Edinburgh Castle – Page 7 – The NEN

City prepares for Drumhead commemoration

‘Sunday will be a very special, very memorable occasion that will unite the people of Scotland’

Final preparations are underway for Scotland’s Drumhead Service, procession and memorial on Sunday in Edinburgh that will mark the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War.

Musicians from the Band of the Royal Marines were at the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle yesterday to practice constructing and deconstructing the altar that will form the centrepiece for the multi-faith service, which is expected to be attended by a congregation of more than 8,000 people representing all parts of Scotland.

Hundreds of representatives of the armed forces will be at Redford Barracks today for a full rehearsal of the major commemoration event, believed to be the first of its scale in Scotland’s history.

The City of Edinburgh Council is planning to implement several road closures and restrictions to facilitate the event. They include the complete closure of Johnston Terrace, High Street, Canongate, Lawnmarket, Queen’s Drive, Chambers Street and a number of nearby roads at various times between 7.15am and 2pm on Sunday.

Loading restrictions will also affect a number of streets from 6pm on Saturday. Full details of road closures and restrictions are available from the City of Edinburgh Council’s website at: www.edinburgh.gov.uk

Lothian Buses’ services 6, 9 and 35 will also be affected. Information about how this will affect local journeys is available from the Lothian Buses website at: www.lothianbuses.com

Drumhead Service organisers have also released a final batch of free tickets to those who are able to collect them in person from the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo’s office on Market Street up until 2230 on Saturday evening, or from The Hub at Castlehill on the Royal Mile on the morning of the event.

Signalling the start of the five-year Scottish Commemorations Programme, the Drumhead Service will replicate those held on the front line 100 years ago when, in a long-held military tradition, neatly piled drums with draped Colours were used in place of an altar.

The service will feature troops from the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force and will be accompanied by music from three military bands, two cadet bands, three choirs and around 200 massed pipes and drums. The service, procession and memorial will be attended by guest of honour, Edinburgh’s Lord Provost and Lord Lieutenant Donald Wilson.

At the end of the Drumhead Service, the military bands and tri-service guards will parade down the Royal Mile accompanied by around 100 marching veterans and 100 cadets. The congregation will then be invited to follow in a procession down the Royal Mile to Holyrood Park, where over 1,000 replica Commonwealth War Gravestones will form a temporary memorial, at which people will be invited to leave poppies, wreaths or markers.

Brigadier David Allfrey, Producer of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and chief organiser of the Drumhead Service, procession and memorial, said: “Sunday will be a very special, very memorable occasion that will unite the people of Scotland – people of all ages and from all parts of the country – in a shared act of commemoration, remembrance and reflection.

“The event will give a sense of what it might have been like to enlist during the first few weeks and months of the war. The multi-faith service on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle represents the moment before deployment; the procession down the Royal Mile will symbolise a ‘March as to War’ and the gathering in Holyrood Park, the approach to the front and assembly for military action. The memorial of over 1000 headstones will provide a vital sense of scale and a focus for acts of individual and collective commemoration.”

Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, said: “The Drumhead Service, procession and memorial on August 10 will signal the start of Scotland’s commitment to commemorating the centenary of the First World War.

“The event will bring the people of Scotland together to consider the impact of that brutal conflict, which claimed the lives of more than 100,000 Scots and left many more injured or disabled, forcing families and loved ones across the country to come to terms with the terrible consequences.

“From this Sunday until January 2019 we will encourage the people of Scotland and those with connections to Scotland to recognise the significant and broad impact the First World War had on our nation, and to reflect on its lasting social and civic legacy.”

Norman Drummond, Chair of the Scottish Commemorations Panel, said: “Many thousands of people have shown an overwhelmingly strong willingness to take their place at the Drumhead Service, procession and memorial on Sunday.

“We have worked with local authorities, the armed forces, the veterans community and charities to ensure that people of all ages and from every part of Scotland will be there to participate in this important commemoration.

“With final preparations now underway, the further release of a number of tickets represents the last opportunity for the people who have thus far been unable to obtain tickets to take their place at an event upon which we and our children and our grandchildren will in years to come reflect that ‘we were there and we remembered’.”

The Lord Provost and Lord Lieutenant of Edinburgh Donald Wilson, said: “Every August, visitors flock to the Royal Mile to experience the buzz of the festival season. This Sunday, the street will pause for a very special event. The Drumhead Service and procession will offer Scotland the opportunity to come together for a moment of quiet reflection to remember the thousands of Scots who fell during the First World War.

“It is very fitting that as the Capital city we should play our key part in these commemorations and show our support and gratitude for the enormous sacrifices made by courageous men and women in service of this country.”

Tickets available for WW1 commemoration event

One thousand free places to attend Scotland’s Drumhead Service

A thousand free places will be made available from today for those who wish to attend Scotland’s national commemoration marking the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War next month.

Signalling the start of the five-year Scottish Commemorations Programme, a Drumhead Service will be held at Edinburgh Castle on August 10 before a congregation of almost 9,000 people from all parts of Scotland.

The multi-faith service on the castle esplanade will replicate those held on the front line 100 years ago when, in a long-held military tradition, neatly piled drums with draped Colours were used in place of an altar.

Thousands of seats have already been allocated by Scotland’s 32 local authorities to people in all parts of Scotland. Representatives of the armed services, veterans groups, charities and civic leaders across Scotland have also been invited.

From 0900 today (Tuesday) the Scottish Commemorations Panel will make a thousand places available to those who have not already secured tickets through their local authority or been invited by other means.

The August 10 event will mark the start of the Scottish Commemorations Programme which will remember eight particular events from World War One that had a significant impact on Scotland. They include the start and end of the war, major battles including Gallipoli, Loos, Jutland and Arras and domestic incidents such as the Quintinshill rail disaster and the loss of HMY Iolaire.

Following the ticket-only Drumhead Service, military bands and guards from the three services will parade down the Royal Mile. The congregation will be invited to follow in a procession to Holyrood Park, where they will find a replica Commonwealth War Graves cemetery. Those gathered in the park will have the opportunity to leave poppies and other markers.

The day’s events have been designed to give a sense of what it might have been like to enlist during the first few weeks and months of the war. The Drumhead Service represents the moment before deployment; the procession, a ‘March as to War’ and the gathering in Holyrood Park, the approach to the front and assembly for military action. The memorial of over 100 headstones will provide a vital sense of scale and a focus for acts of individual and collective commemoration.

Those who wish to attend the event but don’t have a ticket for the Drumhead Service are encouraged to line the Royal Mile and attend the memorial at Holyrood Park. The Drumhead Service will also be broadcast on a large screen at the base of Arthur’s Seat.

The Drumhead Service, procession and memorial will follow events happening in Glasgow as part of the UK Commemorations Programme on August 4 – the 100th anniversary of the date Britain entered the war. A Commonwealth-themed service at Glasgow Cathedral and a commemoration at the Cenotaph will be held in the city on that date.

Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop said: “The Drumhead Service, procession and memorial event on August 10 will be the first in a series of commemorative events between now and 2019 through which we will encourage people of all ages across Scotland to recognise the significant and broad impact the First World War had on our nation, and to reflect on its lasting social and civic legacy.

“This will be an opportunity for those from all parts of Scotland to come together to remember more than 100,000 Scots who lost their lives during the First World War, those who were left injured or disabled by the terrible conflict, and the families and communities in every city, town and village who were forced to come to terms with the terrible consequences.”

Chair of the Scottish Commemorations Panel, Norman Drummond, said: “The Scottish Commemorative Programme has three main aims: education, genealogy and legacy. We want to invite the whole of Scotland – people of all ages and in all corners of the country – to join us in remembering those who served during the First World War, to consider the significant impact the war had on Scotland and Scots around the world and to ask the question ‘What do we learn from all this?’

“Thanks to the support of local authorities, every part of Scotland will be represented at the Drumhead Service in addition to those from the military, veterans communities, charities and civic Scotland.

“By making a thousand places available to the general public we can be certain that as many people as possible, from all parts of Scotland, have an opportunity to come and commemorate this important anniversary, upon which we and our children and our grandchildren may in years to come reflect that ‘we were there and we remembered’.”

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo are organising the Drumhead Service, procession and memorial event at the request of Scottish Ministers.

Brigadier David Allfrey, Producer of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, said: “A Drumhead Service is a hugely fitting start to the Scottish Commemorations Programme. It provides a proper focus for us all in our reflections on the First World War: its context, its realities, its impact and its relevance both today and into the future. On the eve of battle, each and every combatant and those that support them, tend to find time for reflection, each in their own way. In the same way, we hope the Drumhead Service, procession and memorial might help stimulate a rich conversation that, using the War as its frame, can cover a broad ground – a look forward as well as a reflection on things past.

“The day’s events have been designed to give a sense of what it must have been like to enlist for the First World War, to leave familiar surroundings of town and country, to join up with others in the austere surroundings of the barracks, to wear uniform and be expected to act and live as a group – to stylised words of command – to march, learn skill at arms, face the uncertainty of travel overseas and the brutality of war.

“Scotland’s local authorities have secured the attendance of thousands of people from across the country but we recognise there will be many more who haven’t been allocated a place and would like to join us at the Drumhead Service to reflect on the part played by their forebears, to pay tribute to the many whose lives were lost and to contemplate what we might learn for the future.

“That is why we’re making 1000 free places available from today.”

The Drumhead Service will start at 10.30 on August 10 and will last approximately half an hour. Doors open at 9.00 and the congregation should be seated by 10.00. The whole event – including the procession down the Royal Mile and memorial at Holyrood Park – is expected to last until 14.00, although the public can remain in the park until 18.00 when the memorial will be closed.

Tickets for the Drumhead Service can be requested online at www.WW100Scotland.com.

Those requiring wheelchair access or with other accessibility requirements should ring 0131 225 1188. Tickets will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis and up to ten can be requested by each applicant.

All applications must be received by 4 August 2014.

More flaming tickets available today!

Organisers of the Olympic Flame Evening Celebration at Edinburgh Castle are delighted to announce the release of 500 extra tickets. More than 8,000 tickets were snapped up in just six hours when they became available last month – now additional tickets for the two-and-a-half-hour concert on Wednesday 13 June will be available on a first come first served basis through Ticketmaster from 10am today.

Tickets can be collected from the Usher Hall Box Office between 3pm and 6pm on Wednesday 13 June.

The Evening Celebration begins at 5.45pm (doors from 4.45pm) and will feature a headline performance from top Scottish artist Emeli Sandé.

For anyone without a ticket to the Evening Celebration, the event will be screened live on the Big Screen in Festival Square, with seating provided. The Screen will show live coverage of the Torch Relay from lunchtime until the start of the Evening Celebration.

Deputy Lord Provost Deidre Brock said: “The Evening Celebration at Edinburgh Castle is going to be a once in a lifetime experience and we’re delighted to have these extra 500 tickets to release. The event will be a spectacular finale to the journey of the Olympic Flame through Scotland’s historic Capital. We’re expecting big crowds of people to turn out to welcome the Torch and cheer on the Torchbearers – it promises to be a great occasion and a wonderful opportunity to showcase Edinburgh to the watching world.”

The Evening Celebration event at Edinburgh Castle will see the arrival of the Olympic flame on stage along with music and entertainment from the Torch Relay’s presenting partners: Bank of Scotland, Coca Cola and Samsung. Emeli Sandé will be performing a short set during the Evening Celebration, while Kim Edgar and The Big Project, featuring young people from Edinburgh, will perform two 10-minute sets during the show. Towards the end of the event, the Olympic Flame will arrive at the Castle and the cauldron will be lit on stage.

The timings for the event are:

16:45 – Doors open

17:45 – Show starts

19:20 – Arrival of the Olympic flame

20:15 – Show ends

Please note that there will be no re-admission. Alcohol is not permitted, nor are open containers or bottles, although sealed plastic bottles of soft drinks are allowed. Bottled water will be available within the arena (provided free).