Tag: Great War

Ministry of Defence honours the sacrifice of World War One soldiers

Re-dedication Services in Ypres

Four soldiers of the Great War had their graves rededicated in the presence of their family yesterday (Tuesday 22 March 2022).

Wilfred Miller
Lance Corporal Wilfred Horace Miller

Both services were organised by the MOD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), also known as the ‘MOD War Detectives’, and were held at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s (CWGC) Ypres Reservoir Cemetery in Ypres, Belgium.

Nicola Nash, MOD JCCC caseworker said: “After more than 100 years, these four men who were lost, have now been found. There is nothing more rewarding for us than giving a family closure and making sure that every soldier is remembered as he should be.”

The first service was held for Lance Serjeant (LSjt) Edward Leonard Cottrell and Serjeant (Sjt) Joseph Frank Brookes Birkin whilst the second was to honour Lance Corporal (LCpl) Wilfred Horace Miller and LCpl Arthur Burton. All four served with the Leicestershire Regiment.

Joseph Birkin
Serjeant Joseph Frank Brookes Birkin

Defence Minister Leo Docherty said: “We will never fail in our duty to remember those who gave their lives in the cause of freedom during the two world wars.

“As more fallen servicemen from both world wars are discovered, the MOD Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre will strive to confirm their identities. Their tireless efforts and dedication will ensure these soldiers’ names will live on in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s cemeteries.”

The four soldiers had no known graves since tragically losing their lives in 1915, however, due to the collective efforts of the MOD JCCC and CWGC following evidence submitted, their final resting places have now been found over a century later.

Private Nicolas
Private Benjamin Nicolas laying wreath on behalf of members of the Birkin family who were unable to attend

Following submission of research, including from the CWGC, that was considered by the MOD JCCC as the adjudicators, additional research by the team themselves and the National Army Museum led to the four cases being confirmed.

Nicola added: “Today, we honour those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, along with representatives from the regiment and their family.”

John Williamson, great nephew of Sjt Birkin, said: “It is wonderful this work still continues; this ceremony gives final closure to the family.”

Birkin family members
Birkin family members in prayer during the service

Research by MOD JCCC also led to LCpl Miller’s family being traced meaning they could be invited to today’s service to pay their respects.

Maria Miller, great niece of LCpl Miller, said: “This has been the most humbling experience and a great privilege to be here today.”

Maria Miller
Maria Miller at the graveside of her great uncle Lcpl Miller’s headstone

The services were supported by the Royal Anglian Regiment and were conducted by the Reverend (Captain) Thomas Wilde, CF, Chaplain to the Royal Anglian Regiment, who said: “When you give a soldier a name you give them meaning a history and a voice.”

The graves will now be marked by headstones provided by the CWGC.

Fergus Read, CWGC Case Officer (Commemorations), said: “It is always immensely satisfying when we are able to put a name on any headstone. Here, the research for one case helped us to unlock the names of those buried in a further three graves.

“It is the Commission’s privilege to be part of the work to identify the last resting places of these casualties, and to care for their graves in perpetuity.”

Scotland remembers

Scots pause to mark centenary of the Great War

drumheadThousands of people joined together in Edinburgh yesterday to take part in a Drumhead Service, procession and memorial to mark the outbreak of the First World War a hundred years ago.

Members of the public from across Scotland and representatives of the armed forces, veterans and cadets braved the rain to remember the sacrifice made by so many.

A congregation of more than five thousand attended the multi-faith service on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle, which replicated 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 more lined the Royal Mile to watch a procession led by military bands, veterans and cadets, and followed the parade to a war memorial surrounded by over 1,000 replica Commonwealth War Graves in Holyrood Park.

It’s believed the Drumhead Service, procession and memorial was the first commemoration event of its scale to have ever been held in Scotland.

esplanadeIt was the first event in the five-year Scottish Commemorations programme which will remember eight events from World War One that had a significant impact on Scotland. They include the start and end of the war, major battles including Loos, Arras, Jutland and Gallipoli and domestic incidents such as the Quintinshill rail disaster and the loss of HMY Iolaire.

First Minister Alex Salmond (pictured below) said: “People from all walks of life and from across Scotland stood side by side today with representatives of the armed forces, veterans and cadets to remember the sacrifice made by so many in Scotland, across the Commonwealth and around the world.

“Today’s events were a fitting commemoration of the appalling loss of life in the conflict which began a century ago. Over the next five years we will ask the people of Scotland to join us in remembering a further seven events from the First World War that had a particularly significant impact on Scotland.

“I would encourage the people of Scotland and those with connections to this country to recognise the significant and broad impact the Great War had on our nation, and to reflect on its lasting social and civic legacy. We must never forget.”

salmond wreathBrigadier David Allfrey, Producer of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and chief organiser of the Drumhead Service, procession and memorial, said: “Today’s event was designed to stimulate the public’s imagination on what it might have been like to leave home and workplaces – with their structure and familiarity – to enlist in the Armed Forces in 1914 and, in a few short weeks, adapt to a martial way of life; being thrown together with strangers, learning foot drill, wearing uniform, dealing with strange equipment, adopting a new lexicon and learning skill at arms.

procession“The procession provided the opportunity to ‘walk in step’ – to march – to the sound of the pipes and drums through Edinburgh streets, towards new experiences and challenges – in 1914 this would have been the march to the railhead or the port for deployment to Europe.

“In Holyrood Park, we set out to transit and arrange the public in a manner reminiscent of military assembly areas, where the needs and wishes of the individual are subordinate to that of the group, before moving into ‘The Line’ to wait for the whistles – a ‘call to action’.

“Finally, in the Memorial, we offered an opportunity for communities and individuals to mark the national sacrifice and reflect on how the First World War has shaped our world and the here and now. I hope, with the conversation begun, we might all think a little more deeply about the 1914 – 1919 tragedy and perhaps draw more from it.”

graves

Norman Drummond, Chair of the Scottish Commemorations Panel, said: “The WW100 Scotland Drumhead Service and Opening Commemorative Events have marked an important step on the journey of education and genealogy and legacy.

“Cultivating memory as a tool for the living, the service and procession and memorial evoked a real sense of reflection upon “the war that was meant to end all wars” and from which people throughout Scotland and beyond may ask “What do we learn from all this?”

City prepares for Drumhead commemoration

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

14664464539_b9506e09d8_zFinal 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.”

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Botanic Garden remembers …

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh has created a special place of reflection …

poppy meadowAt the heart of the Edinburgh Garden this month, a wild poppy meadow stands as a poignant and transitory memorial to those who fought and died in World War One. Marking the centenary of Britain’s entry into the conflict, RBGE has created the display as a place of reflection, where visitors can pause and remember those from around the world who fell then and in subsequent wars. The colourful memorial planting is a direct act of public commemoration to the Garden’s 73 men who signed-up after war was declared in August 1914, 20 of whom lost their lives.

Heroes of the Garden

Workers at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh who lost their lives in the Great War:

James Christopher Adam • Thomas Adam • Thomas Aird • William Frederick Bennett • George Blackmore • John Mathieson Brown • Andrew Ewing Calder • Duncan Coutts • William Gordon Dickson • James Maxwell Hampson • John Hatley • David Hume • Arthur Henry Jones • Henry McBeath • Alan Menzies • Walter Henry Morland • Duncan Smith • John Stewart • Samuel Stewart • George Hugh Stuart

RBGE’s own First World War story

The plaque at the RBGE Library serves as a lasting memorial to the staff who gave their lives in the Great War. While the Library holds a War Service Roll, published in 1921 to ‘preserve for all time the story of the loyalty of our Garden Staff’, we are appealing to people around Britain who believe members of their families could have been among our staff who went to war or who came here to work in their place. Any further details we can collect would be a welcome addition to our Archives and would provide us with a deeper understanding of the Garden’s own First World War story.

RBGE’s War Service Roll can be viewed online and any members of the public who believe they may have a family or friend connection can send their contributions to commemorate@rbge.org.uk

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