Scottish War Memorials and Kilts

[BoldHighlander]

Spare a thought for the poor Irish soldiers of the British Army during the Great War, you drive through Irish villages, towns and cities and you'd hardly think Ireland was affected by the War. There are no memorials to the estimated 50,000 War dead in the first world war.
When they came back to Ireland they were jeered and spat upon, some 185 were murdered by Republicans during the war of Independence and Civil war.
A whole generation lost and no way for the famalies to grieve, to Ireland's shame and now it's too late to say sorry.
I was very moved when in Scotland and all the moving war memorials, it must be a gift indeed to remember the men who went off and thought they were doing what felt right to them and never got the chance to see their beautiful Homeland again.

Well said, sir! Remember the lads of the 16th and 36th Divisions!

Todd

Indeed! Hear! Hear!

[Jock Scot]

Spare a thought for the poor Irish soldiers of the British Army during the Great War, you drive through Irish villages, towns and cities and you'd hardly think Ireland was affected by the War. There are no memorials to the estimated 50,000 War dead in the first world war.
When they came back to Ireland they were jeered and spat upon, some 185 were murdered by Republicans during the war of Independence and Civil war.
A whole generation lost and no way for the famalies to grieve, to Ireland's shame and now it's too late to say sorry.
I was very moved when in Scotland and all the moving war memorials, it must be a gift indeed to remember the men who went off and thought they were doing what felt right to them and never got the chance to see their beautiful Homeland again.

I am very sorry, how remiss of me. You are quite right to point that out. One should not ever forget the Irish that died in both world wars, but particularly the First World War as Ireland, as a whole, was part of the United Kingdom in those days.

[###KILTEDKIWI###]

Mans stupidity and vanity knows no bounds...

My 5 cents worth.

When the United Kingdom declared war on Germany at the start of the First World War, the New Zealand government followed without hesitation, despite its geographic isolation and small population. It was believed at the time that any declaration of war by the United Kingdom automatically included New Zealand.

The total number of New Zealand troops and nurses to serve overseas in 1914-1918, excluding those in British and other Dominion forces, was 103,000, from a population of just over a million. Forty-two percent of men of military age served in the NZEF. 16,697 New Zealanders were killed and 41,317 were wounded during the war - a 58 percent casualty rate.[1] Approximately a further thousand men died within five years of the war's end, as a result of injuries sustained, and 507 died whilst training in New Zealand between 1914 and 1918. New Zealand had one of the highest casualty and death rate per capita of any country involved in the war (Serbia suffered even higher per capita losses).

New Zealand is similarly scattered with WW1 / 2 memorials, small town taking great losses.

I know that NZ has put all the memorials into a register....

ere it is.

http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/culture/memorials/southland

(Home Province for example, even one in Oban, Stewart Island, probably the southern most memorial in the world???)

I imagine other countries would have the same.

Regards

Phil C

[BEEDEE]

And as is said in New Zealand and Australia, and wherever Anzacs meet for a service around the world on Anzac Day:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

Brian

[SFCRick]

fantastic photos

[###KILTEDKIWI###]

Also, sorry to side track the thread before, but they are great pics, and a grand view

[Ancienne Alliance]

Great photos !

Thank you for sharing these with us.


Best,

Robert

[Stratherrick]

Kilted Kiwi

There is, indeed, a register of where UK soldiers are buried or commemorated:

http://www.cwgc.org/debt_of_honour.asp

Slainte

Bruce

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

I am very sorry, how remiss of me. You are quite right to point that out. One should not ever forget the Irish that died in both world wars, but particularly the First World War as Ireland, as a whole, was part of the United Kingdom in those days.

All of those Irish soldiers who served in the First World War were volunteers; there was no conscription in Ireland.

[Bullpiper]

Redshank, since you live and work in Scotland, tell me if this is true. When I was visiting back in 2000, there was a statue of Mel Gibson outside of Stirling. Here is a pic.



Now this pic shows the statue, but only part of the fence, which was built because the locals kept knocking the head off the statue. Is this true? I found it hilarious that the statue said Freedom on it, but then it was enclosed in a fence.