Daily Archives: August 11, 2014

commemoration, military, remembrance

WW1 drumhead service remembrance event

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A national commemorative event was staged in Edinburgh yesterday to mark the start of the World War One centenaries. It took the form of a Drumhead Service, a form of religious service on a makeshift altar of piled drums draped with military flags. Following the multi-faith service on the Castle Esplanade, a procession of soldiers, veterans and members of the public marched down the Royal Mile to Holyrood Park where a field of replica Commonwealth War Graves had been erected. Participants had gathered to remember the sacrifice made by many thousands of Scots and the impacts of the war on Scottish society.

A Scottish Government news release titled “Scotland remembers” describes the event. BBC TV covered the event, and also included interviews with academic historians Sir Hew Strachan and Trevor Royle in its programmes. A BBC news story “Thousands attend WW1 Drumhead commemoration” reports on the occasion.

commemoration, military, museums and archives

The War in the Air

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As part of commemorations to mark the centenary of the outbreak of World War One, a ceremonial wreath was flown from Montrose Air Station in Angus to RAF Leuchars in Fife, the start of a journey south and over the English Channel to a war memorial in France.

A hundred years ago the Royal Flying Corps was in its infancy, with airpower soon to develop as a major element of modern warfare. Montrose was one of very few air stations in Britain, a centre for training new pilots and ground crew. The ceremonial flight recalls the journey of pilots and staff of the RFC squadron in 1914, who were among the “first in France” at the start of the war. A BBC news story “WW1 commemorative wreath flies from Montrose to Amiens” reports on the project, as does a report in local newspaper the Montrose Review.

Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre is already working with local schools and volunteers to develop ideas for further commemorative activity, such as the construction of a replica war plane from the World War One era.