Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
War hero’s name is added to memorial
Any other names missed?
The name of a Coatbridge war hero has now been added to the town’s Cenotaph, a century after his death in World War I.
Edward Kerr, who served in the 1st Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers, was laid to rest in the Commonwealth British cemetery in Douchy- Les- Ayette, France.
His niece, Margaret Ann Kerr, had been researching his story and recently contacted North Lanarkshire Council to ask that the name of her brave uncle be added to the hundreds on the town’s memorial at Bank Street.
The request was carried out in time for Remembrance Sunday, with Margaret attending the busy service there earlier this month to see the addition and to honour Edward’s memory, 100 years on.
Provost Jean Jones said: “As more people are researching their family trees, there may be individuals from North Lanarkshire who [ it’s found] are not already remembered on a memorial.
“The council maintains a number of memorials across North Lanarkshire with the names of local servicemen and women who lost their lives in the two World Wars.
“In order to mark their war service and help their families pay tribute, we will add those names to their local memorial.”
Now council officials are inviting families of local service personnel to ensure they are remembered with the inclusion of their names on Monklands’ war memorials, in a special project to mark the centenary of the end of World War I.
The local authority will add the names of any individual who died in service or as a result of injuries sustained there to their local memorial at no charge until the end of 2019.
Families whose relatives are not already named on a war memorial can contact the council’s environmental facilities section by emailing duffyjac@northlan.gov.uk or calling 01698 506300 for information on the process involved.
The serviceman or woman concerned must be recognised by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and have been born, lived or died in North Lanarkshire.