Gateside is a small village in Fife. We pass through it quite often as it on the way between Son of the Rock Acres and our younger son’s house.

Its War Memorial is a Community Hall, opened in 1921 in remembrance of the Great War dead from the village:-

From car park:-

The memorial plaque is on the wall by the entrance door:-

This web page has a photograph of the names of the Gateside dead from both wars on two plaques on an internal wall.

One of Fife’s finest, Stuart Adamson, was the founding force behind the band Big Country.

He attended one of the schools I taught in Beath High School (but I think before my time there) and at least one his children was a pupil at the other, Queen Anne High School in Dunfermline.

Big Country’s skirling guitar sound was intended to invoke its members’ Scottish heritage as heard in this song. The clip seems to be a live version as performed on The Tube.

Big Country: In a Big Country

I have posted before about the memorial to the five boys from Markinch who died in the Ibrox Disaster.

Earlier this year a fence was erected around the memorial in order to protect it from accidental damage. (Delivery vans had been going over the grass surrounding it.)

The gravel laid round it sets it off well.

Earlier this week the good lady noticed that there was an exhibition of the works of John Henry Lorimer at the City Art Centre Edinburgh. That was only just in time. The exhibition opened in November but finishes tomorrow!

I have mentioned this artist before. And not just the once.

On Thursday (17^th) we made post-haste to see the exhibition before it closed.

One of the first of his pictures previously unfamiliar to me was The Long Shadows painted, like so much of his work, in the grounds of Kellie Castle in Fife. This photo does not do it justice:-

Lorimer was a good portraitist. One of the paintings on show depicted the ordination of elders in a Scottish Kirk. The figures were so lifelike in all their Calvinistic awfulness I couldn’t bear to inflict it on myself or you.

This portrait is of Lorimer’s architect brother Robert Stodart Lorimer, who designed over 300 War Memorials including the Scottish National War Memorial which lies in Edinburgh Castle:-

Typical of Lorimer’s painting of light and very like Spring Moonlight (see first link above) in its use of candlelight is Grandmother’s Birthday:-

Maternal Instinct by contrast contains very Victorian subject matter. Unfortunately reflections in the glass spoil this a little:-

The window in this one features in many of Lorimer’s paintings. I think this is The Birthday Party:-

Despite no overt lighting depiction this domestic subject is unmistakably Lorimer:-

Another fine portrait – of a lady. Unfortunately I forget whom:-

A well as oils Lorimer was very good with watercolour. This, The Gyles House, Pittenweem, is the house in Pittenweem to which the artist retired:-

Housework’s Aureole. In real life this treatment of light falling through a window onto a wall is superb. The photo is nothing by comparison:-

The exhibition’s poster image was Flight of the Swallows:-

Many more Paintings by Lorimer can be found at Art UK.

Many of the “war” graves at Leuchars Cemetery are of personnel who died outwith times of conflict. These may have been due to flying accidents. There was, of course, an RAF air base at Leuchars well into this century.

Squadron Leader David Nelson, RAF, 9/1/1989, age 38, Flight Lieutenant Chris Lackman, RAF, 23/9/1988, age 30:-

Pilot W Fraczek, RAF, 1/7/1949, age 29, Pilot Officer J B Lightfoot, 12/2/1954, age 22:-

Air Commodore N A N Bray, DFC, RAF, 8/7/1953 age 39, Reverend (Squadron Leader) Bryan McNeil, RAF, 3/1/2005, age 45:-

Pilot Officer J S Murray, RAF, 14/6/1955, age 23, Flying Officer H J Gourley, RAF, 24/7/1954, age 23:-

Leading Aircraftman J T James, RAF, 17/6/1959, age 18, Flight Lieutenant R A Mackintosh, RAF, 15/2/1960, age 49:-

Flight Lieutenant C R Bainbridge, RAF, 15/8/1962, age 28, Senior Aircraftman G E Lewis, RAF, 27/3/1970, age 26:-

Junior Technician Kenneth Ewan Hamilton, RAF, 22/5/1988, age 25, Flight Lieutenant Robert F Westhead, RAF, 20/2/1989, (age obscured):-

Junior Technician Laurence G McK Forbes, RAF, 25/6/1990, age 25, Crporal John Philip Airey, RAF, 24/5/1992, age 35, Warrant Officer Mick Cromer, RAF, 11/5/1993, age 50:-

Flight Lieutenant Nigel David Morton, RAF, 2/7/2009, age 43, Flight Lieutenant Gary Dunlop, RAF, 4/6/1988, age 38:-

Flight Lieutenant Stuart J M Walker, RAF, 8/7/1994, age 32, in loving memory of Sergeant J B (Tug) Wilson, once RAF, died 15/10/1993, Corporal David E Stevenson, RAF, 27/81990, age 24:-

Warrant Officer C Blevins, RAF, September 1987, age 45, Corporal A M Dagujar, RAF, 29/5/1977, age 26:-

Corporal PC Mill, RAF, 13/8/1969, age 29, Flight Lieutenant J M Knight, RAF, 21/11/1960, age 27, Flight Lieutenant J M Owen, RAF, 28/8/1964, age 31:-

In addition there is this non Commonwealth War Grave gravestone for Lieutenant Eric John Campbell Kirby, RAF, died at Dunfermline 8/81919 from injuries received on flying duty, aged 19:-

Plus the grave of a retired RAF serviceman, Flight Lieutenant John B Hind, RAF, 25 years service, mostly flying, latterly 23 Squadron Lightnings. 2/3/1931 – 19/9/1976:-

Most of the war graves at Leuchars Cemetery are lined up before the Cross of Scarifice. I photographed these in groups.

Flight Sergeant W P W McQueen, RAF, 28/8/1947, Flying Officer F D Foote, RAF, 1/6/1941, Flying Officer G J Dunn, Navigator, RAF, 14/9/1941:-

Warrant Officer G J Forbes, RAF, (something – wireless? -) operator, Air Gunner, Royal New Zealand Air Force, 14/9/1944, Flight Sergeanty J H Williams, Royal Australian Air Force, 14/9/1944, age 24, Flying Officer J W Bayard, Royal Canadian Air Force, 14/9/1944, age 24:-

Flying Officer A Tulloch, Royal Canadian Air Force, 20/7/1944, age 23, Flight Sergeant J C L Small, Royal Australian Air Force, 20/7/1944, age 21, Flight Sergeant E P Smithl, Royal Australian Air Force, 20/7/1944, age 26:-

Flying Officer W M Ferguson, Navigator, RAF, 11/7/1943 and Flying Officer E F Kirwan, Pilot, RAF, 11/6/1943, age 28:-

Flight Officer E Davidson, Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, 24/11.1943, age 43, Flying Officer A F Shapcott, 8/8/1943, age 29:-

Flying Officer J H Benton, Navigator, Royal Canadian Air Force, 11/7/1943, age 29, Flight Sergeant A I Wheatcroft, Bomb Aimer/Navigator, RAF, 24/5/1943, age 22:-

Warrant Officer T A Pertus, Royal Canadian Air Force, 5/2/1943, age 22, Squadron Leader C T E Smith, RAF, 24/1/1943, age 49:-

Aircraftman 2nd Class L Dale, Wireless Operator, RAF, 1/12/1939, Pilot Officer R M Wuilliams, Pilot, RAF, 1/12/1939, age 25, Pilot Officer H G Yelland, RAF, 1/12/1939, age 25:-

Flying Officer C H Clark, Pilot, RAF, 10/10/1939, age 27, Pilot Officer W E Lockley, Pilot, RAF, 19/10/1939, and Sergeant H Letchford, Pilot, RAF, 4/10/1939 age 24:-

Aircraftman 1st Class, C A Bates, Wireless Operator, RAF, 4/10/1939, Pilot Officer J W C McFarlane, Pilot, RAF, Pilot Officer R A Barker, Pilot, RAF, 4/10/1939, age 24:-

Leuchars is near St Andrews in Fife. No doubt because of the nearby airbase there are many war graves in this cemetery – sufficient for it to have a Cross of Sacrifice.

The three nearest graves on the left in the above photo are of Dutch nationals – Willem Hijkoop (left,) Anton Marie ten Herkel (centre,) C.A.F. van Otterloo (right.) Apparently 22 other Dutchmen’s bodies were transferred to Mill Hill cemetery in London:-

The day we visited there was a Commonwealth War Graves Commission van at the cemetery with one of its employees tending to the graves. The Commission does a magnifcent job of upkeep on war graves in Britain and abroad.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission van, war graves and Cross of Sacrifice:-

Behind where this photo was taken is a First World War memorial bench:-

On one of the good days last summer we travelled along the Fife coast and stopped off at Elie and strolled part of the way towards Earlsferry.

We’d never noticed this old doorway before:-

Then we moved along to St Monans, about which I have posted before. Its prominent kirk is said to be the most painted church in Scotland:-

Flowers and rocks:-

Another unusual feature for a Fife village is the Windmill:-

Rocks:-

In the first of the rocks pictures above there is a straight line which actually marks the edge of an outdoor swimming pool (for which there is a sign saying swim only at your own risk. A couple of hardy souls were doing just that.)

Swimming pool:-

A building known as the Wayfarers, a pub which once had this notice in its window, and used to be notorious for hosting Country and Western nights every Sunday where people turned up in all the gear, had been struggling for years and finally shut its doors about two or three years ago. Earlier this year demolition started and was completed at the end of April/beginning of May.

There was then revealed this view of Markinch’s Parish Church, St Drostan’s, sitting on top of its hill.

How long this view will be available who knows? The owners will have something in mind for the site no doubt.

The Back Burn, see here and here, runs through the old Balbirnie estate and on past Markinch.

Just near where we live it passes through a declivity. The burn isn’t easily spotted in this photo:-

It’s just to the bottom at the right here:-

It flows over some rocks about halfway along:-

There are some flatter stretches too:-

Then it forms a barrier cutting off the golf course’s 18^th fairway from the green.

Further on, looking back from beyond the golf course’s car park, you can see a second old bridge across the burn which was not undermined in the floods I mentioned here.

Another cascade:-

Flowers by the burn’s side:-

Trees by burn side:-

You can see the bridle path crossing in this one:-