The Scottish Military Research Group - Commemorations Project

Adam Brown · Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2007 9:08 pm Post subject: City of Edinburgh War Memorial

City of Edinburgh War Memorial
Location: Outside City Chambers, Royal Mile
OS Ref:NT 257 736
Unveiled 11th November 1927

This is the understated memorial for the whole of the city of Edinburgh. A variation of Lutyen's Stone of Remembrance.

Adam

spoons · Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2007 10:47 pm Post subject:

Surprisingly this does not seem to be listed on UKNIWM.

Here are two extra shots, one showing the brass plaque "TO ALL FALLEN IN WAR" and the other showing the reverse.

David McNay · Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 10:56 am Post subject:

I'm told that the brass plaque is not original, and that the wording has been changed to a more "politically correct" wording from what was originally there.

I am also told that after some complaints, a replacement brass plaque, with the original wording, will be put back onto this memorial.

On a personal note, I have to say that this memorial does not do justice to the sacrifice made by the men of Edinburgh. When you look at the quality of memorials for some incredibly small communites, Edinburgh really should hang its head in shame that this is the best they could do to remember its fallen.

Adam Brown · Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 12:45 pm Post subject:

David

There was a lot of debate after the Great War about Edinburgh's memorial. There were some plans made for a very grandiose affair using the National Monument on Calton Hill. Not finishing it as a classical temple but using the existing columns as a backdrop for a great deal of statuary. It would have been quite a unique war memorial.

It didn’t come to anything and I think the memorial here is so small because it needed to sit between the City Chambers and St Giles. The reason for a small memorial was that the City as Capital of Scotland could also count on the SNWM as their memorial. The thinking being Edinburgh did not need to build another grand monument since there was already one in the City at the top of Castle Rock.

The simplicity of it is also deliberate. The memorial is a variation of Lutyen’s Stone of Remembrance. These were placed in IWGC cemeteries which had more than 500 graves. By copying that design it is illustrating the size of Edinburgh’s loss. Unfortunately the Stone of Remembrance and SNWM links are not obvious to Edinburgh’s citizens today and it just looks like we’ve got a poor memorial for a city.

This lack of knowledge is what prompted calls by the City Council last year to create a Second World War memorial in Princes Street Gardens. They had actually got to the stage of asking for design proposals but nothing will come of it because the Council will not be able to afford it when it comes to actually building anything.

Adam

ADP · Joined: 13 Jun 2008 Posts: 467 Location: Edinburgh

From The Scotsman, Saturday 12th November 1927

VISIT OF PRINCE HENRY

STONE OF REMEMBRANCE

Observance of Remembrance Day in Edinburgh yesterday was of an impressive character. The two minutes' silence was inaugurated by the gun from the Castle, as in former years.

On this occasion special interest was concentrated on the unveiling at the City Chambers of the Stone of Remebrance by His Royal Highness Prince Henry.

Prince Henry said that year by year, on that solemn Day of Remembrance, the citizens of Edinburgh would now be able to assemble there to pay their tribute to these gallant Scotsmen who so readily gave their lives.

Lord Provost Stevenson, accepting the memorial on behalf of the city, said that it was placed on a historic spot, and in a street inseparably identified with many stirring events in the history of the Scottish people.

ADP

DelBoy · Posted: Sun Oct 31, 2010 11:23 am Post subject:

As you say Adam, it appears there was disagreement about the need or want for having an Edinburgh city war memorial when it hosts the national memorial.

A november 10th 1936 Glasgow Herald has an article that shows the debate was still going on over 15 years after the war ended about displaying the names of those from the city who died.
It gives a figure of "about 4000" names that are known that could be included in a city memorial.

I wonder where this list is now?

Adam Brown · Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2010 4:23 pm Post subject:

Derek

By the time the Herald published its article 4,000 names had been published in a Citizen's Roll which was displayed in the Huntly House Museum in the Canongate. Unfortunately the City and the National Library have both managed to misplace their copies of this Roll (it may have been the same copy). Luckily the record card index which was used to compile the Roll has survived almost intact. The cards for the surnames beginning A, B and half the C's are missing but the others are still available to view at the City's Collection Centre off Broughton Street.

As part of the Edinburgh's War project we're hoping to use this information as one of several sources of data to create a new Roll for the City. Unfortunately we can't guarantee that it will now include the names from the missing cards but at least it should be a lot more comprehensive than the first half-hearted effort that the Corporation created in the late 1920's.

Thanks

Adam

anne park · Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 7:00 pm Post subject: Roll of Honour

Did Edinburgh have a People's Journal....when Aberdeen's memorial was unveiled the list was in the paper as a supplement. Is it possible to check.
Anne

ADP · Joined: 13 Jun 2008 Posts: 467 Location: Edinburgh

From The Scotsman, Thursday 19th March 1925.

EDINBURGH'S ROLL OF HONOUR

Instructions were given yesterday by a sub-Committee of Edinburgh Town Council for the acceptance of estimates for the Roll of Honour of the City, which takes the form of two volumes in vellum, mounted on a suitable desk, and containing the names of residents of Edinburgh who fell in the war. Some 4000 names have already been sent in for inscription on the volumes, but it is understood that it is not a complete list, and an invitation is being extended to relatives of those whose names should be included in the volumes to send these in in time for inclusion.

ADP

Adam Brown

From today's Scotsman

http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/Outrage-as-Capital-war-memorial.6731662.jp

Outrage as Capital war memorial vandalised
10 March 2011
By LAURA CUMMINGS

A MYSTERY vandal attack which damaged the war memorial outside the City Chambers has been condemned.

The Stone of Remembrance on the Royal Mile was daubed with white paint, along with a nearby wall, in the incident. It is thought to have taken place on Tuesday night or in the early hours of Wednesday but the motive is a mystery.

The city council believes specialist paint was used as a team of dedicated cleaners had to be called in to remove it yesterday afternoon after initial attempts failed in the morning.

Lord Provost George Grubb, who said he had no idea who was responsible, branded the vandalism "disgraceful".

He said: "This memorial was created in memory of those who died in war and it's always been regarded as a sacred spot as far as the city is concerned. It should be treated with great respect.

"This was an act of vandalism which is sad because we gather every Remembrance Sunday to lay wreaths, along with the First Minister and the British Legion. Last year we had a great parade. It's very hard to express in words how one feels."

Councillor Grubb added: "When we left the City Chambers on Tuesday night it was all right, so it must have happened during the night."

The paint has now been removed by water jet, with cleaners set to return today to polish the marble.

The spokesman for the Royal British Legion Scotland, Neil Griffiths, described the vandalism as "totally shocking".

"All vandalism makes your blood boil but the desecration of a war memorial is above that," he said.

"This represents the death of many thousands of Scots and it is the focus of national remembrance. Every year the whole nation gathers around the memorial and this year we have got the Armed Forces Day in June, when again it will be a centrepiece.

"It's an important piece of work for not just the ex- service community, but the whole community. It represents the memory of Scots who died all round the world serving the country since World War One."

A council officer spotted the vandalism at around 7am yesterday and reported it to the local authority.

Councillor Robert Aldridge, the city's environment leader, said: "As soon as this was reported to us, we had a team of experts on hand to remove the graffiti.

It is hard to understand how someone can stoop so low and deface a war memorial for those who gave their lives for this country."

DelBoy · Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2012 4:19 am Post subject:

stuartn · Joined: 13 Dec 2016 Posts: 2551

stuartn · Joined: 13 Dec 2016 Posts: 2551

WMR 87359.

The Roll of Honour is 88389