The Scottish War Memorials Project

Keptie · Joined: 24 Feb 2009 Posts: 342 Location: Angus

The University College Dundee War Memorial listing the names of the Casualties of the Great War was located in the University College Dundee then part of St Andrews University .

I have traced a letter from

Joan Auld , Archivist , Dundee University Library Dundee datedd 31 March 1989 and she states :

" By chance , a week or so ago I came across a photograph of a previous War Memorial which had originally been in one of the College Buildings now demolished . We have discovered that it ws UNVEILED in the "Vestibule of the College " on 25 October 1922 by Lord Provost Spence . We believe that this vestibule was in one of the original Nethergate houses which were demolished in 1958 to make way for the Tower Building . I understand from our Buildings Officer , however , that the original memorial was saved and has been put into Store .

The Idea to have a War Memorial was first proposed at a College Council meeting on 12 February 1920. There is mention of a large German Field Gun which was captured from Bulgarians and presented to University College by the Ordnance Department of the Government as a Trophy of War . The suggestion was made that the gun and proposed Memorial might be placed together on a suitable site but nothing appears to have come of this ,. Aon 12 April 1922 it was decided that the Memorial should take the form of a STONE TABLET with names and Latin Inscription .

The Memorial was not replaced by the one that is now in the foyer of the Tower Building until 1972. It was decided that this "new" memorial should commemorate those killed in both world wars. It was dedicated by Rev Professor E. P. Dickie at a service on 28 October 1972 . "

signed Joan Auld
Mrs Joan Auld
Archivist

( Sadly a few years later she was killed in a climbing accident in Canada )

.

Patrick W Anderson.

Keptie · Joined: 24 Feb 2009 Posts: 342 Location: Angus

The University College Dundee Great War memorial in store at the present day Dundee University is listed in the Inventory of War memorials at London as

UKNIWM ref no 5708

.

patrick W anderson

john burnett · Joined: 29 Jan 2007 Posts: 479 Location: Fife

Thanks to Pat Anderson for the photo and the information.

This is University College War Memorial Dundee ( nowadays Dundee University ). This war memorial was in the old building of the old University College that was knocked down and the new Tower building erected in its place and the new Great War and WW2 memorial put in the "new" building. The old war memorial was put in store but no one seems nowadays to know where it is.