The Royal Scots Regimental Museum will host its annual week-long community outreach exhibition, this year entitled GRETNA 110, at Out of the Blue Drill Hall, Dalmeny Street, Edinburgh EH6 8RG between 1000 – 1630 from Monday 19 to Saturday 24 May 2025.
GRETNA 110 commemorates the 110th anniversary of Britain’s worst rail disaster at Quintinshill, near Gretna, on 22 May 1915. The exhibition raises awareness of the 227 people killed in the crash, including the 216 Royal Scots officers and soldiers of the 1st/7th (Leith) Battalion who were on the first leg of their journey to fight at Gallipoli, and the impact it had on Leith and the wider Lothians community.
The exhibition, being staged at what was the Battalion’s Drill Hall in 1915, will be officially opened at 10:00, Monday 19 May, by Scottish Veterans Commissioner, Susie Hamilton, and Depute Lord Provost of Edinburgh, Councillor Lezley Cameron. There will be a media preview immediately prior to the opening, between 09:30 – 10:00.
The terrible disaster left an indelible scar on the close-knit Leith and Musselburgh communities, with several families losing both fathers and sons. Many of the dead were taken to a temporary mortuary that had been established in the Battalion’s Drill Hall on Dalmeny Street before the majority were buried in the nearby Rosebank Cemetery, Pilrig Street.
A Memorial Service will take place at the cemetery on 24 May. A separate Service will take place at Gretna on the anniversary of the crash.
The GRETNA 110 exhibition includes:
· A short film, ‘Leith’s Darkest Dawn’, explaining the Crash and the aftermath, including a 1983 interview with a survivor and two direct descendants
· Displays, including artefacts recovered from the crash (a molten rifle and bugle) and a paper knife made from the wood of one of the carriages
· A dedicated Research Room with access to The Royal Scots records with genealogy and medals experts
· Moving illustrated stories from some of the soldiers involved and their families
· The important role played by the people of Gretna and Carlise after the Crash
· Long lasting sporting connections including football, boxing and swimming
· Leith Academy’s GRETNA 110 researched creative exhibits display
Brigadier George Lowder MBE, Chair The Royal Scots Trust said: “We should never forget those who lost their lives, and the impact on their families, who were at the beginning of their journey to fight for their country”
Robin Bell: “My father Ian was a platoon commander, of 45 men.
“He survived the Crash, but at the sad roll call afterwards only four of his platoon answered their names.”
Susie Hamilton, Scottish Veterans Commissioner, said: “This exhibition, commemorating the country’s worst-ever rail disaster 110 years ago, honours the young men who lost their lives while on their way to serve their country.
“It speaks to the heartbreak endured by local families and preserves the memory of a deeply poignant chapter in our nation’s history – one that must never be forgotten.”
