memorial so long after its erection. Sir Ralph Anstruther, Bart., in a short address said that he didn't think the delay had done any harm. They were now able to take a clearer view of the past; they were able to feel that good relationships of the past had been re-established even with those who were their enemies during the war. They were able to feel, also, that the natural grief which must be felt by all at the loss of their dear ones, even in the noblest cause, had been, at all events, to some extent assuaged, and for that reason they could inaugurate that memorial with stout hearts, and without feeling anything but pride in the achievements of those whom they memorialised. Sir Ralph then unveiled the memorial, and the pipe band played a lament, the Last Post being afterwards sounded. The Rev. W. A. Guthrie, Edinburgh, formerly of Cowdenbeath, dedicated the memorial, and its custody was taken over by Provist Blomey on behalf of the town. The first wreath laid on the memorial was one by Mrs Anderson, who had lost three sons in the Great War.

ADP

A Morris · Joined: 19 May 2010 Posts: 531 Location: Netherlands

Name: Patrick McMahon
Rank: Private
Service Number: 54401
Unit: 9th Battalion
Regiment: Manchester Regiment
Date of Birth: 1888 - Inverkeithing
Date of Death: 21st March 1918
Resident of Cowdenbeath
Commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial on the Somme

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Remembering my Great Uncle - 963 Private Charles Lockhart 2nd Btn Gordon Highlanders - KIA 29/10/1914