The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
‘Forgotten War’ memorial gets new lease of life in restoration
Veterans’ association makes sure Perth mural is no longer forgotten after five years of disrepair, marking 69 years since the beginning of the Korean War
A memorial to veterans of a “Forgotten War” has been brought back into use after languishing for more than five years.
The Korean War memorial, which sits just off the Old High Street in Perth, had been neglected since the Korean Veterans’ Association disbanded in 2012.
But the Association of Perth Veterans has recently taken on maintenance of the site, which is owned by Vision PK, and marked its return to glory with a wreath-laying ceremony on Saturday.
The ceremony also marked 69 years since the beginning of the war, which started on June 25 1950.
Wreaths were laid at the site by Korean veteran Frank Cochrane and chairman of the APV, Willie Howie.
Perth Provost Dennis Melloy also attended, along with members of the Royal British Legion Scotland Riders Branch and other veterans.
Almost 1,080 soldiers were killed in the Korean conflict, including 320 Scots from three regiments.
A further 2,674 were wounded and 1,060 missing or taken prisoner.
The Perth memorial is a large wall mural depicting a map of Korea and flags of the participating nations. It was painted by pupils from Perth High School and dedicated on July 26 1997.
A spokesman for the event said: “The Korean War, sometimes known as the ‘Forgotten War’, was fought between North Korea, supported by China and the Soviet Union, and South Korea, supported by the United Nations.
“It shaped the modern world as it is today. It set the tone for relations between the Soviets and the United Nations through the Cold War.
“Even today the threat of war over Korea is at an all-time high between North Korea and the United Nations, as North Korea continues to experiment and test missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads into South Korea and beyond.”
Nearly 100,000 British troops fought in the conflict.
Korea had been occupied by Japan during the Second World War but following their defeat the country was split at the 38th Parallel, with Soviet troops liberating the northern part of the country and US troops the south.