In between Ballindalloch and Criagellachie Bridge we turned off the A 95 to find Inveravon Church and its Pictish Stones.

The stones were once in the open but are now kept in a porch:-

Information Boards:-

In the churchyard I found two Commonwealth War Graves.

Private A G Patterson, Seaforth Highlanders, 10/3/1915, aged 18:-

Private J A Cantlie, Gordon Highlanders, 30/5/1918, aged 20:-

Ypres Town Cemetery sits beside the Menin Road, not far from the Menin Gate in Ieper, (Ypres) Belgium.

It contains a number of Commonwealth War Graves of Great War dead.

I noted that these were all casualties from 1914. They were no doubt interred here since at that time there was no Commonwealth War Graves Commission to oversee the burials and these would have been done on an ad hoc basis. After the war they will have been given the honour of a CWGC headstone.

Reverse view of above:-

Several graves lay close together. Cpt Robert Giffard, Royal Field Artillery, 1/11/1914. Cpt A A L Stephen, DSO, Scots Guards, 31/10/1914. Cpt & Adjt W H Ferrar, Welch Regiment, 31/10/1914:-

2nd Lt J A Tucker, Royal Field Artillery, 1/11/1914. Cpt G P Shedden, Royal Garrison Artillery, 31/10/1914. Cpt J F Allen, Loyal North Lancs Regt, 5/11/1914 aged 32:-

Captain Shedden’s grave is unusual in having a separate memorial stone cross behind the CWGC one. This may have been erected by his family before the CWGC headstone and is probably only there because the cemetery is not in the care of the CWGC, where all headstones are the same shape and, beyond wording carved into the bottom of the stone, such individual commemorations are not allowed.

Captain H J Westlake, Pioneer Corps, 10/7/1943, aged 45 and Captain M E C Steward, Royal Artillery, 12/10/1943, aged 55:-

Gunner J W Howarth, Royal Artillery, 23/6/1942, aged 21 and Gunner G MIller, Royal Artillery, 22/12/1942:-

Serjeant L Porter, RAMC, 24/5/1942 and Major G Hayward, Royal Indian Army Service Corps, 12/6/1941, aged 47:-

Nurse E Petrie, Voluntary Aid Detachment, 4/7/1941, aged 33, her brother Harry, Royal Corps of Signals, 9/12/1942 and Flight Lieutenant G C Challis, RAF, 23/11/1941, aged 53:-

Private C McDaid, Highland Light Infantry 28/12/1940:-

Private J Elliott, Pioneer Corps, 11/1/1941, aged 63:-

Milton of Buchanan is a village in Stirlingshire on the road between Drymen and Balmaha, near Loch Lomond.

On its eastern edge there is a cemetery which contains 19 Commonwealth War Graves. All are from the Second World War.

Rifleman W Clabby, 29/1/1943:-

An MC and DSO recipient, Brigadier F H Witts, Irish Guards, 9/51941, aged 54:-

Captain W S Race, Royal Engineers, 4/2/1945:-

Major E H Williams, REME, 1/11/1945, aged 55 and Gunner F H Searle, Royal Artillery, 27/8/1945 aged 39:-

Private T F Dodd, Pioneer Corps, 29/4/1944 aged 19 and Corporal T Lloyd, Pioneer Corps 27/9/1944:-

Gunner G Jones, Royal Artillery, 11/4/1944, aged 19 and Sergeant W B Graham, Air Gunner, RAF, 23/4/1944, aged 24:-

More war graves in the Comonwealth War Graves cemetery at St Fergus’s Church, Dyce.

Fl Sgt R C Wood, Pilot ,RAF, 16/11/1941, aged 23, Czech national Vladimir Zaoral, NPOR Let, Flying Officer RAF, 5/11/1915 – 19/11/1941, Por W Śniechowski, 310 Squadron, Polish Forces, 8/12/1941, aged 24:-

Sgt A A Catton, Observer, RAF, 27/8/1941, aged 23, Czech national Alois Dvořák, RT Sergeant, RAF, 23/5/1916 – 24/9/1941, Pilot Officer J G Dunlop, Pilot RCAF, 15/11/1941, aged 21:-

H J Cooper, Pilot, Royal Canadian Air Force, 7/7/1941, aged 29, Sergeant J C Steeves, Wireless Operator/Air Gunner, RCAF, aged 20, Corporal J G Saunders, RAF, 22/7/1941, aged 25:-

Sergeant D W Campbell, Wirless Operator/Air Gunner, RCAF, 16/6/1942, Wing Commander J A Dixon, Pilot, RAF, 13/7/1941, Sergeant J B Elder, Navigator, RAF, 7/12/1942:-

Pilot Officer J V Ensom, RCAF, 7/12/1942, aged 22, An Airman of the Second World War, RAF, Buried 30/12/1942, Flight Sergeant A R Spenser, Royal Australian Air Force, 6/6/1943, aged 22, Flying Officer E W Mitchell, Navigator, RAF, 22/9/1945:-

Pilot Officer J Winning, RAF, 27/5/1940, aged 39, Aircraftman 1st Class, H Buttery, RAF, 1/5/1940, aged 19, Aircraftman 1st Class, F Wallwork, RAF, 6/5/1940, aged 36, Flying Officer K N Gray DFC, RAF, 1/5/1940, aged 25:-

Pilot Officer W F Crockart, Obsever, RAF, 22/3/1941, aged 28, Aircraftman 1st Class J E Mangion, RAF, 3/9/1940 aged 21, Aircraftman 2nd Class D Campbell, RAF, 3/9/1940, aged 30, Aircraftman 1st Class G W Scott, RAF, 31/8/1940:-

Sergeant F A V M Drummond, RAAF, 6/5/1940, aged 19, Flying Officer A R Nivison-Smith of Australia, Pilot, RAF, 6/11/1940 aged 22,Pilot Officer H M Coombs, RAF, 24/10/1940 aged 28. Thsi photo also includes Pilot Officer W F Crockart, Obsever, RAF, as above:-

These are in the churchyard cemetery, the same cemetery where Pittenweem War Memorial lies.

They are all from The Great War.

J A Smith, Royal Navy Reserve, HM Trawler Forward, 29/8/1918, aged 26:-

Private J G Peebles, The Black Watch, 16/5/1916, age 17:-

J H Brand, Leading Seaman, Royal Navy Reserve, HM Trawler Mervin II, 26/11/1918, aged 25:-

Peter Bowman (Jappy,) Deck Hand, Royal Navy Reserve, HMS Clarosin, 19/3/1920, aged 22:-

More war graves from Morningside Cemetery. Two of these commemorate women who died.

Private C Cox, Royal Scots, 20/12/1918, aged 47:-

Driver A D G Linton, Royal Field Artillery, 29/3/1919, aged 23:-

Nurse Leila Mabel Elliott, Territorial Nursing Service, 2/3/1920 aged 32:-

Private W Mair, Devonshire Regiment, 20/10/1919, aged 22:-

Private J Woods, Royal Scots, 24/3/1920:-

Lieutenant Albert James L Innes, RAMC, 11/3/1920, aged 27:-

Lance Corporal A Sybray, Duke of Lancs Own Yeomanry, 4/10/1916, aged 28:-

Private W McIlwraith, Royal Army Service Corps, 8/3/1919, aged 1929:-

Private Margaret White Walker, Auxiliary Territorial Service, 11/2/1945, aged 22. (Supplementary groundstone erected by employees of Wm Thyne Ltd):-

Sergeant J J Scott, Observer, RAF, 12/8/1940:-

As well as the grave of J M Barrie, Kirriemuir Cemetery contains several Commonwealth War Graves.

Private W P Brown, RAF, 26/6/1918, aged 17:-

Private N Clark, RAMC, 29/1/1919, aged 25:-

Private D Lindsay, The Black Watch, 23/9/1919, aged 36:-

In addition this family gravestone had a commemoration of a war death, Robert MacKay Young, killed by enemy action, 28/1/1942. Interred at Reichswald Forest, Cleve:-

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:-