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WESTERN
FRONT ASSOCIATION SCOTLAND (NORTH) BRANCH |
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| Founded by John Giles. Inaugurated 11th November
1980. Registered as Charity No 298365 |
Home |
| Welcome
to the Homepage of the Scotland (North) Branch.
Our
members are drawn from the Scottish mainland and islands north of
Perth. We hold regular meetings where our guest speakers tell us
of different aspects of the Great War. The meetings are held on
Saturday afternoons in 'The Gallery' at the Elgin Public Library.
All are welcome, entrance is free, but there is a collection for
branch funds. Refreshments are also available. |
| From
our part of Scotland came some of the most famous Scottish Regiments
to serve in the Great War, such as the Cameron Highlanders, Gordon
Higlanders and Seaforth Highlanders - they all fought valiantly, and
suffered very high casualty rates, as is witnessed by the long lists
of names on every local War Memorial.
The Scots have a long tradition of military service, and
in 1914 many were serving in the regular battalions of the various
Highland regiments. Large numbers also served locally with the Territorials,
a large majority of whom subsequently volunteered to serve overseas.
The Territorial Highland Division was renamed the 51st (Highland)
Division after its arrival in France in May 1915, and went on to
gain a reputation as one of the best divisions in the BEF. Many
early wartime volunteers also flocked to join the newly formed 'Kitchener'
battalions, and served in the 9th (Scottish) and 15th (Scottish)
Divisions - and both of these divisions earned the highest praise
for their service on the Western Front. Although a high percentage
of Scots from the Highlands served in these infantry units, many
other men from the area joined and served with great distinction
in the different arms of the Army, the Royal Navy and the RFC/RAF. |
| To find out more
about the Scotland (North) Branch please contact :- Derek
Bird, Branch Chairman If you have not yet visited the main WFA Website go there now to find out more about our Association, its network of Branches and much more about the Great War. |
| See our 2003 Programme of Meetings |