Somme sacrifice is remembered
West Lothian has marked the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme.
Services were held all over the county last Friday to mark a century since the start of the bloody five month battle, which began on July 1, 1916.
The Civic Centre in Livingston hosted a service at 7.15am, with a one minute silence held at exactly 7.28am to mark the time that whistles blew to signal soldiers into battle.
St John’s Church and the High Church’s bells rang in Bathgate at 12pm as residents gathered at the town’s war memorial to pay their respects.
Representatives from Legion Scotland’s Livingston Branch then joined councillors and armed forces personnel at a commemoration event in the evening at Bangour Village Church.
John McGinty, the leader of West Lothian Council, said: “West Lothian Council is marking the 100th anniversary of the First World War and as the Battle of the Somme was widely acknowledged as one the longest and bloodiest it is absolutely appropriate that we remember it and know the sacrifice of all who took part.
“Thousands of soldiers from West Lothian were killed or injured in World War One and their sacrifice was felt by families in villages and towns around the county.”
Councillor Harry Cartmill, whose grandfather Alexander Russell and great uncle John Russell fought at the Somme, also attended the events.
Both family members survived the battle and went on to help unveil the Bathgate war memorial as part of the Bathgate Band despite John losing a leg in a mortar blast.
Councillor Cartmill said: “The grey skies and splashes of rain were apt as, tragically, 20,000 British lives were lost and 40,000 soldiers were wounded before sunset on a grey and wet day a century ago.
“It was a great honour personally to be asked to recite the poem written about the Battle of The Somme - ‘A Soldiers Song’ - to all assembled at the Bathgate war memorial.
“This I did remembering solemnly the Bathgate men who fought courageously and valiantly but unlike my grandfather perished on those far away French fields.”
Whistles were sounded at both the morning and the evening services. Both belong to Alan Hamilton, whose grandfather and great uncle also fought in the Battle of the Somme.
He said: “The whistle which was used in the morning is dated 1916 and belonged to my great uncle Captain Robert Hamilton who served in the Royal Artillery.
“He blew the whistle to take the Scots over the top on 1 July 1916.
“He gave it to me in 1971 when I joined the Territorial Army ( 2/ 52 Lowland, Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt University UOTC, the Royal Corps of Transport and finally Royal Logistic Corps).
“I have carried in my uniform through the whole of my own 41 year service (ended 2012) including my operational tour in Iraq in 2003/04.”
He added: “The second whistle, which was used at the evening ceremony is dated 1915.
“It belonged to my grandfather Sergeant Alexander Hamilton who was in the 6/7 Royal Scots Fusiliers at the Battle of Loos 1915.
“By 1916 he was a Colour Sergeant and blew the whistle on July 1 to take his men over the top as part of the regiment’s third wave carrying stretchers, reserve ammunition, rations and water.”