The Scottish Military Research Group - Commemorations Project

apanderson · Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 2:04 pm Post subject: CAMELON

Please accept my apologies for previously posting what I thought was Camelon War Memorial. This memorial is actually Falkirk and I have now started a new thread with updated photos to bring things to date.

Last week I had the honour and the priviledge to be one of the judges choosing a design for a Camelon War Memorial.

This project has been in the pipeline since the end of 2006 when I forwarded a list of thousands of 'potential' names from various local cemeteries and churches I had come across over the years. My list of all the names from stones in Camelon Cemetery was handed over to the Cemetery Records Office and they then could verfy if each of them lived within the bounds or were natives of Camelon itself. This was a momentous task as there were hundreds upon hundreds of names to filter through. Obviously a name on a stone doesn't mean these people were actually buried there but on more than one occasion, this seemed to be the only memorial known as they were not to be found anywhere else.

The HND and Degree students at Falkirk College were given the challenge to design this new memorial and after various surveys taken from the people of Camelon and local War Veterans, it was decided that something 'modern' was required but it had to have individual names.

It was a hard decision to make, the designs were so individual and had obviously had so much time and effort put into them. Each student gave an explanation of how they had come up with their designs, how they had researched other types of memorials and above all, their own thoughts on what 'Remembrance' meant to them.

I'm not going to describe the design but I'm confident that when the Camelon War Memorial is finally unveiled - it will be stunning.

There hasn't been a timescale set yet as the site has to be finalised, so watch this space!

Anne

Adam Brown · Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 2:25 pm Post subject:

Anne

Is the following Royal Scot on the list of those to be commemorated at Camelon?

Private Ballantyne was killed in the Gretna Rail Crash in 1915.

John Williamson Ballantyne
Private, 1139 "A" Coy. 1/7th Bn Royal Scots
Killed 22nd May 1915
Age 21.
Son of David Ballantyne
Husband of Helen Shanks Ballantyne of 100 Main St. Camelon, Falkirk
Born at Bathgate
Buried Rosebank Cemetery, Edinburgh
Commemorated on Gretna Memorial, Rosebank

Regards

Adam

apanderson · Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 3:40 pm Post subject:

H Adam,

Although the design has been approved, I haven't heard whether a location has been sorted out, so at the moment, there's still no Camelon War Memorial.

The man you mentioned was on a list of names I passed on for inclusion on the memorial - I found his name on a plaque in Camelon Parish Church and double checked on CWGC just to make sure he had a Camelon Connection.

There was another John Williamson Ballantyne killed in WW2 (Pte, 1st Royal Scots, 3061899), son of John & Christina Ballanyne, Camelon & husband of Martha Ballantyne Camelon, 6th April 1943, age 27. He's commemorated on Rangoon Memorial.

I would imagine the two men were related in some way as it's a bit of a co-incidence that they have exactly the same names but I haven't found out anything else about this second man.

Anne

Adam Brown · Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2007 8:42 pm Post subject:

Anne

Many thanks for the quick response. It's good to know he's commemorated in Camelon at the church and hopefully that means he'll be included on the new memorial.

Regards

Adam

Adam Brown · Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 3:55 pm Post subject:

Anne.

I know you're putting in a terrific amount of work into making sure the right names are on the new Camelon memorial. However if you look at the memorial in Winchburgh which was erected only in 2000 there have been a lot of names added since then.

Has the Camelon design incorporated space for additional names to be added relatively easily without making it too obvious they are new?

However confident you are that you've got all the right names I bet someone will come along just after the unveiling asking for another name to be added.

Regards

Adam

apanderson · Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 5:15 pm Post subject:

Oh I know Adam - it wouldn't matter how much preparation was put into something like this.

The design chosen is a series of metal flag type banners with the names cut out, so hopefully whenever and wherever the location is finally decided, there's room to add more names or space for an additional one to be added.

Anne

Mary · Joined: 29 May 2009 Posts: 1

"There was another John Williamson Ballantyne killed in WW2 (Pte, 1st Royal Scots, 3061899), son of John & Christina Ballanyne, Camelon & husband of Martha Ballantyne Camelon, 6th April 1943, age 27. He's commemorated on Rangoon Memorial.

I would imagine the two men were related in some way as it's a bit of a co-incidence that they have exactly the same names but I haven't found out anything else about this second man. Anne"

John W Ballantyne (1915-1943) was the son of John W Ballantyne (1883 Camelon-1917 France) & Christina Craig. This John WB was the son of Thomas Ballantyne & Elizabeth Robertson & the cousin of the John WB who was killed at Gretna.
_________________
Mary (Cheshire)

apanderson · Posted: Fri May 29, 2009 2:11 pm Post subject:

Hello Mary.

Welcome to the Forum and thank you very much for the information on the two men.

Anne

DelBoy · Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2012 1:29 pm Post subject:

Latest news on new memorial proposed. A site has been confirmed and memorial shape chosen. It will have 174 names on it.

Article

Derek.

apanderson · Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2012 2:45 pm Post subject:

Thanks for that Derek.

I hadn't heard a dickie-bird about 'plans afoot'

I'd dearly love to know how they've whittled the names down to 174 considering that there are 265 WW1 named men and 7 WW2 named men on Camelon Parish Church Memorial alone!!

See: http://warmemscot.s4.bizhat.com/viewtopic.php?t=2556

There is another church in Camelon (St. John's) which hasn't been in use for some time and I've never found the time to enquire whether there's any memorials in there.

As well as that - there's lots of men commemorated on stones in local cemeteries (and some not so local) who were Camelon men (either by birth or marriage etc) who are not listed on Camelon Parish Church's Plaque.

I'm intrigued!!

Anne

Kenneth Morrison · Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 6:09 pm Post subject:

Hi Anne - Are we still watching????

I'm not going to describe the design but I'm confident that when the Camelon War Memorial is finally unveiled - it will be stunning.

There hasn't been a timescale set yet as the site has to be finalised, so watch this space!
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Ken

apanderson · Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 11:01 pm Post subject:

Aye - watch this space right enough 'cos all that seems to be happening is up in space I think!

Anne Laughing

David McNay · Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 11:54 pm Post subject:

apanderson · Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 9:09 am Post subject:

It could be.

There are/were 2 churches in Camelon - The Irvine Church (now named Camelon Parish Church) and St. John's Church.

The congregations amalgamated and use what was the Irvine Church on Dorrator Road.

Apparently, there are plans afoot to renovate St. John's and move back there at some point, so possibly that then will become Camelon Church.

I think the plaque with all the names came from St. John's.

I don't know whether it covered the parish (i.e. both churches) as it appears to be the only one in existence and if that's the case, then it could be classed as the Civic Memorial?

Well, until (if ever) a new memorial appears!

Anne

apanderson · Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2015 4:54 pm Post subject:

I've e-mailed a person concerning the 'new' memorial and asked what the criteria for inclusion was as I'm still intrigued to know why about 100 names (with a Camelon connection) that I know of are not going to be included.

Will post back if and when I receive any news.

Anne