Lest we forget: Scotland honours its war dead
● Nation comes together to honour those who made ultimate sacrifice
A commando veteran honours comrades killed in conflict during a Remembrance Sunday ceremony at Fort William ahead of commemorations at the Commando Memorial at nearby Spean Bridge in the Highlands. Services took place across Scotland and the UK yesterday.
The First Minister laid a wreath to commemorate servicemen and women killed in conflict as remembrance services took place across Scotland yesterday.
Her wreath was one of more than 100 laid at the Stone of Remembrance outside the City Chambers in Edinburgh at a memorial event organised by veterans charity Legion Scotland.
Anne Blair, the widow of the highest ranking soldier killed by the IRA, and her daughter Alexandra Nevill also laid tributes.
Hundreds gathered on the Royal Mile to pay their respects including senior military figures, serving forces, veterans and cadets.
Military bands played as parades were formed ahead of the two-minute silence, marked by a gun fired from Edinburgh Castle.
Mrs Blair, whose husband, Lieutenant Colonel David Blair, was one of 18 soldiers killed by an IRA bomb at Warrenpoint, Northern Ireland, in August 1979, was accompanied by her husband’s regimental colleague Eddie Maley as she laid a wreath on behalf of the War Widows Association. Her daughter placed a poppy tribute for The Queen’s Own Highlanders, the regiment of which her father was commanding officer when he died in the army’s worst single peacetime loss since the Second World War.
Edinburgh’s Lord Provost Frank Ross and Holyrood’s Presiding Officer were among others laying wreaths.
Elsewhere, veterans minister Keith Brown laid a wreath on behalf of the people of Scotland at the cenotaph at Pullar Memorial Park at the Bridge of Allan Remembrance Service.
Meanwhile, a two-minute silence was held at a service at the cenotaph in George Square, Glasgow led by the city’s Lord Provost, Eva Bolander and attended by Deputy First Minister John Swinney.
Later, veteran and serving commandos gathered at Spean Bridge’s Commando Memorial near Fort William.
And at the Cenotaph in London, the Prince of Wales led the nation in honouring the country’s war dead while the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh watched from a Foreign and Commonwealth Office balcony.