· The ‘Bring Tommy Home for Christmas’ Campaign to commemorate 18,355 British and Commonwealth soldiers who died after the end of the first World War between Armistice and New Year’s Eve 1918 brought to Edinburgh
· New figures from Commonwealth War Graves Commission show 70 soldiers from Edinburgh never made it home for Christmas after the Armistice
· Follows campaign launch at Heart of Midlothian F.C. in February and Tommy projection on Edinburgh Castle in November this year
· John Lewis & Partners supports charity There But Not There to commemorate local soldiers
· There But Not There has raised more than £4.5m to commemorate the fallen and support today’s veterans
10,000 people took part in ‘A Nation’s Thank You – The People’s Procession’ at the Cenotaph in honour of those who fought in the First World War yesterday.
The ringing of bells recreated moments of celebration 100 years ago.
Her Majesty The Queen and members of the Royal Family will join thousands of people to commemorate the centenary of the end of the First World War today as part of the traditional National Service of Remembrance.Continue reading 100 years on, Armistice remembered
As you probably know Granton Parish Church hold a Community Service of Remembrance at the Church every year around the War Memorial in the Church Grounds (writes LINDA GARCIA).
An unknown British soldier has been afforded a final resting place 100 years after he was killed during World War 1. The burial, with full military honours, took place on 8 November at Buttes News British Cemetery near Ypres, Belgium.
The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers who formed the bearer party take the unknown British soldier to his final resting place, Crown Copyright, All rights reserved
Members of the current day Royal Regiment of Fusiliers formed a bearer party to escort their fallen former comrade into the cemetery within a coffin draped in the union flag. The Reverend Stuart Richards CF, Chaplain to the 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers conducted the service and paid tribute to the sacrifice the soldier made, and by so many more, 100 years ago.
A bugler of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, Crown Copyright, All rights reserved
The service was organised by the MOD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre, part of Defence Business Services, who work to identify the 40 plus sets of remains of British personnel found on historical World War 1 battlefields, and where possible, trace their surviving families.
The soldier was discovered during engineering works in February 2017 in a field near to the village of Westhoek, near Ypres. Although it can’t be certain when he died, research shows the village of Westhoek was fought over from August to September 1917 during the 3rd Battle of Ypres.
The Reverend Stuart Richards CF delivers the service for the unknown soldier, Crown Copyright, All rights reserved
Artefacts found with the soldier included British uniform buttons, a belt buckle and a folded rain cape. Unfortunately, as no regimental insignia were found it has been impossible to trace his name because of the tens of thousands of British soldiers killed with no known grave within the Ypres Salient.
Tracey Bowers, Head of the JCCC Commemorations team said:
Today we have provided a British unknown warrior with his final resting place, 100 years after he died. Sadly, it was not possible to identify him but his name is known unto God and we will always remember the sacrifice he made.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, who own and maintain the Buttes News British Cemetery, will now care for the soldier in perpetuity.
Frank Ross, the Right Honourable Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh, led a special group of wreath-layers at the annual Opening Ceremony of the Edinburgh Garden of Remembrance, at the Scott Monument in Princes Street Gardens yesterday. Continue reading Lord Provost opens Edinburgh Garden of Remembrance
Organisations across Edinburgh will be coming together next week to remember loved ones who have died, as part of To Absent Friends, a Scotland-wide festival of storytelling and remembrance.Continue reading Edinburgh to remember Absent Friends
The families of Guardsmen Joseph Goulden and Raymond Frederick Rose, who both served with the Coldstream Guards before being killed during World War 2, can finally take comfort in knowing the location of their loved ones’ final resting place.Continue reading Mystery of missing soldiers finally solved
