The Scottish Military Research Group - Commemorations Project

Adam Brown · Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2011 8:22 pm Post subject: Fountainhall Church

Location: Mayfield Salisbury Church, 1 Mayfield Road

The former Fountainhall United Free Church and post-1929 Fountainhall Church war memorial.

In this photograph it is the wooden war memorial in the middle. The other two flanking it are from another church.

Adam Brown · Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2011 8:43 pm Post subject:

This is not the former Fountainhall Church. This is the church it is currently hung in, Mayfield Salisbury.

Adam Brown · Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2011 9:07 pm Post subject:

14th Bn Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment was converted to a Light Anti-Aircraft role in 1941 and at the time of Thomas Cochrane's death was in Italy with the 8th Army

COCHRANE, THOMAS
Initials: T
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Lance Bombardier
Regiment/Service: Royal Artillery
Unit Text: 328 Bty., 99 Lt. A.A. Regt.
Age: 31
Date of Death: 12/05/1944
Service No: 6101633
Additional information: Son of Hugh and Georgina Cochrane, of Edinburgh.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: VIII. C. 5.
Cemetery: CASSINO WAR CEMETERY

Adam Brown · Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2011 9:20 pm Post subject:

MELVIN, IAN SKENE
Initials: I S
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Flight Sergeant (Obs.)
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 604 Sqdn.
Age: 31
Date of Death: 17/04/1942
Service No: 1366063
Additional information: Son of John Innes Melvin and Lily Melvin, of Edinburgh; husband of Jean McLean Melvin, of Edinburgh. M.A. Hons. (Edin.).
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 3.
Cemetery: EDINBURGH (WARRISTON) CREMATORIUM

Adam Brown · Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2011 9:23 pm Post subject:

SYMON, JOHN PARKER
Initials: J P
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Lieutenant
Regiment/Service: Royal Engineers
Unit Text: 84 Field Coy.
Age: 22
Date of Death: 06/06/1944
Service No: 226296
Additional information: Son of James Alexander Symon and Marion Rae Symon, of Edinburgh.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 11, Column 3.
Memorial: BAYEUX MEMORIAL

Adam Brown · Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2011 9:27 pm Post subject:

THOMSON, KENNETH NEIL
Initials: K N
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Leading Aircraftman
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Age: 27
Date of Death: 08/01/1942
Service No: 1343685
Additional information: Son of Mr. and Mrs. Neil Thomson, of Edinburgh, Scotland; husband of Christina Thomson, of Edinburgh.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Sec. N. Lot 108. Grave 2.
Cemetery: MONTGOMERY (OAKWOOD) CEMETERY ANNEXE

Montgomery (Oakwood) Cemetery Annexe contains 78 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War, all airmen who died while training in Alabama under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. There are also 20 French war graves in the cemetery and two non-war burials.

Adam Brown · Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2011 9:45 pm Post subject:

Some rarely seen units from the First World War list

BONNAR, WILLIAM McGREGOR
Initials: W M
Nationality: Australian
Rank: Trooper
Regiment/Service: Australian Light Horse
Unit Text: 6th Regt.
Date of Death: 13/06/1915
Service No: 726
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: 4.
Memorial: LONE PINE MEMORIAL

RITCHIE, LOUIS MALCOLM
Initials: L M
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Lieutenant
Regiment/Service: Royal Scots
Unit Text: 4th Bn.
Secondary Regiment: King's African Rifles
Secondary Unit Text: attd.
Date of Death: 05/05/1918
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Memorial: DAR ES SALAAM BRITISH AND INDIAN MEMORIAL

The KAR recruited in Nyasaland. It would be interesting to see what Lt Ritchie's unit actually was since the one on the memorial, Nyasaland Volunteer Reserve, is not on his CWGC entry. There were 22 battalions of KAR in 1918.

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

Looking at maps on www.old-maps.co.uk it looks like Fountainhall United Free Church stood in Fountainhall Road, on the site now occupied by Newington Library. It is not on the maps up to 1896, and show on maps from 1908 to 1973. The 1988 map shows the library on that site.

The Mayfield Salisbury Church website has a chart showing all of the splits, name changes and unions of the churches which over the years became part of Mayfield Sailsbury Church.

http://www.mayfieldsalisbury.org/about-us/our-history/139/

This also shows a picture of Fountainhall Road United Presbyterian Church in 1897, and it tells that the church closed for worship in 1957 when its congregagtion united with Mayfield. The church buildings were subsequently used as a christian education and training centre. The Canmore website lists it as the church, and St Ninian's Conference And Training Centre.

http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/125257/details/edinburgh+fountainhall+road+fountainhall+road+church/

ADP

Adam Brown · Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2011 9:55 am Post subject:

As you can see from the photograph of the church above it was taken from Fountainhall Road. The two churches were only a few hundred metres apart so it seems it was a natural step for them to amalgamate.

Adam