A new war memorial – erected in a remote area of the west Highlands to commemorate local people killed in the two world wars – will be officially opened on Sunday.
Old soldier Donald Monro started fundraising for the monument between Loch Moidart and Glenuig in Lochaber at the end of last year and was surprised at the speed and generosity of donations.
The 71-year-old army veteran, who lives in Kinlochmoidart, rapidly collected the £5,000 needed to pay for the new monument.
He was also granted planning permission to erect it on land to the west of the A861 Lochailort to Glenuig road at the summit known as Bealach Carach, between Loch Moidart and Glenuig, with the permission of the landowner.
It will be officially opened by Lord Lieutenant of Inverness-shire Donald Cameron of Lochiel and the service will be conducted by Bishop of Argyll and the Isles, the Rt Rev Kevin Pearson.
Mr Monro, who was a captain in the Queen’s Own Highlanders, launched the appeal because there was nothing to commemorate the people from the Moidart area who were killed fighting for their country.
He said: “I had been aware of this for some time and the approach of the centenary of the outbreak of World War I seemed like an appropriate time to do it.”
A commemorative plaque on the cairn now bears the inscription – In proud memory of the men and women of Moidart who gave up their lives in two world wars 1914-18 and 1939-45. For your tomorrow we gave our today.”
Mr Monro said that the opening ceremony was going ahead despite the fact that the monument was not finished.
The specially designed carved stone cross that will sit on top of the 10ft cairn of local stone will not be in place as there has been a delay with the delivery.
Instead, it will temporarily be replaced by the wooden cross that marks the grave of Captain Kenneth Meiklejohn at St Finian’s Church in Kinlochmoidart.
The captain died at the Battle of Aisne in 1914, just one month after the start of World War 1.
Mr Monro said: “We are hoping for good weather and expecting around 100 people to attend the event.”
He served with the Queen’s Own Highlanders from 1962-70 and his father, Sandy Monro, commanded the 5th Cameron Highlanders in the invasion of Sicily in 1943 and in the Normandy campaign in 1944.