Commander’s gloves are off for A9 battle
Jacobite relic seized upon to spearhead campaign
A pair of 330-year-old leather gloves once owned by a Jacobite hero are back to fight again - against Transport Scotland’s bulldozers.
This weekend is the anniversary of the Battle of Killiecrankie and on a field near the A9 route north to Inverness, the charismatic Jacobite leader, John Graham of Claverhouse, Viscount Dundee, was mortally wounded leading his men to victory at the Battle of Killiecrankie on July 27, 1689.
An image of the decorative kid gloves, once worn by ‘Bonnie Dundee’, is now being used by the campaign group, KilliecrAnkie1689 in an effort to highlight its modern day battle to get controversial plans to dual the A9 over the battlefield reviewed before the diggers move in. Posters on social media say “The Gloves Are Off ”.
The timing is right for KilliecrAnkie1689 campaigners to strive for wider awareness of their message that ‘the gloves are off’ when it comes to opposing irreparable damage to the place where Bonnie Dundee was hit by musket fire and 2000 battle dead are believed to be lying under the turf.
Additional archaeological investigations were conducted in June, but it will not be known what was discovered until the autumn, when Transport Scotland is also planning to arrange a drop-in event at Killiecrankie Village Hall to update the local community on the survey work.
This Saturday and Sunday, hundreds of people will head to Highland Perthshire for Soldiers of Killiecrankie, a historical reenactment and community festival celebrating the crucial battle. The road engineering firm Jacobs has announced it will be sending two representatives to the event to discuss archaeological finds from Killiecrankie.
“Transport Scotland’s [A9 dualling] proposal is hugely damaging to the battlefield,” explained George MacLean of KilliecrAnkie1689.
“Only one design has been studied in depth and that involves dumping thousands of tons of filler material on the most sensitive part of the battlefield.”
Mr MacLean added: “The battlefield is completely unprotected against the A9 dualling project. The Scottish Ministers could simply rubberstamp the proposal. The only thing that can stop this damaging plan is a public outcry.”
His group, KilliecrAnkie1689, is not against upgrading the A9 but categorically rejects the design as it currently stands.
Transport Scotland has received 183 objections on the stretch which goes from Killiecrankie to Glen Garry.
Jacobite hero Bonnie Dundee’s leather gloves