Thousands pay tribute to fallen of past and present conflicts

highland people turn out to show gratitude to soldiers who have made ultimate sacrifice

By Jane Candlish and Iain Grant

Published:

VETERANS REMEMBER: Bill Russell, left, formerly of the Cameron and Queen’s Own Highlanders and former Gordon Highlander Barry Williams, both from Inverness, took part in the city’s Remembrance Day Parade. David Whittaker-Smith

Thousands of people throughout the Highlands gathered yesterday to remember those killed in conflicts around the world.

In Inverness, members of the public followed a parade by the Royal British Legion Scotland (RBLS), including a large contingent of veterans, cadets and local politicians, to the cenotaph at Cavell Gardens.

Members of the Black Watch, who have just returned from a six-month tour of Afghanistan, also joined the parade, which marched along the riverside.

About 200 members of the public, including many families, followed the parade and watched wreaths being laid by former servicemen and women and air, sea and Army cadets.

Also among those laying wreaths were local MP Danny Alexander and MSPs Fergus Ewing, David Stewart, Rhoda Grant, Dave Thompson and John Farquhar Munro, as well as Inverness Provost Jimmy Gray.

At Nairn there was also a high number of people for the service at the town’s war memorial. Afterwards war veterans marched through the streets to attend a service in the parish church.

Charles Kennedy MP attended a service at Dingwall before travelling to Spean Bridge for the annual service at the Commando Memorial in the afternoon.

At Fort William, veterans marched from the west end car park to the town’s war memorial.

Lochaber provost Allan Henderson took the salute as the parade went past.

Several thousand people also attended services in Caithness. At Halkirk, a five-strong RBS colour party from Thurso led a parade from the Royal British Legion clubrooms to the war memorial at Sir Johns Square gardens. Former Royal Marine Duncan Cormack, 84, a veteran of the D-Day landings, gave a reading during the service.

At Wick the parade, organised by council official Robbie Mackintosh, gathered at the memorial, below Caithness General Hospital.

The Wick RBLS pipe band and the branch colours were followed by veterans and representatives of uniformed and armed services, cadets and youth organisations.

The local Salvation Army band also played at the service, taken by the Rev John Nugent, who later conducted a service at St Fergus Church. RBLS branch members laid poppy crosses at the war graves at Wick Cemetery.

Around 20 Royal British Legion members paraded and assembled with the colours at the Lochalsh war memorial, and wreaths were also laid at the Plockton and Glenelg war memorial.

In Forres, the public and community leaders gathered with guides, brownies, scouts, RAF Kinloss regiments and the Air Training Corps.

Retired ex-RAF serviceman Andy Hutchinson, of Forbes Hill, Forres, said the deaths in Afghanistan saddened him. “The government tells us that if we don’t stay, we’ll be fighting them on our streets instead of over there,” he said.