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New memorials?
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DelBoy



Joined: 12 Jul 2007
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Location: The County of Angus

PostPosted: Sat Sep 24, 2011 4:14 am    Post subject: Alexander McDougall, Islay Reply with quote

Scottish American soldier from Wars of Independence.

article

HE WAS the son of a milkman, who rose from humble beginnings on a Hebridean croft to play a starring role in the creation of the United States.
Alexander McDougall, born on Islay in 1732, emigrated to America with his family when he was six. As a child, he accompanied his father selling pails of milk around Manhattan, before signing up as a merchant seaman at the age of 14.

By the time h
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e was 25, McDougall was a captain and later soared through the ranks of the American army to become George Washington's right-hand man in the War of Independence.

In 1784, Major-General McDougall was appointed the first president of the Bank of New York, one of the earliest companies to be registered on the New York Stock Exchange.

But while memorials to the notable Scotsman have been erected in New York, his home island of Islay waited 225 years after his death before finally bestowing such an honour upon their native son.

This week, representatives of the Bank of New York Mellon - as it is known today - stood alongside islanders, young and old, to witness the poignant unveiling of a memorial cairn to mark the celebrated life of this greatest of Ileachs.

The inscription on the new memorial, overlooking McDougall's birthplace at Portintruin, near Port Ellen, uses the same wording as that on the plaque in the First Presbyterian Church of New York. It includes a tribute from Washington: "A brave soldier and a disinterested patriot."

The plaque was unveiled by Lord Robertson, who led the campaign to win recognition for McDougall on Islay, and said yesterday that McDougall's was an "amazing story".

Lord Robertson said McDouglall "helped to found a nation, blazed a trail across the American Revolutionary scene like a meteor".

"The milkman's son from Islay did well indeed.," he added.

After rising to military and political emminence, McDougall remained as president of the Bank of New York for just a year, then quit the post, saying it was "too confining a life for me". He returned to being a member of the New York Senate.

Another plaque in McDougall's honour sits below one for George Washington, in the old chapel of West Point Military Academy, the premier leadership training institution of the US army.
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Adam Brown
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 10:43 am    Post subject: Edinburgh Memorial Reply with quote

From today's Edinburgh Evening News

Gardens set for permanent memorial to city’s war dead

By MICHAEL BLACKLEY
Published on Saturday 4 February 2012 10:27

A fundraising campaign to build a lasting memorial to the war dead, likely to be in the form of a garden of remembrance, is set to be launched later this year.

City council chiefs have been investigating the idea for several years but progress has been slowed by the pressure on public finances.

Now it has emerged that designs are expected to be finalised in the coming months and a fundraising campaign could begin by the summer.

Council chiefs hope they will be in the position to formally launch the fundraising drive on Armed Forces Day in June.

The proposals have been backed by veterans’ groups, who say it is time that all Edinburgh’s war heroes up to the present day are commemorated.

Neil Griffiths, a spokesman for the Royal British Legion Scotland, said: “This is wonderful news because Edinburgh has nowhere similar. Although it has memorials, it does not have a garden of remembrance.

“Casualties since 1945 need to be recognised and if this comes together with a garden of remembrance in Princes Street Gardens it would be a fitting tribute for those that paid the ultimate sacrifice.”

The Royal British Legion created a temporary garden of remembrance on Remembrance Day last year and the interest in that gives Mr Griffiths confidence that the money could be raised.

He said: “I’ve no doubt that people will support it, given that 11,000 people were willing to spend £5 on a poppy cross in November, and I have no doubt the Edinburgh public would give their support.”

Full details have not yet been given of the form of the memorial, which is expected to be spread across different plots between the three shelters on the upper level of the gardens, but it is likely to include a garden and a memorial or statue.

The council put out a tender notice in 2008 for the scheme. It was estimated at the time that the contractor would be likely to charge around £500,000 but detailed designs have never been revealed.

Conservative councillor Gordon Buchan, who first proposed the idea, said: “I think it is important that we do not just think of it as being for distant service, it is for people serving now and in the future as well.”

Separate proposals for a memorial arboretum remain on hold, despite a site between Greendykes and Edmonstone having been identified.

Lord Provost George Grubb said: “Edinburgh has a long tradition of supporting its servicemen and women and, as a council, we are fully behind the idea of a new memorial.

“Princes Street Gardens would make a very fitting location and we will shortly be looking at finalising the designs, with a view to launching an appeal for public subscriptions in the coming months.”
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DelBoy



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PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2012 4:21 pm    Post subject: Bill Millin statue latest Reply with quote

DelBoy wrote:
A proposed statue of piper Bill Millin in France.

BBC article


Fundraising is still underway to meet the cost of the statue.

Article

BAGPIPERS marched through a Hampshire coastal village to fundraise for a statue of a legendary war-time musician in Normandy.

They came from all over the south to parade through Hamble to help fundraise for a statue of the late D-Day piper Bill Millin in Sword Beach.

Piper Millin led Lord Lovat and the heroic 1st Special Service Brigade on June 6 1944 from Hamble and it is thought the musician played the pipes as it sailed down Southampton Water.

Legend has it that the piping was played through the craft’s tannoy so servicemen on other ships could hear before Millin marched into battle.

An artist’s model of the statue has been made but a further 12,000 Euros must be raised for the 64,000 euro project before it can be cast, with the memorial expected to be installed in June 2013.

His son, John Millin, 57, from Nottinghamshire, said: “Every June he would go to France to play for the lads who did not come back. I can just see a tear dropping down his cheek knowing all the pipers were out for him today.”
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DelBoy



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PostPosted: Wed May 30, 2012 5:50 pm    Post subject: New memorial in Paisley Reply with quote

A new memorial to the civilian victims of a German bombing raid has been unveiled in Woodside Crematorium in Paisley, near to the location of the first aid post that took a direct hit resulting in the deaths of 92 people.

Article

Survivors have spoken of their joy after the 92 victims of a Nazi bombing bid to wipe out shipbuilding on the River Clyde were finally recognised - after 71 years.

On May 6, 1941, 92 of the 98 people at Woodside First Aid Post in Paisley, Renfrewshire, were killed when a Luftwaffe bomber, returning from a bombing mission over nearby Greenock in Inverclyde, dropped its final two parachute bombs.

Hitler's air force had targeted the shipbuilding industry in west coast Scottish locations like Greenock and Govan, in Glasgow, because it had been so vital to the allied war effort.

When the Heinkel-111 dropped its deadly early morning payload, one hit a tenement building and the other landed directly on the first aid post.

Last week, a memorial listing the names of those emergency medics, volunteers and casualties who perished at the first aid post was unveiled at nearby Woodside Crematorium - yards from the bombing site - exactly 71 years later, on May 6.

One survivor of the horrific bombing, 98-year-old Jenny Enterkin, travelled from her home in Edinburgh to attend the poignant service led by retired Reverend George Prentice.

Ms Enterkin said: "I was 27 at the time of the bombing and I was helping out the doctors at the first aid post.

"When they had examined the patients, I'd make notes about their condition and what they needed when they got to hospital. I had to make sure the doctors' notes were attached to the patient.

"Just before the bombs fell that day, I was stood saying a wee prayer to myself that I'd do the right thing when it started happening for real and the blood started appearing.

"Then I was knocked unconscious by it and spent three weeks unconscious and six months in a military hospital."

Visible memorial

Ms Enterkin, who moved to Edinburgh and had two children after WW2, added: "I thought the memorial was wonderful and I'm so happy that we have something so visible to remember what happened."

Historian Jim Smith was the driving force behind the memorial and approached Woodside Crematorium who agreed to house the monument in their grounds and pay all costs involved.

Mr Smith said: "Last year I realised there was no proper memorial for the people who lost their lives.

"I spoke to Frank McFadyen at Woodside Crematorium about putting up the monument in their grounds. He spoke to his board and they agreed and offered to pay for it all. It's a very, very generous gesture.

"I felt the council let (the victims' families) down. There is a memorial plaque at the cenotaph and Hawkhead Cemetery but nothing that lists the names of these victims.

"These people deserve as much recognition as any other of our war dead. The faces of the friends and family there really brought it all home."

After the memorial was blessed by Rev Prentice, victims' families and friends laid wreaths and paid their own emotional tributes to those killed.

Frank McFadyen, registrar at Woodside Crematorium, said: "Creating a memorial for the Woodside bombing is something that we've been thinking about here and planning to do for the last 20 years.

"Several things have held it back and we were delighted that it came together now. The first aid post was only about 200 yards over our boundary wall on William Street.

"So, because this disaster happened so close to us, we were keen to mark it and that's why we put up the money.

"Of the 98 people who were at the post, only six survived and I had known one of those killed, Hugh Goudie, who was a funeral director.

"So it was nice to honour these people and finally see their names in stone individually."

Woodside First Aid Post was set up in the grounds of Woodside House - a mansion built for Sir Peter Coats by Charles Wilson in 1852 - after the handicapped children who occupied the house were evacuated during WW2.

Mr Smith is now campaigning to have the memorial, comprising of a cairn and plaque, recognised as an official war memorial.

He said: "By all rights, this is a war memorial and it deserves to be recognised as such."


I'm unsure what is meant by the last two paragraphs. What's an official War Memorial?
Here's a slideshow of pictures taken of the unveiling on the 6th of May.

Derek.
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Jim



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PostPosted: Thu Jun 21, 2012 4:18 pm    Post subject: New tribute to war dead Reply with quote

A NEW war memorial is to be erected in honour of those who have died fighting for their country since the end of the Second World War.

Renfrewshire Council will honour servicemen and women by revealing a memorial stone at council HQ in Paisley. It will commemorate the 22 armed conflicts the UK has been involved in since 1945.

The plans came about after the council was approached by the Royal British Legion, which is donating the stone in conjunction with Co-operative Funeralcare.

Although there are various existing war memorials throughout Renfrewshire, these are designed to remember the First and Second World Wars.

News of the new stone comes just over a week before the UK celebrates Armed Forces Day.

The stone will sit in the memorial garden at Renfrewshire House in Cotton Street, will be a yard wide, and will have rose bushes planted on either side.

It will likely be formally unveiled in September.

Provost Anne Hall said: "This monument will ensure the conflicts since the Second World War will also be remembered."

The other groups who have contributed to paying for the stone are the Argyll And Sutherland Highlanders, Royal Engineer Association Paisley Branch, McLaughlan Glaziers and Barclays Bank.

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/new-tribute-to-war-dead.17935996
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Adam Brown
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 02, 2012 7:38 am    Post subject: Re: New tribute to war dead Reply with quote

Jim wrote:
A NEW war memorial is to be erected in honour of those who have died fighting for their country since the end of the Second World War.

Renfrewshire Council will honour servicemen and women by revealing a memorial stone at council HQ in Paisley.


This stone was unveiled yesterday

http://www.paisley.org.uk/2012/09/paisley-war-memorial/

Adam
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spoons



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PostPosted: Sat Nov 03, 2012 12:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

A new plaque with post WW2 names is to be unveiled on the Inverness War Memorial in Cavell Gardens on Saturday - time not known. This was published today so it is not clear if the unveiling is today or next Saturday.

\Paul
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kinnethmont



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PostPosted: Sat Nov 03, 2012 10:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It was today.
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Jim

If ye break faith with us who die
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DelBoy



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PostPosted: Fri Apr 12, 2013 2:36 am    Post subject: Lanarkshire Yeomanry Memorial Reply with quote

The Lanarkshire Yeomanry Group who are planning on building a new memorial, to those of that regiment who died in the world wars, were awarded £1200 from the lottery. Nothing has been announced recently though on their progress.

Derek.
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DelBoy



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PostPosted: Fri Apr 12, 2013 2:47 am    Post subject: new motherwell memorial? Reply with quote

Do we have this new looking memorial that's outside motherwell civic centre?

http://local.stv.tv/airdrie/news/184226-prisoners-remembered-at-vj-memorial-service/

Derek.
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David McNay
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 12, 2013 5:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have photographed it, but it seems I haven't uploaded the photos yet. I'll get that done shortly.
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Adam Brown
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 1:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Herald is reporting this today:

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/hopes-for-scots-first-world-war-memorial-on-french-battlefield.22091430

Hopes for Scots First World War memorial on French battlefield

Iain Smith Monday 9 September 2013

PLANS have been unveiled to erect a national monument to the Scottish serviceman who died during the First World War.

A retired construction worker is gaining support at Holyrood for the memorial, which he hopes will be situated on the battlefields of France.

Ian Thomson, 72, has long campaigned for recognition of fallen Scots forgotten or marginalised.

He was a major driving force behind memorials at Calton Hill, Edinburgh, and the RAF tribute at the former Dallachy Airfield in Elgin.

And now Mr Thomson, from Airdrie, is hoping to raise funds to erect a monument to fallen Scots near the town of Arras, France — a battle-site known for massive Scottish casualties.

"This is truly important," he said. "Nowhere in the history of the war had been there been a larger concentration of Scots in a single military action.

"There were three Scottish divisions involved in the fighting there, with many other smaller regiments scattered throughout the other Canadian and British forces.

"They played a huge part in the success of the Arras offensive, which helped to turn the tide along the Western Front.

"I have visited the battlefields there and saw those memorials dedicated to the odd Scottish division or regiment but there is no single national commemoration.

"Many others such as Russia and Northern Ireland have very impressive dedications in the area but we do not. I think that is something that needs to be addressed and there is no better a place than Arras."

The total number of Scots lost in the First World War has been estimated between 75,000 and 100,000. About 26% of the Scots fighting force perished compared to the 11% average loss for the British forces.

Mr Thomson believes the contributions of Scottish servicemen is often overlooked. He added: "It is right that we remember the efforts of all those Scots who fought and died for their country.

"But the sheer number of Scottish serviceman who died during the First World War was disproportionate to our population — even the Prime Minister at one point said that we had paid a bigger price than anyone else.

"It's all very well that individual regiments are honoured with their own dedications, but I would like to do something for the entire nation to remember.

"I'm interested in all those who fought — the infantry, the sailors, the airmen - and if I had the ultimate say in it then there would be a place for the nurses and medical personnel also.

"This monument would commemorate a huge piece of Scottish history, and if I was able to help get this project off the ground then I would be the happiest man on this Earth."

Mr Thomson has already visited and been in contact with officials in Arras including the mayor to discuss the idea.

His proposals are backed by the Scottish Government. Following a meeting with Alex Salmond in 2011, the First Minister asked for parliamentary support.

The project has now received the backing of Richard Lyle, SNP MSP for Central Scotland, who is now hoping to establish a charitable trust for the memorial.

He said: "There are memorials that commemorate individual Scottish regiments, and I pay tribute to them, but there is not one that takes in the whole of the work done by the Scottish armed forces. That oversight should be corrected.

"I am hoping we will be able to hold a meeting at the Scottish Parliament soon, as I feel the proposal put forth by Mr Thomson is something we should be helping with."

Mr Lyle said he intended to establish a group to take the proposal forward and that he hoped to enlist the help of the Scottish people and the Scottish Government.

He added: "I believe we should never forget. We are entirely in the debt of those who gave their lives.

"And as the 100th anniversary of the First World War approaches, now is the time to honour all those Scots who fought and died to liberate Europe."


It seems Mr Tompson, Mr Lyle, the Scottish Government and the Herald are all unaware of the memorial to all Scots who died in the First World War which was erected in Belgium in 2007.
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DerekR
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 3:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Adam Brown wrote:

It seems Mr Tompson, Mr Lyle, the Scottish Government and the Herald are all unaware of the memorial to all Scots who died in the First World War which was erected in Belgium in 2007.

Indeed.
And, even as a proud Scot, I do wonder why we would need another memorial.
Our memorial in Flanders is a worthy place of pilgrimage and says all that needs to be said IMHO.
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David McNay
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 6:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've written a letter to the Herald informing them of the existence of the memorial in Flanders. I've also mentioned the good work we do here on the project.
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kinnethmont



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PostPosted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 7:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
It seems Mr Tompson, Mr Lyle, the Scottish Government and the Herald are all unaware of the memorial to all Scots who died in the First World War which was erected in Belgium in 2007.


I assume that to be true but no doubt a great number may feel there should also be a memorial in France. Loos, Arras, The Somme, Neuve Chapelle, Festubert, etc., where many thousands of Scots fell, are all in that country.
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If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

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