A GLASGOW school has been illuminated in red in memory of those who lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars.
Kelvinside Academy, a War Memorial Trust school with one of the biggest Combined Cadet Forces (CCF) in the country, is one of several iconic locations across Scotland “Lighting Up Red” in support of Poppyscotland.
Some 177 Kelvinside Pupils lost their lives fighting for their country in WWI and WWII.
As has become tradition, the school has also paid tribute to the fallen with a poignant display featuring silhouettes of soldiers and poppies – designed and created by pupils – outside the A-Listed school building in the city’s West End. Handmade ornamental poppies, one for every former pupil whose life has been lost, have also been planted in the school grounds.
Daniel Wyatt, Rector of Kelvinside Academy, said: “The Kelvinside Academy community will never forget our former pupils who fought and died during WWI and WWII.
“Lighting up the school and creating this display is a lasting reminder to everybody of the sacrifice they, and everybody who fought in those conflicts, made. We will always remember them.”
The School’s formal Remembrance Service takes place at Kelvinside Hillhead Parish Church on Monday, November 11.
Research from Findmypast has revealed that 1.18 million wartime stories could be lost to history forever, as two thirds (64%) of Brits admit they haven’t researched an ancestor who served
To combat this, all records on Findmypast will be free to the public over the Remembrance weekend (7-11 November 2024)
Delve into ancestors’ wartime experiences – from WRENS to frontline troops – in millions of military records
The 1921 Census will be free to view for the first time, offering a snapshot of interwar life
Uncover the details of family heroics and tragedy within the pages of Findmypast’s treasure trove of historical newspapers
Preserve stories and memories in a family tree and take advantages of helpful free tools and features
This Remembrance weekend, Findmypast is offering free access to all records to enable more people to discover their family’s wartime experiences.
This comes after new research conducted by Findmypast revealed that 1.18 million wartime stories are at risk of being forgotten, with a staggering two thirds (64%) of Brits admit they haven’t researched an ancestor who served.
From 7 November – 11 November, anyone can delve into the billions of records and historical newspapers on Findmypast, including the exclusive 1921 Census for the first time.
With millions of military records available – from WWI service records to medical records, enrolment forms, and rolls of honour – you can trace every detail of your ancestors’ wartime service across the globe.
With millions of women serving in in uniform and undertaking civilian wartime roles, make sure to uncover their stories in record sets including the WRENs files, Red Cross volunteer lists, rolls of honour, and service records.
Newspapers on Findmypast offer a treasure trove of information and stories. You might find details of your ancestors’ wartime heroics, images of your community during the blitz, or fascinating insights into the reporting of major milestones in the war. Follow history as it happened with free access to millions of newspaper pages, digitised in partnership with the British Library.
With the 1921 Census offered free for the first time, you can also discover the impacts of the First World War on your family’s lives. Uncover their changing occupations and reflect on tragic losses, all documented in the largest and most comprehensive census in British history. Trace their lives further into the 20th century with the 1939 Register, taken on the advent of the Second World War.
Plus, you’ll get free use of all Findmypast’s tools and features to aid your research and grow your tree. Preserve your findings with Findmypast’s online family tree builder, and allow the clever hints to get your family history further, faster and with more accuracy. Search for ancestors within the branches of other members’ tree and uncover new connections. Discover milestone moments with Family Notices, and map these onto their profile.
Sarah Bush, Managing Director at Findmypast said: “Remembrance Day provides the perfect opportunity to reflect on our ancestors’ sacrifices, but research shows many stories remain untold.
“We’re encouraging people to honour their ancestors by uncovering their wartime stories. Every family’s wartime experience is unique, so we’re making our vast and varied collection of records, newspapers and tools on Findmypast free to ensure that no story is left behind.”
Free access on Findmypast will run from 10am GMT on 7 November to 11.59pm FMP on Monday 11 November. Ts&Cs Apply.
Royal Scots Drum Major Calls Marching in Cenotaph Parade One of Life’s Proudest Moments
Andrew Keane, 78, from Livingston, who served over 24 years in the army, has thanked Sight Scotland Veterans for their life-changing support and for giving him the chance to march in the Cenotaph Parade again.
This November, 22 veterans from Sight Scotland Veterans will travel to London to take part in the Cenotaph Parade, a central event in the Remembrance Day commemorations.
For all these veterans, Remembrance Day is a profoundly personal and moving occasion—a time to honour the countless individuals who gave their lives for the freedoms we enjoy today. It is also a day to remember family members and friends who made great sacrifices, allowing us to live in peace.
Andrew explains: “I’ve been to the Cenotaph twice before with the Royal Scots and my late wife. This year, I’m very much looking forward to it—it will be one of the proudest moments of my life.
“I’ve recently taken up the post as Chairperson of the Sight Scotland Veterans Forum for the Linburn Centre, and it will be an immensely proud moment marching alongside my comrades from Sight Scotland Veterans.
“I was a very proud soldier and a very proud Drum Major. Now, I’m very proud to represent Sight Scotland Veterans.”
“I joined the Army in 1962 with the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles). When the regiment was disbanded due to government cuts, I moved over to the Royal Scots, where I served until 1986. In total, I gave over 24 years of my life to the Army, and every moment was filled with pride, especially my time as a Drum Major.”
Reflecting on his military career, Andrew shares, “My time in service was quite traumatising. In 1966, I was blown up in Aden when two hand grenades were thrown at our Land Rover. My eyesight has never been quite right since then. I had to wear glasses, and I suffered from blurred vision for years after.
“It was horrendous, but as soon as I was out of the hospital, I was straight back out again with no counselling. I was also ambushed in Northern Ireland, which was another terrible experience. Again, there was no counselling offered, and now I’m dealing with PTSD. For a long time, I had flashbacks and nightmares, and I still do. It was only recently, with help from Combat Stress, that I started to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Following his military service, Andrew Keane embarked on an unexpected and rewarding journey, where his expertise leading him to a significant role overseas.
“After leaving the Army, I went on to teach military skills to the Sultan of Oman’s Royal Guard. It was supposed to be a short post, but I ended up staying for 12 years. The people were lovely, and it was an honour to serve them.
A New Beginning with Sight Scotland Veterans
“I was referred to Sight Scotland Veterans by Combat Stress, and it has been quite literally life changing for me.
“I go to the Linburn Centre every Tuesday, and I absolutely love it. I’ve tried all the activities—archery, shooting, and the gym. The gentle exercise really helps with my back. I’ve made so many good friends, and the atmosphere is always so positive. It just makes you feel good every time you come along. I really look forward to it every week.”
Andrew continues, “Sight Scotland Veterans is a fantastic charity. It gets veterans like me, who need a bit of help, out of the house, keeps us active both physically and mentally, and helps us form strong friendships. It’s been so good for my mental health, and I can’t thank them enough.”
Andrew recently had surgery to remove cataracts from both his eyes: “I suffered from cataracts and had my first surgery in 2022, followed by the second one last year. The difference it made to my life was like night and day. My eyesight still isn’t perfect, but it’s so much better than before. It’s amazing what a change it’s made.”
The Cenotaph Parade will take place on Sunday, 10 November 2024.
The Forces Employment Charity is calling on the public to show their support for Remembrance Day this year, by taking part in its national poppy pebble painting initiative.
The Poppy Pebbles project is a simple but powerful initiative that encourages schools, veterans, and the public alike, to paint a poppy on a pebble and place it on a war memorial, or headstone of a veteran, as a way of commemorating Remembrance Day.
Anyone choosing to take part in the initiative is encouraged to carry out research into identifying and even visiting local war graves, via the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website, finding out information about the service person buried there.
Colin Back, National Manager of Project Nova at the Forces Employment Charity who devised the initiative says:“The Poppy Pebbles project has grown exponentially over the last few years.
“We originally started the project as a way of encouraging vulnerable veterans to take part in a mindful activity during lockdown. Since then, the initiative has really captured people’s imaginations.
“Poppy Pebble Painting is now being taken up all over the country by people from all walks of life – we even have a few famous faces getting involved. It is a wonderful way to commemorate Remembrance and we hope to see more people than ever signing up to take part in this free event.”
For more information, including a free Poppy Pebbles resource pack, visit: www.forcesemployment.org.uk and search for Poppy Pebbles 2023.
To donate to the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal, visit:
A Scottish charity for veterans of the British Armed Forces has received a £1,000 donation from the team at Amazon’s fulfilment centre in Dunfermline in honour of Remembrance Day.
Poppyscotland provides support for current and former members of the Armed Forces, as well as their families, living in Scotland. The charity maintains a safe space for men, women and families with issues linked to their time in the armed forces or with their struggles adjusting from military to civilian life.
This is the third year in a row that Amazon in Dunfermline has donated to Poppyscotland. This year, the donation will go towards the charity’s welfare services for the Armed Forces community, providing advice and support to those struggling with finances, employment, housing, mobility needs, mental or physical health issues and more.
Speaking on the donation, Jamie Strain, General Manager at Amazon in Dunfermline, said: “Amazon has long been a proud supporter of the UK’s armed forces community and we’re pleased to make this donation to Poppyscotland.
“The work done by the charity’s staff and volunteers does not go unnoticed in our community.”
Megan Wright, an employee from Amazon in Dunfermline, said: “My family has received so much support from the team at Poppyscotland.
I’m happy that Amazon can help the charity with this donation.”
Gordon Michie, Poppyscotland , added: “The team at Poppyscotland and I would like to say a big thank you to Jamie and our friends at Amazon in Dunfermline for this generous donation. We appreciate all the support we can get, and with donations like this, we can provide help to the men and women who need it most.”
“Every penny will help us offer life-changing welfare support to Scotland’s Armed Forces community, helping with housing, employment, finances, mental and physical health issues, and more.”
“We’re also delighted to hear how Amazon is supporting veterans making the transition to civilian life, assisting them in training for new careers after service.”
The donation to Poppyscotland was made as part of Amazon’s programme to support the communities around its operating locations across the UK.
Almost a decade ago, Amazon signed The Armed Forces Covenant. The Covenant has a focus on helping the Armed Forces community to access the same support from Government and commercial services as the public.
Last year, Amazon increased its support of the military community by growing its partnership with the Royal British Legion.
The partnership, which began two years ago, sees Amazon encourage customers to support the Royal British Legion through an official charity store, featuring products that raise money for the Legion. All proceeds from the sale of goods go directly to the charity. Amazon also offers customers the opportunity to support the Royal British Legion through Amazon Smile.
In addition to several support programmes for the Royal British Legion and other services charities, Amazon offers an employment programme for members of the services community called the Amazon Military Programme. The programme offers members of the military community the opportunity to pursue a wide range of exciting new career paths at Amazon.
Amazon offers an employment programme for members of the services community called the Amazon Military Programme. The programme offers members of the military community the opportunity to pursue a wide range of exciting new career paths at Amazon.
A host of stars and influencers, such as Sophie Ellis Bextor, Anneka Rice and Sammy Winward, are showing their support for Remembrance Day this year by backing a national poppy pebble painting initiative, led by the Forces Employment Charity.
The Poppy Pebbles project invites schools, veterans and the public alike, to paint a poppy on a pebble and place it on a war memorial, or headstone of a veteran, as a way of commemorating Remembrance Day.
Those taking part are encouraged to undertake research into identifying and visiting local war graves in their area via the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website, finding out information about the veteran who was buried there.
Colin Back, National Manager of Project Nova at the Forces Employment Charity who devised the initiative says:“The Poppy Pebbles project initially started life as a mindfulness activity during lockdown for some of our more vulnerable veteran clients, who we support into employment.
“However, we found that the idea really struck a chord with the public more generally and now sees people taking part all over the country, from all walks of life, as their way of commemorating Remembrance.
“We are delighted that this year the Poppy Pebbles project has also captured the imagination of some famous faces too, who are helping us encourage more people than ever to get involved.”
Free travel for military and ex-military personnel on 11thand 14th November
Commitment will continue annually
New employee led Veterans Network key to Stagecoach commitment
Stagecoach has confirmed its ongoing commitment to the armed forces by announcing that it will be offering free travel for veterans and military personnel on its bus and tram services right across the UK on Remembrance Day and Remembrance Sunday.
The commitment to free travel, which will be ongoing every year, comes on the back of Stagecoach’s newly launched employee led Veterans Network.
The network was launched to allow Stagecoach colleagues to come together as one voice to make change, raise awareness, help influence business decisions and introduce new ways of working to make the company even stronger.
The Veteran Network is also currently engaging with the armed forces on a recruitment campaign directly targeting those who are leaving the military to find job opportunities at Stagecoach.
As a cause that is close to the hearts of its employees and customers, Stagecoach has been a long-time supporter of the Poppy Appeal, and in addition to free travel on 11th and 14th November, Stagecoach will be operating a number of Poppy Buses across its network, including Merseyside & South Lancashire, Cumbria & North Lancashire, Portsmouth and Aldershot.
Poppies will also be displayed on the front of a number of buses across the country with some of the destination blinds showing the messaging “We will remember them”.
Employees across Stagecoach will also be asked to honour the minutes’ silence.
Stagecoach has also been a member of the Armed Force Covenant since March 2015, recognising the value of serving personnel, regular and reservists, veterans and military families to both the country and businesses across the country.
With Remembrance services planned at memorials across UK, it is hoped that people wishing to pay their respects will take up the offer to travel for free to the service of their choice.
This commitment from Stagecoach allows for the business to unite and offer the same great experience to all military and ex-military customers and it will continue each year on 11th November and the following Sunday* as well as Armed Forces Weekend.
Simon Tramalloni, Operations Manager in Preston & Chorley is co-lead for the Stagecoach Veterans Network. He previously served in the Armed Forces serving in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Kosovo, Africa and the Middle East.
He said: “Stagecoach has a strong commitment to supporting the armed forces and our veterans, and it’s great that we are able to offer free bus and tram travel across the whole country as we mark Remembrance Day.
“We have thousands of ex forces personnel working across our business and having the new Veterans Network is allowing us to build on the work that Stagecoach has led over many years and identify how else we can support those veterans already working for us and those that may want to come and join the company.
“Remembrance Day and the Poppy Appeal are causes close to the hearts of many of our employees and customers and we are very pleased to be making this commitment that will hopefully help people to attend memorials across the UK.”
Craigroyston Community High School commemorated Remembrance Day by holding two special assemblies led by the pupils. A selection of words, hymns, songs, and poetry, along with a moving video featuring the stories of a variety of veterans were presented to pupils and staff.
At 11am precisely the whole school came to a standstill as everyone stood for the two minute silence. The wreath laying was carried out by two representatives from each year group accompanied by a piper playing Flowers of the Forest. Honoured guests included local councillors, veterans, parents and council officials.
Desmond Spiers, Craigroyston Community High School
