Alves is a village on the A 96 between Forres and Elgin. We passed its War Memorial, a lion surmounted pillar atop an octagonal plinth, on our way back to Elgin from Forres and of course I had to stop tp photograph it

Dedication plus Great War and Second World War names:-

I didn’t spot a War Memorial in Kinloss, despite the many war graves, however less than two miles along the coast at Findhorn, this one stands at a road junction at the entrance to the village:-

A stone obelisk on a square base at road junction on entrance to the village. Sheathed cavalry sword and wreath on front face. The dedication reads, “In honoured memory of the brave men from Kinloss parish who fell in the Great War.” Along with Great War names, the names of Second World War dead appear on two of the other faces:-

Kinloss ws the site of an RAF base from 1939 onwards. In 2012 the RAF moved out and the site became a barracks for the Army.

Part of the Kinloss Abbey grounds became a burial ground for war dead. There was already a grave there of a Great War casualty (Lieutenant Percy Strickland, HMS Dublin, 31/5/1916, aged 27.) The remainder are RAF, RCAF, RAAF or RNZAF casualties from World War 2.

There are in total 73 war graves at the site.

Kinloss Abbey ruins and some of the war graves:-

Since there are more than thirty graves the site has a Cross of Sacrifice:-

Reverse view:-

Another set of war graves lies to the right of the above photo; seen here from the Abbey ruin above:-

Reverse view:-

This memorial on the harbour side at Burghead commemorates the fact that the village was one of the bases for the so-called Shetland Bus.

The information board has photographs of the eight men who died operating out of Burghead:-

Memorial face:-

Burghead War Memorial is situated at the road junction of Park Street and Grant Street. It is a lion surmounted stone pillar atop a square plinth:-

The Great War and Second World War dedications are on the facing aspect above:-

To the west and east sides are names for both wars:-

The north side has only Great War names:-

Driving along the B 9040 on the way from Duffus to Burghead through the village of Cummingston I spotted this and of course had to stop to photograph it. I had never heard of Cummingston before.

It’s a simple War Memorial standing in front of someone’s house. Ten Great War names – including two Robertsons. One name from World War 2.

The village of Duffus itself was once called New Duffus, and lies just to the west of old Duffus where only the old church remains.

It has a War Memorial situated in the grounds of the more modern Duffus Kirk.

It is a simple stone cross on a hexagonal pillar above a hexagonal plinth, Duffus Kirk behind:-

Dedications and names:-

Names:-

There is a Commonwealth War Grave in the kirkyard. Private D More, Seaforth Highlanders, 22/4/1918, aged 22:-

Plus a gravestone with a Second World War death dedication to James Grant, killed in Belgium, 1940, aged 19:-

The kirkyard also contains a military grave, that of chief Technician Dennis M Robertson, RAF, 3/8/1992, aged 53:-

This is an imposing structure standing on Elgin High Street in front of St Giles Church.

It depicts a male figure in a toga holding aloft a torch and with a lowered sword above a stone column. The Second World War names are on bronze plaques on the smaller stone walls to the base.

Great War dedication and names:-

Reverse. Great War Names:-

South aspect. Great War names:-

North aspect. Great War names:-

World War 2 names:-

World War 2 plus Korean War:-

Until I looked up Elgin War Memorial before our trip I had no idea there was a New Elgin. It lies to the south of Elgin itself.

We came up via the A 941 after turning off the A 95 at Craigellachie and passed though another Highland League town, Rothes, which has no less than four distilleries, but we didn’t have time to stop there for a look round.

Since I knew it where to find it I was able to stop to photograph New Elgin’s War Memorial. It is a figure of a kilted soldier with reversed rifle above a square plinth with scrolled edges.

Dedication, “To the men of New Elgin, Ashgrove and Mycroft,” and names:-

Great War names. Note Nurse Mary Fraser VAD:-

Memorial’s reverse. Second World War names:-

Continuing our trip up north in April  I spotted another War Memorial. This was by the side of the A 95 road on a pretty sharp bend.

There is no location identifier on the memorial but this pink granite cross on a pyramidal base is Ballindalloch War Memorial. Ballindalloch village is itself small but has two distilleries and a castle to its name:-

It’s dedicated for both World Wars:-