The Scottish Military Research Group - Commemorations Project

Keptie · Posted: Wed Feb 19, 2014 7:25 pm Post subject: New VC memorial Planned - Thurso

The Caithness Courier for 12 February 2014 has a large write up under the heading of MEMORIAL TO VC HEROES PLANNED: - Help sought with project to commemoriate soldiers who won highest Honour:

Plans have been unveiled for a new memorial to commemorate TWO THURSO MEN who won the Victoria Cross.
Alexander Glasgow is involved in this planning of the memorial to DAVID MAKAY who was born in 1831 at Lyth and in 1850 enlisted in the 93rd Sutherland Highlanders and fought in the Crimea and during the Indian Rebellion he was involved in the storming of the fortress of Silbandar Bagh during the second relief of Lucknow in 1857 and his actions including capturing the enemy colours . Mackay was elected by the men of equal rank to receive the VC . Mackay fell on hard times and his medals were sold and sadly he died a pauper in 1880. There is a PLAQUE FOR him in the THURSO ROYAL BRITISH LEGION SCOTLAND ( is this listed on this website ?? ). The medals were last heard of in 1910 when they were at auction but Mr Glasgow hopes too that the medals will be found.

JOHN CHARLES (jock ) CAMPBELL is the second Thurso to get the VC . He was born in the town and attended the Miller Academy before moving to Cumberland . He was commissioned into the Royal Horse Artillery in 1915 and in WW2 was stationed in Egypt commanding the Desert Rats artillery support when Italy enterered the war . Duringthe defence of Sidi Rezegh airfield against the Africa Korps Panzer division near Tobruk in 1941 he earned the VC . Sadly less than a month after his official receipt of the VC in 1942 he was killed in a car crash on the Egyptian /Libyian boundary . His VC is kept at his Regimental Museum Firepower in London .

Mr Glasgow is also hoping to clean up John Campbell's family grave and is happy to hear from anyone onto him or ALEX CAMERON of the RBLS Thurso

The cost for this memorial would be between £1,500 to £2000 . A donation of £50 has already been received from P7 Mount Pleasant Primary .

People have been contacting Mr Glasgow with information that they are related to Mackay and o Campbell .

a blog on the project can be found at www.caithnessvc.wordpress.com

To express an interest in donating to the cause in the meantime , email editor@nosn.co.uk and your details will be given to Mr Glasgow

(The reporter for this article was CATRIONA METCALF
c.metcalf@nosn.co.uk

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Patrick W Anderson