War memories to reveal family history
A new exhibition revealing Rutherglen’s World War I history has opened this week.
The memory board project at Stonelaw Parish Church has asked parishioners to write down what they know of their family connections to the war, whether parents, grandparents, greatgrandparents, uncles or aunts.
The stories can be as long or short as needed, but each one will spotlight a member of the area.
The church have placed 16 silhouette sculptures into church pews too, in honour of those who once sat in the church but never returned from the war.
Rev Alistair May believes the project has been a success, bringing home the local impact of the tragic conflict.
He said: “It has been a very positive reaction so far from people. We’ve had the 16 silhouetted figures which reminds people that these were people who were part of the church who went to war and did not return.
“Even now, we are still getting stories from the community coming in, telling us about family connections they have discovered.
“Some of them are quite intricate and some of them are very straightforward, such as simply stating what a family member did during the war, but they are all important.
“It is fascinating the things that you discover, whether about the war or people in general - I was talking to one of our members who had been in Egypt just before the Suez crisis (in 1956), and told me that he had fought over there, which I had never known before.
“There are memories there for every family and they are quite effective - I hope that people in the area find it interesting.”
Stonelaw Parish Church is open during the day each day this week from 10.30am until 4.30pm. It is also open Thursday and Friday from 7pm until 8.30pm, with entry free.
The church will then hold their Centennial Service of Remembrance on Sunday, at 10.45am.
There are memories there for every family and they are quite effective