The Scottish Military Research Group - Commemorations Project

jamiemcginlay · Joined: 20 Dec 2006 Posts: 930 Location: Glasgow

Invergarry - Lochaber District

The Invergarry war memorial takes the form of a rock set upright at the centre of a curving wall on the slope of a small hill beside the road. The commemoration and names of the dead are set in gold lettering on a black granite tablet set into the centre of the wall and flanked by two pillars with capping stones bearing the dates 1914 - 1918.
The monument stands on a verge overlooking the bridge over the river at the entrance to the Glengarry Castle Hotel.

The inscription above the tablet reads:
'In the world's great field of battle / Trust no future however pleasant
In the bivouac of life / Let the dead best bury its dead
Be not like the dumb driven cattle / ACT ACT in the living present
Be a hero in the strife / Heart within and God oerhead

I hope the transriptions below are correct but the division between the names listed for WWI and WWII are a bit dubious and I might have accidentally recorded some names against the wrong conflict. Sorry if I have made any error and I'll try to check up on this.

WWI ROLL OF HONOUR:
CAMERON P. ARGYLL & SUTHERLAND HIGHLANDERS CORPORAL
ELLICE A.R. GRENADIER GUARDS LIEUTENANT
ELLICE ALEXANDER CAMERON HIGHLANDERS CAPTAIN
ELLICE W. ROYAL NAVY MIDSHIPMAN
GRANT D. CAMERON HIGHLANDERS CORPORAL
MACDONALD A. AYRSHIRE YEOMANRY PRIVATE
MACDONALD J. LOVAT SCOUTS PRIVATE
MACDONELL A. CAMERON HIGHLANDERS PRIVATE
MACKENZIE A. CAMERON HIGHLANDERS PRIVATE
MACKENZIE M. CAMERON HIGHLANDERS PRIVATE
MACKILLOP N. ROYAL FIELD ARTILLERY GUNNER
MACKINNON E. NEW ZEALANDERS PRIVATE N.Z.E.F.
MACLEAN D. SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS SERGEANT
MACLEAN W. CAMERON HIGHLANDERS PRIVATE
ROSS G. SCOTTISH RIFLES PRIVATE
ROSS H. CAMERON HIGHLANDERS CORPORAL
ROSS J. CAMERON HIGHLANDERS SERGEANT
STUART A. CAMERON HIGHLANDERS PRIVATE
STUART A. CAMERON HIGHLANDERS PRIVATE
TAIT T. CAMERON HIGHLANDERS PRIVATE

WWII ROLL OF HONOUR:
CAMERON D.A. CAMERON HIGHLANDERS PRIVATE
CAMPBELL J. ROYAL ARTILLERY GUNNER L.A.A.R.A.
MACBAIN A. CAMERON HIGHLANDERS PRIVATE MILITARY MEDAL
MACDONALD D. CAMERON HIGHLANDERS LANCE CORPORAL
MACINTYRE A.J. CAMERON HIGHLANDERS PRIVATE

DerekR · Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 10:14 pm Post subject:

I've looked but have never seen this memorial.
Is it south of the junction to the Kyle of Lochalsh or after it?
I must look again.
_________________

Time but th' impression stronger makes, As streams their channels deeper wear.

jamiemcginlay · Joined: 20 Dec 2006 Posts: 930 Location: Glasgow

Hello Derek,
I'm afraid I visited it in 1995 and never been back since. The description I've given for the location is exactly as I wrote it down on my last visit and hope it should be obvious when you get there.
Its a cracking memorial, similar to Blair Atholl. Definitely one of my favourites.

Adam Brown · Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2007 12:33 am Post subject:

If you follow this link it confirms Jim's location

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/381726

However the wrong photograph has been posted.

You can see photos of the rebuilding of the wall in front in 1998 here:

http://dswa.org.uk/Picture%20Gallery/Sundry/walls_charity.htm

which confirms Jim's photos are of Invergarry's war memorial. Les Harvey on geograph has got his junctions mixed up and this is actually Invermoriston's war memorial.

The fact that the Invergarry memorial is quite far back from the road and surrounded by trees may mean it's hard to spot.

It would be interesting to see a photograph from the 1920s to see how obvious it was to passers-by then.

Adam

Adam Brown · Posted: Sat Apr 24, 2010 7:03 pm Post subject:

The confusion here is that the memorial is on the old road and the A82 now runs behind this memorial.

Here is a link to Google Maps Street View

If you follow the link it is taken from the A82 and the shape just above the blur in the middle of the image is the rear of the memorial. Unfortunately the GMSV cameras didn't go down the road the memorial overlooks.

From the link you should be able to work out how to get to it from either of the two roads leading off the A82 and to the bridge to the Glengarry Castle Hotel

Regards

Adam

DerekR · Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2010 4:01 pm Post subject:

Adam,
Thanks for that - that solves a mystery of why I've never been able to spot the memorial.

It appears at Grid Ref: NH313011

_________________

Time but th' impression stronger makes, As streams their channels deeper wear.

DerekR · Posted: Fri May 21, 2010 9:41 pm Post subject:

_________________

Time but th' impression stronger makes, As streams their channels deeper wear.

DerekR · Posted: Fri May 21, 2010 9:42 pm Post subject:

_________________

Time but th' impression stronger makes, As streams their channels deeper wear.

DerekR · Posted: Fri May 21, 2010 9:43 pm Post subject:

_________________

Time but th' impression stronger makes, As streams their channels deeper wear.

Adam Brown · Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2012 9:13 am Post subject:

Some of my own images. As you can see the inscription is very hard to read so thank goodness for Jim's transcription above. I was standing right in front of it and could only make out a few words

Adam Brown · Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2012 9:18 am Post subject:

The inscription is from American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1838 poem "A Psalm of Life"

From: http://www.potw.org/archive/potw232.html

WHAT THE HEART OF THE YOUNG MAN
SAID TO THE PSALMIST

TELL me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream ! —
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.

Life is real ! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal ;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way ;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle !
Be a hero in the strife !

Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant !
Let the dead Past bury its dead !
Act,— act in the living Present !
Heart within, and God o'erhead !

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time ;

Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate ;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

DelBoy · Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2012 4:30 pm Post subject: Ellice Brothers

stuartn · Joined: 13 Dec 2016 Posts: 2551

WMR 69589. From the photographs supplied it looks as if the area has been much tidied up and the lettering on the memorial redone. It now seems to be in excellent condition