The forgotten fallen to be remembered

They fought and died for their country, yet their names have never been inscribed on their parish memorial. Proposals have been developed for the names of 23 servicemen to be added to Auchinleck War Memorial within Auchinleck Churchyard. The memorial, which was unveiled on Christmas Eve 1922 by Colonel John Douglas Boswell of Auchinleck, was one of many war memorials erected across the UK in the 1920’ s in memory of the fallen in the First World War. A plea had been made in June 1920 by William McCoomb of Campbell Place in Auchinleck. Under the heading Auchinleck War Memorial, he wrote: “In order that no nmaes be ommitted, the Committee request that relatives of all Fallen Men send in the names to the Secretary.” After the Second World War, the memorial was inscribed with the names of local men who had given their lives and again after the Falklands War. Detailed historical research by local historian Rab McMurdo has however highlighted that the names of 11 local men who served in the First World War and 12 local men from the Second World War are not included on the memorial. Lt. Col. Roger Binks at the Scottish National War Memorial in Edinburgh was consulted and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission online records were also checked. Both confirmed that the names should be included on the memorial. Depute Provost Claire Leitch, local member for Ballochmyle, said: “Until now the war memorial at Auchinleck was believed to contain all the names of local men who had fallen during times of war. “Local historian, Rab McMurdo, through considerable research, has identified 23 local men who should be included on the war memorial and the addition of their names will ensure that they are properly recognised. “The years after each World War was a time of great turmoil. So many people had lost loved ones and were struggling to survive in the difficult post war conditions. We want to ensure that everyone is recognised and a public consultation is now underway regarding our proposals to add the 23 names. “We are seeking your views on this matter and hope that the community or family members of the fallen will get in touch.” The 23 servicemen’s names are: WWI Pte Irvine Anderson, Highland Light Infantry Pte James Colquhoun, Royal Scots Fusiliers Gnr John Darroch, Royal Field Artillery Pte William Eadie, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders L/ Cpl Stephen French, Royal Scots Fusiliers Pte Edward Kennedy, Royal Dublin Fusiliers Pte John Lockhart, Royal Scots Fusiliers Pte Samuel McBlane, Royal Scots Fusiliers Pte James Neil, Royal Scots Fusiliers Pte William Steele, Royal Scots Fusiliers Pte Bernard McCann, Royal Scots Fusiliers WWII Sgt David H Lamont, Royal Scots Fusiliers Pte James McMurdo, Black Watch Cpl Joseph McTurk, Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders Sgt David Strachan, Royal New Zealand Air Force Sgt John Veldon, Royal Artillery Cpl William Anderson, Royal Scots Fusiliers L/ Cpl James Campbell, Royal Engineers Eng James Marshall, Merchant Navy Gnr David McMurdo, Royal Artillery Fus James Summers, Royal Scots Fusiliers Pte Samuel Wightman, Pioneer Corps F/ O William Begg, Royal Air Force Readers can comment on the proposal, by May 25. to stuart. nelson@ east- ayrshire. gov. uk or to him at East Ayrshire Council HQ, London Road, Kilmarnock