The Scottish War Memorials Project

jamiemcginlay · Joined: 20 Dec 2006 Posts: 897 Location: Glasgow

Archiestown (Knockando Parish)

The Knockando Parish war memorial is a freestone mercat cross style memorial featuring a round column with roman ionic capital surmounted by a lion. The commemoration and names of the dead are listed on pink granite tablets set into the faces of the pedestal.
The unveiling ceremony took place on the afternoon of Wednesday 8th September 1920. This was a masonic ceremony and the unveiling was by His Grace the Duke of Richmond and Gordon and also Grand Master of the Provincial Lodge of Sussex (Ref. Courant 10th September 1920 & The Northern Scot 25th December 1920). The article in the Courant also mentions the laying of a foundation stone as part of the same ceremony but it doesn't state whether the building being constructed was a memorial hall or masonic hall.
The memorial stands on the road junction in the village square and is surrounded by a wrought iron railing.

Above is the WWII roll of honour. The two names at the top have been listed according to their regiments rather than their home/place of birth like all of the other names, which seems unusual.

WWI ROLL OF HONOUR:
ALLARDYCE GEORGE G. LIEUTENANT ARCHIESTOWN
ALLARDYCE WILLIAM S. SURGEON SURG(PRDB) ARCHIESTOWN
BANKS JOHN PRIVATE KNOCKANDO
BLAIR WILLIAM PRIVATE CARRON
BROWN ROBERT PRIVATE KNOCKANDO
CRUICKSHANK DANIEL PRIVATE TOMLEA
CRUICKSHANK PETER PRIVATE TOMMORE
CUMMING JAMES CORPORAL ARCHIESTOWN
DAVIDSON LEWIS S. PRIVATE KNOWEHILLOCK
DAVIDSON PETER PRIVATE KNOWEHILLOCK
DAWSON GEORGE PRIVATE BOULDOW
DAWSON WILLIAM PRIVATE BOULDOW
DEAN ALEXANDER PRIVATE DELNAPOT
DUNCAN ROBERT R. LIEUTENANT PITCROY
FARQUHARSON DONALD PRIVATE CROSSROADS
GIBBON LEOPOLD PRIVATE RINGORUM
GILBERT ALEXANDER PRIVATE DELVIE
GORDON CHARLES PRIVATE CARDOW
GORDON JAMES PRIVATE BALLINTOMB
GRANT HENRY S. PRIVATE WESTER ELCHIES
MCCONACHIE JAMES G. LANCE CORPORAL ARCHIESTOWN
MCCONACHIE JAMES W. PRIVATE BLACKHOLES
MCDONALD CHARLES LANCE CORPORAL KNOCKANDO
MCDONALD GEORGE PRIVATE MUIRSIDE
MCDONALD HARRY J. PRIVATE CARDNACH
MCDONALD JOHN S. PRIVATE ARCHIESTOWN
MCKENZIE JAMES G. PRIVATE TOMINDUCLE
MCLEOD GEORGE PRIVATE STRONDOW
MCLEOD WILLIAM PRIVATE MACALLAN
RITCHIE JOHN COMPANY SERGEANT MAJOR ARCHIESTOWN
RITCHIE THOMAS S. PRIVATE ARCHIESTOWN
ROBERTSON JAMES PRIVATE LYNES
ROBERTSON JAMES G. PRIVATE WOODSIDE
ROBERTSON JOHN PRIVATE ROBERTSTOWN
SHAND ALEXANDER PRIVATE MILLHAUGH
SHAND ALEXANDER PRIVATE STRONDOW
SHAND JAMES CORPORAL MILLHAUGH
SHAND ROBERT LIEUTENANT MILLHAUGH
SMITH ROBERT LIEUTENANT EAST MAINS
SMITH ROBERT PRIVATE NEWLANDS
STEWART FRANK PRIVATE DELMUNACK
STEWART JAMES A. PRIVATE PARKHEAD
STEWART PETER D. PRIVATE PARKHEAD
YOUNIE GEORGE PRIVATE GATESIDE

WWII ROLL OF HONOUR:
ALLARDYCE JAMES C. ROYAL ARTILLERY BRIGADIER
ALLARDYCE RANSOME M. ROYAL ARMY MEDICAL CORPS CAPTAIN
CAMERON JAMES G. SERGEANT OBSERVER CARRON
CAMERON JOHN PRIVATE CARRON
COLLIE FREDERICK FLIGHT SERGEANT ARCHIESTOWN
CRUICKSHANK CHARLES J. PRIVATE MACALLAN
CRUICKSHANK GEORGE PRIVATE MACALLAN
CRUICKSHANK JAMES A. SERGEANT WIRELSS OPERATOR KNOCKANDO
CRUICKSHANK JOHN G. PRIVATE TOMORE
FAULKNER ERNEST O. PRIVATE PITCHROY
GRANT JOHN LANCE CORPORAL ELCHIES
GRANT PETER MCI. SERGEANT ARCHIESTOWN
MACDONALD JOHN CHIEF ENGINEER KNOCKANDO
MCKAY ALFRED T. FLYING OFFICER KNOCKANDO
MITCHELL WILLIAM R. CORPORAL KNOCKANDO
MUNRO WILLIAM DRIVER ARCHIESTOWN
ROTHNEY RUSSELL G. O'T KNOCKANDO
SHAND PETER O'S KNOCKANDO
STEWART RONALD T. PRIVATE KNOCKANDO
THOMSON ADAM A. TROOPER KNOCKANDO

jamiemcginlay · Joined: 20 Dec 2006 Posts: 897 Location: Glasgow

MCKAY, Alfred Thompson

CWGC ENTRY:
Name: McKAY, ALFRED THOMPSON
Initials: A T
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Flying Officer (Nav.)
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 12 Sqdn.
Age: 21
Date of Death: 27/04/1944
Service No: 138480
Additional information: Son of Alfred and Margaret Thompson McKay, of Knockando, Morayshire.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: 24. F. 3.
Cemetery: JONKERBOS WAR CEMETERY

I have received the following email from Theo van de Mortel in the Netherlands. He has very kindly supplied the following information and photographs.

One of the war heroes whose name is on the memorial is F/O Alfred McKay from Knockando. He was killed at April 27 1944 as his Lancaster ND873 returning from a mission on Essen (Germany) crashed some 8 kilometers from my hometown after been shot down by a German nightfighter. Now he and the other six crew men are buried at Jonkerbosch War Cemetery in Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
In 2006 a memorial was erected at the crash site. Here are the links of two websites where the memorial is now enlisted:
http://www.oorlogsmusea.nl/article/1280
http://www.4en5mei.nl/oorlogsmonumenten/zoeken/monument-detail/_rp_main_elementId/1_119414

I was doing research into the crash and especially its crew since 2006. I was able to trace and contact next of kin of the crew. One of them was John F McKay from Forres, Alfred's brother. The Northern Scott and some other regional newspapers reported on this and also his moving visit to the memorial in April 2007.

Now a book will be published as a result of my research. I enclose some photographs of the memorial and of the graves of the crew (front row) at Jonkerbos British War Cemetery in the town of Nijmegen (Netherlands). The wrong date at the memorial stone has to do with a mistake in a war memorial book where the crash had been described. The tyre is the original tyre of the tail wheel that was found close to the crash site.
The photograph you took reminds me to several War Memorials as can de seen in France and Belgium, even in the smallest villages. Besides it gives a good impression of the Parish of Knockando!

Best wishes from Holland,

Theo van de Mortel

Alfred McKay

Photographs supplied and reproduced by the kind permission of Theo van de Mortel
Copyright Theo van de Mortel
The memorial

And a photograph of Alfred McKay's grave