Cycling tribute honours fallen
Memorial wreath taken to Crieff man’s grave
A hardy group of service personnel set off from a Perthshire park on Wednesday to cycle 600 miles in tribute to the Fallen.
The group of 18 soldiers, drawn from the City of Edinburgh Universities Officers’ Training Corps, 3 SCOTS and 7 SCOTS – together with three support staff – are undertaking the memorial ride to Passchendaele in Belgium.
After setting off from Market Park in Crieff, they will follow as far as possible the route taken by troops on their way to the front line.
And the soldiers will be taking with them a very special item.
A wreath has been made by Anna Moray Parker from foliage of the Abercairney spruce, a magnificent 100-year-old tree
Eric McCabe and James McCabe, nephew and great-nephew of David McCabe
Daniel Moray Parker and Anna Moray Parker, who created the wreath from the Abercairney tree grown from a sapling sent back from the battlefield by Crieff soldier Lieutenant David McCabe.
It was planted in the grounds of Abercairney by Captain William Drummond Moray after he purchased it at an auction to raise funds for the war effort.
David McCabe later died, aged 32, from wounds received at the Battle of Vimy Ridge in April, 1917. He is buried at Bethune Cemetery in France and the cyclists will stop off there to lay the wreath on his grave on their way to Passchendaele.
The Battle of Passchendaele is sometimes called the Third Battle of Ypres. The attack was Sir Douglas Haig’s attempt to break through Flanders. For the soldiers who fought there, it was known as the ‘Battle of Mud’.
The British launched a series of assaults against the German forces, which held the plateau overlooking the city of Ypres in Belgium.
But the Germans were prepared for the attacks. The battle began 100 years ago this week. It took place on the Western Front, from July to November 1917.
It is not only infamous for the mud but the scale of casualties for the British. In total, 217,000 men died.
Representatives of the McCabe and Drummond Moray families were at Market Park to see the cyclists on their way. The cycle to the war graves marks the formal beginning of the Crieff Remembers programme – a series of events taking place to mark the centenary of the Battle of Passchendaele.
Jean Ann Scott Miller, of community group Festivals Crieff, said: “Of special significance is that the cyclists will take with them a wreath made from the tree at Abercairny House, grown from the sapling sent home by David McCabe.
“This will be laid on David’s grave at Bethune, and a photograph of the tree together with a replica of its memorial plaque will be presented to the authorities in Passchendaele.”
The cyclists will return to Crieff in time to take part in a drumhead service in Market Park on Sunday, July 30.
Mrs Scott Miller added: “The cycle is the kick-off of the formal Crieff Remembers programme.
“We have an absolutely fantastic programme ahead and are looking forward to seeing people getting behind it.
“This is for everyone. The parade is a very significant one and will have many poignant moments.
“And the exhibition will present a number of extremely moving and interesting stories which are relating mostly to men and women of Strathearn.”