The Scottish Military Research Group - Commemorations Project

DelBoy · Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 4:34 pm Post subject: Midlothian War Memorial Project

http://en4news.com/2012/11/08/let-us-not-forget/

They plan an online roll of honour. More duplication of effort then....

Midlothian Council are looking for details of forgotten WWI heroes from the region.

Midlothian Library Service has launched an appeal for information on lost or forgotten war memorials.

With the centenary of WWI taking place in 2014, the Library Service’s Local Studies Officer is trying to locate memorials that may be lesser-known or have been forgotten over time. The aim is to research the names of those who lost their lives in the war, and to ensure that they are included in a print and online Roll of Honour for Midlothian.

Many WWI casualties from Midlothian were recorded on memorials, yet there are some whose deaths were only mentioned in local newspapers. Ken Bogle, Local Studies Officer and Archivist with Midlothian Library Service said:

“Once we have located memorials we record the names on them and then try to find out something about each individual. We research the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website and search through local newspapers which often carried an obituary when a soldier was killed.

So far I have found over 60 war memorials in Midlothian and over 1,800 names of casualties. We know there are at least 4 [memorials] that are missing, but there’s probably more. There will never be a final number because we won’t know if they ever existed or not.”

Unfortunately, over time some memorials have been lost or destroyed. Buildings have been demolished, and clubs and workplaces closed down, this means that some memorials have been lost or mislaid.

More than a million British troops were reported as dead or missing during the First World War. Almost 150,000 Scots are amongst the deceased, which amounts to almost 26% of all Scottish troops deployed at that time.

Bogle believes that it is important for the people of Midlothian to honour those who died, and feels that as a community who suffered a great loss, we should use the roll of honour as a historical resource for locals and also for educational purposes in schools.

Records so far are details of individual soldiers and family members who all lost their lives during what was later referred to as ‘the war to end all wars’. Bogle summed up his dedication to the undertaking: “We think our project is important and valuable. We must never forget that for our tomorrow they gave their today”.