A drumhead service will be held at Edinburgh Castle to mark the Centenary of the First World War in Scotland.
More than 8,000 people from across Scotland will attend the commemoration on the 10th August 2014, which will emulate the services held on the battlefields 100 years ago, where neatly piled drums served as an altar.
The multi-faith commemoration will see members of the public from each of the country’s local authorities invited to attend.
After the service, military bands will parade down the Royal Mile, with the congregation following in a procession to Holyrood Park.
A replica Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery en route will have more than a hundred headstones to represent the names recorded in the Rolls of Honour at the Scottish National War Memorial.
The event on the 10th August will mark the start of Scotland’s Centenary programme, which will remember major battles including Jutland and the Gallipoli Campaign, as well as domestic events including the Quintinshill rail disaster and the loss of HMS Iolaire, which sank in 1919 ferrying troops back to the Scottish island of Lewis.
Scotland’s commemorations will feed into the wider UK Centenary programme, with a Commonwealth themed service at Glasgow Cathedral already scheduled.
The UK Secretary of State for Scotland, Alistair Carmichael, described all of Scotland’s communities as having been “fundamentally altered” by the First World War and that it is “absolutely right that we put remembrance at the heart of this commemoration”.
“The drumhead service forms an important part of a programme of events that will take place across the whole of Scotland and the rest of the UK. They will provide a chance to pause for reflection, an opportunity for people to learn more about the war and help ensure our country never forgets those who made the ultimate sacrifice”.
The Scottish Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop, said that:
“Throughout the Centenary period we will encourage people of all ages across Scotland to recognise the significant and broad impact the First World War had on our nation and its people, and to reflect on its lasting social and civic legacy.
“The drumhead service, procession and memorial on August 10 will encourage today’s Scots to commemorate those who lost their lives and to ask what we can learn from World War One”.
Source: Scottish Government press release
Images courtesy of the Scottish Government
Posted by: Daniel Barry, Centenary News