Listing every Scots serviceman and woman killed since 1914, the Scottish National War Memorial is a unique and hugely impressive building, housed within Edinburgh Castle.

Opened in 1927, the memorial is one of the most impressive physical commemorations built following The Great War.

Though not a memorial owned by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the aims of the two institutions are very similar – that the names of each person killed from a specific locality during the First World War – should be remembered forever.

Filmed on the day of the annual service of commemoration at the Memorial, this film explains why the Scottish National War Memorial remains relevant in the 21st century.

In 2008 a number of burial pits dating from the First World War were identified at Fromelles in northern France.

In memory of the fallen of Formelles

Archaeologists began to excavate the pits in May 2009 and by early September they had carefully removed the remains of 250 British and Australian soldiers, buried behind German lines after the Battle of Fromelles in July 1916.

The British and Australian governments asked the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to oversee the operation to recover the remains and to create a new cemetery at Fromelles for their reburial.

A special commemorative event will be held on Monday 19 July 2010, in the northern French village of Fromelles, to mark the completion of the archaeological excavation and reinterment of 250 British and Australian soldiers, who died at the Battle of Fromelles in July 1916.

This event will take place in Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery, which is currently being built by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.  Interest in attending this event is likely to be high, but because of the size of the cemetery site, space will be very limited.  A small viewing area, to allow members of the public to watch the ceremony, is envisaged, but details have yet to be confirmed.

To find out further details or to register your interest in attending this event please visit the CWGC website.

Images used in this article are reproduced with the kind permission of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

More information

BBC News article – Fromelles artifacts

CWGC – Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Australian War Memorial website

Situated to the North of Carlisle City centre is Rickerby Park, purchased shortly after World War I as a memorial to the fallen.

Rickerby Park, which runs alongside the River Eden, once formed part of the 18th Century Rickerby Estate which was broken up and sold off in 1914.

In 1920 The Citizens League purchased the area for £11,500 and in a joint scheme with the Corporation (City Council), Rickerby Park was dedicated as a memorial to the fallen of the Great War of 1914-1918.

Rickerby Park Cenotaph

A memorial suspension bridge from St Aidans Road was erected along with the cenotaph and on the 25th May 1922, Rickerby Park was formally opened and handed over to the City of Carlisle for the benefit of the public.

The Citizens League was founded in the first week of the Great War (1914-1918) by the Acting Mayor, Sir Benjamin Scott, with many ex-servicemen amongst its membership.

The Citizen’s League dedicated its time to helping other ex-servicemen, and founded the Lonsdale Battalion which looked after soldiers and sailors passing through Carlisle during the war years.

The war memorial cenotaph is situated in the centre of the park and was originally dedicated to the fallen of World War I.

An imposing but simple structure, the memorial bears the following WWI inscription which reads:

“To the immortal memory of the men and women of Cumberland and Westmorland who gave their lives during the Great War and in honour of the glorious services of Border Regiment, Westmorland and Cumberland Yeomanry, Cumberland Brigade Royal Field Artillery and The Westmorland Detachment R.A.M.C”.

The memorial has been later served by the addition of a plaque “commemorating those who gave their lives in World War II (1939-1945) and subsequent conflicts”.

As Rickerby Park is situated on the outskirts of the city, a more recent memorial was erected in Carlisle City centre, dedicated by the Duke of Gloucester in 1990. This offered a much shorter walk from the remembrance services at the Cathedral and allowed many more people to attend.

More Information
Cenotaph location – Geograph.org.uk.

History of Rickerby Park – Carlisle City Council.

Border Regiment and King’s Own Border Regiment Museum

Westmorland and Cumberland Yeomanry Museum.

Royal Field Artillery

The Royal Army Medical Corps of WWI

The Hadrian’s Wall National Trail runs through Rickerby Park