Tribute to Great War’s seamen and women unveiled by Princess Royal.

Princess Royal unveils memorial to Courier Country men and women who lost their lives at sea during the First World War

A permanent tribute to the service of Courier Country seafarers during the First World War was unveiled by the Princess Royal in Dundee yesterday.

A memorial and roll of honour were placed in St Mary’s, Dundee Parish Church, while a second roll is now on permanent public display in the City Chambers.

The ceremony opened with the naval hymn For Those In Peril On The Sea.

Lord Provost Ian Borthwick then paid tribute to the men and women whose lives were lost, some of whom “have no memorial except the sea... and who served and died that we may live”.

Then, before a hushed congregation of more than 100 people, including relatives of those who gave their lives in the conflict, the Princess Royal pulled back blue curtains to reveal a brass and cherrywood plaque.

The text reads: ‘In abiding memory of the seamen and women of Dundee who served in the Great War 1914-1919 and of those who gave their lives for their country and for freedom.’

Mounted on the south wall of the church it can be viewed whenever the church is open.

The rolls of honour – listed on a calendar basis, with an alphabetical index at the rear – detail the names and addresses of more than 600 men and women who died and will include those who were born, educated, trained, lived, worked and died in Dundee, many from Newport, Tayport, Carnoustie and Perth as well as the surrounding area.

These names will be on display in the City Chambers and can be accessed on request there.

The roll will shortly also be online at leisureandculturedundee.com.

Eventually the entries, together with any additional information, will be added to the city’s roll of honour at greatwardundee.com

Before the Prayer of Dedication, the Last Post sounded from the gallery.

The plaque and rolls of honour were the brainchild of Hugh MacRae, a contributor to the online Scottish war memorials commemoration project.

He became interested in researching war memorials, principally in Perth and Kinross, when he lived in Coupar Angus.

“After moving to Dundee and reading in the 1919 People’s Journal about a church service in St Mary’s church which commemorated the service of more than 2,000 Royal Naval Volunteer Reservists, of whom some 200 were killed, I wondered if there was a permanent memorial to the First World War seamen of all sea services,” he said.

“I discovered there wasn’t, so I approached the city council with the idea in 2014, and the rest is history – or rather, a lot of work.

His co-researcher is Iain Stewart, a retired lieutenant commander in the navy and a long-standing friend, who had been working on the subject of Royal Navy recruits for some time.

“During research into Dundee’s maritime losses it became clear that the names listed in the city’s Roll of Honour did not include most of the seafarers who died,” Iain explains.

“The internet made it possible to access many different official records and to cross-check entries. Local records and memorials were also viewed to find new names.”

You can find out more about the stories behind the seamen’s memorial in our souvenir special war supplement, The Battle of Passchendaele and Other Events of 1917, free with The Courier on August 1.