The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Lest we forget
Derek Patrick of Great War Dundee tells Caroline Lindsay about his passion to keep the legacy of the First World War alive
We meet the history buff determined the lessons of the First World War will not be lost on a new generation.
Achildhood spent visiting historical sites inspired a young Derek Patrick with a love for the past.
No surprise, then, that Derek studied history at St Andrews University, specialising in Scotland.
After graduating he became a history lecturer at Dundee University, where he worked alongside senior lecturer Billy Kenefick.
“Billy and I knew each other very well through our shared interest in the First World War and working with him gave me the opportunity to develop my passion for it,” Derek explains.
“It’s probably my parents, grandparents and uncle who are originally to blame.
“They were members of the National Trust and Historic Scotland and that’s how we spent weekends and school holidays.”
Derek’s great-grandfather John Patrick was killed in the Battle of the Somme in 1916 and when he was at secondary school, Derek got the chance to visit his grave.
“It wasn’t a road to Damascus moment but it was deeply poignant,” he says.
“From that moment I was hooked on the history of the First World War.”
Because the Highland Soldier became iconic, particularly in Victorian Britain and representative of empire, Billy and Derek developed an honours course called the Scottish Soldier: Image and Reality.
“The Great War was an important part of the course and it really inspired us to begin work on a project that would involve Tayside and beyond and ensure the stories of the 30,490 men who left Dundee to fight and of the people left at home were never forgotten.”
As the centenary of the war approached in 2014, Derek and Billy approached history and heritage groups across Courier Country – and the Great War Dundee Commemorative project (GWD) was born.
Since its official launch the project has involved everyone from schoolchildren to the elderly.
Events have included poetry, performances and live music, a schools time travelling journalism project and the BBC World War One At Home Tour in City Square in August 2014.
“September 2015 saw the commemoration of the Battle of Loos – hugely significant for Dundee – when we were visited by the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay and the First Minister,” says Derek.
And last autumn, GWD members Caroline Brown and Matthew Jarron celebrated the life of Dundee’s “fighter writer” and illustrator Joseph Lee with a poignant exhibition.
Derek – who, along with Billy, is a contributor to The Courier’s First World War commemorative supplements – gave a lecture at the official opening.
He admits working on the project is the best of both worlds for him. “I’m still getting to work on the academic side while engaging with the public,” he says.
“It’s my job but it’s also my hobby. I can quite happily while away the weekends reading old newspapers and scribbling notes.
“It’s fantastic to tell the stories of the men, women and children who were touched by war.
“It’s hugely rewarding to get behind it and bring it alive today.” www.greatwardundee.com Our Battle of Passchendaele and Other Events of 1917 special commemorative supplement will be published free with The Courier on August 1.