Police are appealing for the public’s help to trace a 38-year-old woman reported missing in Edinburgh.
Tara O’Donnell was last seen in the Haymarket area of Edinburgh around 12.15 pm on Wednesday 2nd December 2020 and there are concerns for her welfare.
It is thought that she may currently be in Edinburgh or have travelled to the Belfast area of Northern Ireland.
Tara is described as about 5 foot 3 inches, curly red/auburn hair, average build, wearing a waist length yellow rain coat.
Anyone who may have seen Tara since this time, or who has any information on her whereabouts, is urged to contact Police Scotland via 101 quoting incident number 1698 of 03/12/2020.
POLICE are pleased to confirm that Tara O’Donnell has been traced safe and well. We would like to thank the public for their assistance.
The official society studying the life and work of Winston Churchill has published an edition of its journal Finest Hour dedicated to Churchill and Scotland with a foreword by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
The society is also launching an appeal for more information about Churchill’s many associations with Scotland to enable further study about how the famous wartime Prime Minister and the Scottish people affected one another.
The International Churchill Society (ICS), the official Churchill society founded in 1968, is among the first to collate and consider Churchill’s numerous but not always well-known connections to Scotland.
Churchill said that the three most important things he received from Scotland were his wife, his constituency, and his regiment.
HGF9BY 1916.Churchill as Lieutenant-Colonel,commanding the 6th Battalion.the Royal Scots Fusiliers.Near Ploegstreert, Belgium. A Sinclair on WSC’s right.
During the First World War, he commanded the 6th Battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers on the Western Front in 1916. His two leading officers were both future Scottish political leaders. Andrew Dewar Gibb, a founding member and subsequent leader of the SNP (1936–1940) was Churchill’s adjutant, and Archibald Sinclair, a future leader of the Liberal Party (1935–45), was his second-in-command. Both men are pictured seated next to Churchill with the other officers of the battalion in May 1916 (above).
Churchill was the Liberal MP for Dundee for fourteen years. First elected in 1908, he was re-elected to the seat four times before finally losing (to a Prohibitionist candidate!) in 1922. The same year Churchill was elected to Dundee, he married Clementine Hozier, a granddaughter of the tenth Earl of Airlie.
In 1912, Churchill was among the first senior British politicians to call for Scottish home rule and UK federalism. He received his first government appointment from Scottish prime minister, Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman in 1906. He was close friends with the former Prime Minister Lord Rosebery, in his time a highly regarded Scottish politician.
Despite Churchill having had many other personal and professional connections with Scotland, there is little in the country today to mark his presence. Two plaques to his time in Dundee were erected in 2008, and there is an outstanding portrait of him by Scotland’s Sir James Guthrie in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh. Otherwise, there are merely a handful of busts around the country including a miniature sculpture in Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Museum.
The International Churchill Society is launching a fresh appeal for new stories, facts, photos, and diaries about Churchill’s time in Scotland to expand the field of study further. The team is looking to publish a book in the coming year.
Gordon Brown, former British prime minister (2007–10) said:
“So much has been written about every aspect of Winston Churchill’s life that it is surprising that one important area—his relationship with Scotland—has commanded so little attention.
“That is why this set of essays in Finest Hour must start to rectify this and rescues Churchill’s Scottish connections from the condescension of posterity.”
David Freeman, the editor of Finest Hour, said:
“It’s so rare to find something new to say about Churchill and lo and behold it was right in front of us. There’s a compelling case that England’s greatest Englishman should also be a celebrated hero in Scotland.
“The connections are innumerable and substantial, and we’re thrilled to be among the first to bring these together formally. Finest Hour, our subscription magazine, is free to view this month to kick start this conversation. If you’re sitting with old photos or other memorabilia from one of his many trips to Scotland, please get in touch.”
Allen Packwood, Director of the Churchill Archives, said:
“Churchill is often thought of and referred to as a quintessentially English figure, but this overlooks a multitude of Scottish connections. I am certain that there is new material awaiting discovery in attics and basements that will shed more light on his reception, connections and activities in Scotland.
“We’re delighted to start that process with our dedicated team of academics and enthusiasts, and this is a conversation that we’re delighted to begin with Scotland and, indeed, the world.”
Please get in touch at Scotland@winstonchurchill.org if you would like to learn more or have information on Churchill and Scotland you would like to share with the team.
Police Scotland is renewing its commitment to finding the body of Suzanne Pilley, 10 years after her disappearance.
On May 4, 2010, Suzanne left her home in Whitson Road, Edinburgh to attend her place of work in Thistle Street, Edinburgh.
However, the 38-year-old failed to show up at her office and was subsequently reported missing after family and friends were unable to get in contact with her.
A major missing person investigation was launched, which subsequently became a murder inquiry.
As a result, David Gilroy was charged on June 23, 2010, before being convicted of Suzanne’s murder March 15, 2012. Gilroy, now 57, is currently serving a life sentence with a minimum of 18 years.
While Suzanne’s body was never recovered, the investigation by Edinburgh CID focussed on the Rest and Be Thankful and Argyll Forrest, where it is suspected her remains have been hidden.
Several visits to the area with extensive searching having been conducted over the past decade, based on information from the public. However, to date, her body remains missing.
For the 10-year anniversary of Suzanne’s disappearance, Police Scotland is asking for anyone who may have information that can assist with the inquiry to find Suzanne’s body, but has yet to come forward, to do so immediately.
Detective Chief Superintendent Stuart Houston, from Police Scotland’s Specialist Crime Division, said: “I am entirely confident that justice was served in terms of Suzanne’s murder. However, it is deeply regretful that, as of now, we have been unable to recover her body and bring a sense of closure to her family.
“We will continue to revisit this investigation and conduct fresh search activity in the Argyll Forest area, whenever we receive new information from the public. So, with that in mind, I’d urge anyone who believes they have any relevant information, but who hasn’t yet spoken with police, to contact us immediately.”
“Sadly, Suzanne’s father Rob passed away in February 2019 without ever knowing what happened to his daughter. We remain committed to finding these answers for Suzanne’s mother, Sylvia and sister, Gail.”
Gail Fairgrieve, Suzanne’s sister, said: “For the past decade we have lived in a state of limbo, waiting for the news that Suzanne’s body had been found, but we’ve never been able to get that closure.
“We accept that Suzanne was murdered and believe that the person responsible is in prison, but we feel we cannot say a proper goodbye until her body is found.
“Both my mother and I want to again thank the public who have continued to contact the police, which has always given us hope that Suzanne has not been forgotten. We understand that only one person can tell us where Suzanne is but has refused to do so. Police Scotland will respond to any information and are committed to bringing us some form of closure.
“Their investigation can only conclude when Suzanne is found and so I would plead with anyone who knows something but hasn’t come forward to search their conscience and get in touch. Not for our sake, but for Suzanne’s. Please let us give her the burial and send-off she deserves.”
Those with information are asked to contact Police Scotland via 101. Alternatively, an anonymous report can be made to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
A Polish Second World War hero and his men are set to be honoured with a memorial bench to be placed in the courtyard at the entrance to the City of Edinburgh Council Chambers. A life-size image of General Stanislaw Maczek seated on the bench is hoped to be cast in bronze at a cost of £85,000 after a public appeal for donations.Continue reading Polish war hero memorial set for City Chambers
Police investigating the discovery of the remains of a baby in East Edinburgh are appealing to the public for information that can assist their inquiries.
The remains were discovered in undergrowth around 5pm on Sunday (July 29), by a member of the public who was walking his dog on Restalrig Path, near Seafield Cemetery.
Inquiries are underway in order to identify the remains and establish how they came to be located in the area, which has been cordoned off while forensic and other inquiries take place at the scene. Officers are also carrying out inquiries in the local community to gather further information.
Detective Chief Inspector David McLaren said: “Our investigation to establish the identity of the baby and how it came to be on Restalrig Path is at a very early stage.
“However regardless of the circumstances surrounding this baby’s death there is clearly a mother out there who may be in need of either medical attention or emotional support.
“Our priority at this time is to locate her and provide her with all the help and support we can. If the mother reads this appeal then I would urge her to get in touch, and I want to reassure her that we have her welfare at heart.
“In addition, I would urge anyone who has used Restalrig Path in the last few days or weeks, who has seen something suspicious or unusual that may assist our investigation, to contact us.”
Anyone with information should contact Police Scotland on 101, or make an anonymous report through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
