Historian writes new book to honour Shotts fighters in WWI
A new book about the trials and tribulations of people in Shotts who were killed during the First World War has been published.
Historian Alistair Allan has penned the book“Shotts – A Village that went to War”.
This is Alistair’s fifth book, with his previous four featuring Newmains, Morningside, Cambusnethan and Overtown.
Taking roughly six months to complete, the book looks in detail at those armed forces personnel from Shotts and Stane who died in the conflict.
Using information from Shotts War Memorial, Calderhead and Erskine Church Memorial, Kirk O’Shotts Church Memorial and the Stane Panel on the Cambusnethan Landward Memorial it was noted that 163 men from Shotts and Stane are named on these memorials.
The book, with over 260 pages, has details of the men who died, names of their parents, siblings, addresses and occupations, enlistment dates and details of the action they were involved in prior to their death and where they are buried (where available).
It records information on some of the men who served and survived to tell the tale, details of medal winner, descriptions of the medals themselves, Prisoners of War, pictures of memorial plaques from the Shotts area and finally old maps of Shotts.
The book is available to purchase, priced £10, from the author on 01698 383159, Lanarkshire Family History in Motherwell or from Shotts Post Office.
Alistair won’t make any money from the book as all proceeds are given to Lanarkshire Family History, to fund more research and publications.
A donation from the sales of this book will be made to Royal Erskine Hospital. It is the author’s intention to donate copies of the book to local high schools, libraries and churches.