Author: davepickering

Edinburgh reporter and photographer

Remembrance reflections

I started crawling back towards our lines, and I had never seen so many dead men clumped together. That was all I could see and I thought to myself, ‘All the world’s dead – they’re all dead – they’re all dead’. That’s all I could think as I crawled along. Everywhere I passed, to my left and my right were dead men laying on the ground.

Pte Charles Taylor, 13 Battalion, Yorks and Lancs

One summer evening after the Battle of the Somme had started the guns were rumbling and there was a terrible nose of battle in our ears. Yet where we lay, just thirty metres from the trenches, there were mountains and peace, and hardly any shooting. We could see the French soldiers, and one night a Frenchman started to sing – he was a wonderful tenor. None of us dared to shoot and suddenly we were all looking out from the tranches and applauding, and the Frenchman said ‘Merci‘!

It was peace in the middle of war, and the strange thing was that – just a few kilometres northwards – the terrible battle of the Somme was going on.

Captain Herbert Sulzbach, German Artillery

We were still fighting hard and losing men – we knew nothing of the proposed Armistice, we didn’t know until a quarter to ten on that day. As we advanced on the village of Guiry a runner came up and told us that the Armistice would be signed at 11 o’ clock that day, the 11th of November. That was the first we knew of it.

We were lined up on a railway bank nearby, the same railway bank that the Manchesters had lined up on in 1914. They had fought at the Battle of Mons in August that year. Some of us went down to a wood in a little valley and found the skeletons of some of the Manchesters still lying there. Lying there with their boots on, very still, no helmets, no rusty rifles or equipment, just their boots.

Marine Hubert Trotman, Royal Marine Light Infantry

It wasn’t like London, where they all got drunk of course. No, it wasn’t like that, it was all very quiet. You were so dazed that you just didn’t realise that you could stand up straight and not be shot.

Corporal Reginald Leonard Haine, 1 Honourable Artillery Company

The Armistice came, the day we had dreamed of. The guns stopped, the fighting stopped. Four years of noise and bangs ended in silence. The killings had stopped.

We were stunned. I had been out since 1914, I should have been happy. I was sad. I thought of the slaughter, the hardships, the waste and the friends I had lost.

Sgt Major Richard Tobin, Hood Battalion, Royal Naval Division

 

The facts of The Matter

The Matter is a new way for young people to tell their councils and governments what they think about issues that concern them, and a group of local teenagers unveiled the first edition of their new publication and presented their findings at West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre last month.

Commissioned by the Total Craigroyston initiative, six young people from North Edinburgh Young People’s Forum spent six manic weeks researching, consulting, interviewing, writing and producing their very own newspaper – The Matter – to articulate younger people’s views on how their voices can be heard in the Forth community planning process. The teenagers did receive some assistance – The Matter was supported by design agency Snook in partnership with Young Scot and Firstport.

We promised last month that the young journalists would produce their own article about the project for NEN – and here it is:

Matters2us article

Matters2us is our group name for the newspaper that expresses young people’s voices. We as young people got the privilege of becoming the first ever pilot group to have produced a paper with the team called: The Matter. Our deadline was 6 weeks, so you can imagine how strenuous the whole process was!

We were given a client, an editor and a designer to help us produce the paper and went out to explore the Forth Neighbourhood Community and ask a question. That question that was given to us by the client – Tim from Total Craigroyston/Edinburgh City Council – the question was ‘How can young people’s voices be heard successfully in the Forth Neighbourhood Community Planning Process?’

We consulted with roughly 200 young people around the area and out all of the ideas into the paper. With the ideas the young people gave, we produced 3 big ideas and on our launch night we explored these ideas in greater detail with the audience. The launch night was about highlighting the achievement of us making a newspaper and getting it known to the local community more, whilst also letting the public know about our process of the paper.

In the audience were members of the general public from the community, Edinburgh City Council workers, Councillors, young scot, snook and young people. The outcome was fantastic: people want to support us in finding funding to do a second print and  praised us on the work we had done.

We as a group extremely enjoyed this experience and hope to do it again sometime in the future!

North Edinburgh Young People’s Forum

NEYPF@hotmail.co.uk

 

 

 

Good news for Gala?

Organisers of this summer’s West Pilton and Muirhouse Community Gala have been nominated for an award.

In a post on the group’s Facebook page, the committee announced: ‘Great news… The gala has just been nominated for an event award with Edinburgh City Council, and the committee have been invited to the awards ceremony at The Assembly Rooms on Wed 21st Nov … ‘

Good luck, guys!

Forth Voluntary Sector meets on Wednesday

Supported by EVOC, Forth Voluntary Sector Forum brings together representatives of voluntary groups and community organisations to discuss issues of common concern. Forth VSF meets regularly and is currently chaired by North West Carers’ Sarah Mavor.

The next meeting of Forth Voluntary Sector Forum will be held in North Edinburgh Arts on Wednesday 14 November at 10am. New faces/organisations are always welcome!

For further information about Forth Voluntary Sector Forum contact EVOC Neighbourhood Partnerships Development Officer Kate Kasprowicz on 555 9100 or email kate.kasprowicz@evoc.org.uk

 

Inverleith conference to talk about transport

Live in Inverleith? What are your views on local transport issues? Whether it’s bus services, cycling, car parking, potholes or routes for walkers Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership wants to hear your opinion!

Transport is the theme of the annual Inverleith Community Conference and organisers insist that views expressed at the meeting will help influence city council transport plans – senior transport officials will participate in informal workshops at the Broughton event.

‘On the Move in Inverleith’ takes place on Thursday 15 November from 6 – 9pm in Broughton High School and places are still available – to register for the conference call Anne Brown on 332 6316, email anne.brown@ea.edin.sch.uk or download a booking form at www.edinburghnp.org.uk/inverleith

With an evening of ‘lively debate, big ideas, fun and refreshments’ on offer, would you really want to miss ‘On the move in Inverleith’?

Reminder – Muirhouse planting tomorrow!

The Muirhouse Centipede has been in touch asking us to remind readers that there’s a touch of ‘guerilla gardening’ taking place in Muirhouse Avenue tomorrow.

Working with the city council and North Edinburgh Arts, Muirhouse Centipede project has organised a community bulb planting weekend tomorrow and Saturday and they could do with a hand – the green-fingered group has no less than 9000 spring bulbs to plant on Muirhouse Avenue!

Working with local artist Natalie Taylor, Friday’s session is from 1 – 3pm and on Saturday it’s 10am – 2pm. Many hands make light work, and your labours will help produce a beautiful ‘painting’ come the Spring

Hot drinks and biscuits will be available for everyone who joins in, and groups from Craigroyston Primary School, Oaklands School and Muirhouse Millennium Centre have signed up to kick off the project tomorrow – come and join them!

For further information call North Edinburgh Arts on 315 2151 or visit www.northedinburgharts.co.uk

Cutting edge drama at North Edinburgh Arts

North Edinburgh Theatre Group is offering performance without barriers in an innovative piece of Theatre Uncut later this month. And what exactly is Theatre Uncut, I hear you cry? North Edinburgh Theatre Project’s Stephanie Knight explains all:

“Theatre Uncut was established last year in response to cuts in UK public spending outlined by the coalition government. For one week in March over 800 people performed Theatre Uncut plays simultaneously in more than 80 venues across the UK, USA, Germany and Ireland: the plays were performed in theatres, universities, community centres, schools, on the streets, in living rooms – anywhere and everywhere!

This year playwrights from Greece, Syria, Spain, the US, Iceland and the UK have penned short dramatic responses tackling a range of issues including the Eurozone crisis, the state of global capitalism and the Occupy movement – so uncut also takes on the meaning of uncensored in this exciting 2012 season of brand new work.”

North Edinburgh Theatre project will be presenting a rehearsed reading of

         Spine by Clara Brennan (UK)

         A tender musing on the real cost of closing our libraries

and some improvised scenes based on

        The Breakout by Anders Lustgarten (UK)

        Abrickfallsoutofacellwall,offeringitsinmatesaviewof thepotentialoftheworldbeyondthebars

The performance takes place on Friday 16 November at 7pm

in North Edinburgh Arts Centre.

Stephanie adds: “The participants are really excited to be part of this international initiative and it would be great to see a lot of people here. The World Café is also selling some wonderful food until 7pm on Friday 16, so if you come earlier you can have something yummy to eat before watching Theatre Uncut!”

Edinburgh ready to remember

Edinburgh will join the rest of the world in observing Remembrance Day on Sunday – a commemoration of the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war.

Two minutes’ silence will be marked on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month – a date which marks the anniversary of the ending of the First World War in 1918.

Scotland’s national remembrance ceremony will take place at the Stone of Remembrance on the Royal Mile. In attendance will be the Rt Hon Donald Wilson, Lord Lieutenant and Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP, First Minister of Scotland and the Rt Hon Michael Moore MP, Secretary of State for Scotland.

Lord Provost Donald Wilson said: “On Remembrance Sunday, people the length and breadth of Britain will pay tribute to all those who have fought and died – and who continue to do so – in order to keep this country safe.

“Whether it’s by attending a Remembrance Service or Parade, or simply by taking a moment of quiet reflection, we can all show our gratitude and appreciation for the enormous sacrifices being made every day on our behalf by so many courageous men and women.”

Some of the Remembrance services and parades taking place across the city on Sunday include:

Royal British Legion Remembrance Day parade

When? 10am

Where? Meeting in St Giles Street

Details: The parade will head eastward to the Stone of Remembrance at the City Chambers where they will be met by civic dignitaries and representatives of various public bodies for the Act of Remembrance and a wreath laying ceremony. This will be followed by a service in St Giles Cathedral.

Corstorphine Remembrance Day service

When? 10am

Where? Close to the War Memorial at Corstorphine Kirk, Kirk Loan

Davidson’s Mains Remembrance service and parade

When? 12.30pm

Where? East Barnton Gardens, near to Cramond Road South)Details: The parade will move towards the War Memorial situated in ‘The Green’, where the Remembrance Service will take place.

Heart of Midlothian Remembrance Day service

When? 10.30am

Where? Grosvenor Street, from the junction at West Maitland Street

Details: Wreaths will be laid at Grosvenor Street (and later moved to Haymarket Junction). The Salvation Army Band will then march from Caledonian Place and Dalry Road to Grosvenor Street, where a one-minute silence will be observed.