Original Dedication. “To the glorious memory of the men of the burgh and parish of Inverness who laid down their lives in the Great War 1914-1919.”

First Internal Dedication. “An Codagh Mor,” and “We honour them for what we owe them.”

Second Internal Dedication. “An Codagh Mor,” and “They fought for King and country, faith and freedom, nor did they fight in vain.”

Dedication on rear of memorial. “In three continents and in the deep they lie, but in our hearts their deeds forever are enshrined.”

More than 5,000 men of Inverness parish served in the Great War. 117 did not return.

Second World War dedication. “To the glorious memory of the men and women of the burgh and parish who made the supreme sacrifice in defence of their country in the Second World War.”

Post 1945 dedication. Borneo, Canada, Gulf War, Afghanistan, Belize, Cyprus, Air Accident. “We will remember them, today, tomorrow, for ever.”

Inverness’s memorial to the dead of the two World Wars of the twentieth century is an impressive sandstone construction surmounted by a Celtic cross, situated by the side of the River Ness.

Approach:-

Below, seen from River Ness.
Burma Campaign Memorial to foreground, inscribed, “To the memory of those who served in the Burma campaign 1941-1945.
Highland Counties Branch Burma Star Association.
When you go home tell them of us and say for your tomorrow we gave our today.
The Kohima Epitaph.
This memorial was dedicated on the 11th November 2006.”

War Memorial side view:-

Rear view. River Ness in background:-

Field of Remembrance, Inverness War Memorial. Dedicated 7th November 2011, dedication includes the Kohima Epitaph. The cross is in remembrance of Passchendaele, the slab behind commemorates Nurse Edith Cavell. River Ness behind:-

Gardens in front of Inverness War Memorial, dedicated to Nurse Edith Cavell:-

My previous posts on Beauly are here and here. I didn’t see a memorial to the World Wars of the twentieth century when I was there but I have since found out it’s situated on a hill to the south of the town. Maybe next time I’m up that way.

However in the centre of the town is a large memorial, “Erected by the Lovat tenantry and fuears… to commemorate the raising of the Lovat Scouts by Simon Joseph, 6th Lord Lovat….” (For full wording click on picture to where it can be enlarged.) It is also inscribed “Cape Colony” in the lower rectangle.

Northern facet. In the upper rectangle, “Of the Lovat Scouts the following fell in action or died of wounds or disease….” plus “Diamond Hill” in lower:-

Eastern facet. Bronze Frieze in upper rectangle. “South Africa” in lower:-

Bronze frieze detail:-

Southern facet. Names of Officers of the Lovat Scouts in upper rectangle. “Wittebergen” in lower:-

Oldhamstocks is a small village ten or so miles south of Dunbar in East Lothian (though parts of it were once in Berwickshire as was.

The Memorial is in Oldhamstocks churchyard. The dedication reads, “To the glory of God and in memory of (names) who made the supreme sacrifice in the Great War 1914-1919.”

Side view. Oldhamstocks Kirk in background:-

Maryton is a very small village on the A 934 just to the west of Montrose and south of Montrose Basin. The Memorial is inscribed with the words, “In grateful memory of the men who fell in the wars 1914-1918. Their name liveth for evermore. 1939-1945.”

I spotted it while I was passing through the village en route elsewhere.

There is a school memorial lying right next to Maryton War memorial but laid into a wall. It is inscribed, “In proud and grateful memory of the boys of this school who died for their country in the war 1914-1919.”
Below the names are the words, “Glorious their fate, splendid their doom, their time an altar. Honour them, weep not, give them praise, not pity.”

The Black Watch Regiment’s Musuem is in Perth, Scotland, housed in an old castle, Balhousie Castle, Hay Street.

In the castle/museum grounds are several memorials. The entrance gates are dedicated to the memory of General Wavell.

This is a generalised one of a bagpiper but in Second World War battledress I think:-

These are memorials to various other campaigns in which the Black Watch has taken part, most prominently here, Iraq:-

When I visited in April last year this Great War commemoration took up a prominent position:-

The museum itself is very interesting and took us longer to get round than we had anticipated. This cross – an original bettlefield one from the Great War – was in memory of Captain W D MacL Stewart, 2nd Lieut P R Husband and 44 NCOs and men of the 1st Battalion Black Watch, who all died on 20/9/1916.

As I recall this group of medals was awarded to Fergus Bowes-Lyon the brother of the late Queen Mother and who is commemorated on Glamis War Memorial:-

On a less sombre note the museum has an excellent cafe/restaurant in a modern building connected to the castle via the museum’s entrance and which is always very well patronised.

Moving on from the memorials to individual soldiers from Denmark I found the Memorial I had spotted from the Gefion Fountain.

King’s Gate entrance to the Kastellet behind:-

The Memorials’ inscriptions are Vore Faldne (Our Fallen) followed by,

I Dansk og I Allieret Krigstjeneste 1940-1945 (In Danish and in Allied War Service 1940-1945) and then,

Rejst af det Danske Folk. (Raised by the Danish People.)

From the top of Copenhagen’s Gefion Fountain looking over the canal/moat round the Kastellet (first picture in that post) I could see off to the left in the middle distance what looked very much like a War Memorial, so made my way in that direction.

However, on the way down towards it, after passing St Albans Kirke, I came across three memorials to individual Danes.

Memorial to Thomas Dinesen. Private Dinesen, 1899-1979, became a member of the Quebec Regiment of the Canadian Black Watch, and was awarded the Victoria Cross in World War 1 on 12th August 1918. Inscribed “Opført af de Allierdes Danske Vaabenfæller.” (Constructed by the Allied Danes brothers in arms?):-

Memorial to Anders Lassen. Born on 9/9/1920, Major Lassen won the Victoria Cross, Military Cross and two bars. Inscribed, “Faldet for danmarks frihed i allieret tjeneste,” (fallen for Denmark’s freedom in Allied Service) “9 April 1945,” and also “Opsat af frihedkampens veteraner (erected by the veterans of the fight for freedom) 9/4/1987.”

Kaj Birksted Memorial. Per Ardua ad Astra, Wing Commander Flying, Lieutenant-Colonel Birksted, DSO, OBE, DFC, krigskorset m Sverd og Stjerne p p (the war cross with swords and star) Flying Ace. Erected by the Kaj Birksted Committee, 5/5/2010:-

Bust of Edouard Suenson. Suenson was the commander of the Danish ships at the Battle of Heligoland, 1864, (see previous post) the last naval battle between wooden-hulled ships and the last major action involving Danish ships:-

Statue of the Danish philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard, in the grounds of Copenhagen library:-

Inscribed “1848-50 & 1864”.

The memorial is also known as The Little Hornblower who can be better seen from this angle being carried by the soldier

There was of course a magnificent Danish TV series, 1864, about the Second Schleswig War aired on BBC 4 four years ago.