'Cultural shift' in remembrance

The state of thousands of war memorials in Scotland has never been so good, according to the Royal British Legion.

National spokesman Neil Griffiths said there were an estimated 30,000 around the country.

He said there has been a "cultural shift" and interest in the world wars was growing - especially among young people.

This year marks 90 years since the end of World War I and milestone anniversaries for the TA and RAF.

Mr Griffiths said: "We have a very successful best-kept war memorial competition every summer and the standard is on the up.

"Attendances of Remembrance Sunday events are also increasing."

REMEMBRANCE FACT FILE

• A two minutes' silence has been held on 11 November since the 1990s as an act of remembrance.
• Clement Atlee, who was elected prime minister in 1945 to replace Winston Churchill, introduced Remembrance Sunday in 1946. The aim was to replace Armistice Day and remember the fallen of both world wars as well as looking ahead to the future.
• American author Joseph E Persico calculated that the final day of World War I produced nearly 11,000 casualties, more than those killed, wounded or missing on D-Day, when Allied forces landed en masse on the shores of occupied France almost 27 years later.

He added: "In the past, the generations of the 60s and 70s got bored being told stories of World War II from their parents and it is the grandchildren and great grandchildren that have become fascinated with the world wars.

"There has been a cultural shift and now we have a generation not only hugely interested in that period of history, but also well educated."

Brian Matheson, chairman of Royal British Legion Inverness branch, said remembrance ceremonies at the city's memorial on the banks of the River Ness were well attended, especially by members of youth organisations.

Meanwhile, Mr Griffiths said the UK was among the few countries in Europe to be erecting new memorials.

Last week, Princess Anne unveiled a new memorial to commemorate the 16,000 British servicemen and women killed since World World II.

The memorial is in the south cloister of Westminster Abbey, and takes the form of a metal plaque.

Last veteran

Last year, Glenrothes unveiled its own war memorial almost 60 years after the community's first bricks were laid.

Construction work on the memorial began after the deaths of two Black Watch soldiers in Iraq.

Pte Marc Ferns died in a bomb attack in Basra, in August 2004. A suicide bomber killed Pte Scott McArdle at a Falluja checkpoint two months later.

It meant the town was able to host its own Remembrance Sunday commemorations for the first time.

Previously, Royal British Legion members had to travel either to Leslie or Markinch to pay their respects.

In 2006, a memorial dedicated to Scotland's last veteran of World War I was unveiled by the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall.

The cairn was erected in the Perthshire town of Alyth, the home of Alfred Anderson who died in November 2005 at the age of 109.

The Black Watch veteran was also Scotland's oldest man.

Mr Anderson served with the late Queen Mother's older brother, Captain Fergus Bowes-Lyon.

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
Royal British Legion Scotland
Territorial Army and Reserves
RAF
World War I
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