Soldier honoured after 91 years

[newstuff25]

There is a lot of helpful tips on here about researching war memorial names. While looking for some other tips I came across this story about a Scottish soldier whose name was left off his town's memorial but a local researcher found his war grave and started the ball rollling. they had a ceremony to mark 91 years since he died - on the exact anniversary of his death and he finally got his memorial! and his 84 year old nephew was there to see it. really good story!

see it here - http://deadlinescotland.wordpress.com/2008...gotten-soldier/

[Seadog]

I just hope that his original descendants did not wish his name to be recorded for whatever reason, of course we will never know.

Norman

[newstuff25]

I just hope that his original descendants did not wish his name to be recorded for whatever reason, of course we will never know.

Norman

Yes, I agree, we will never know BUT the nephew wouldn't be so pleased if he thought there was a good reason for him never to have been recorded?

[Greyhound]

Name: KILGOUR

Initials: R

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Private

Regiment/Service: Scots Guards

Unit Text: 1st Bn.

Age: 24

Date of Death: 31/07/1917

Service No: 13135

Additional information: Son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Robert Kilgour, of Tranent, East Lothian.

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference: I. B. 1.

Cemetery: ARTILLERY WOOD CEMETERY

He probably didn't have any descendants. His parents may have been dead by the time the memorial was arranged, it looks as though at least his father probably was. If a relative as close as his nephew approves of the addition of his name, I think it's quite acceptable.

[Seadog]

There have been previous forum discussions on this very topic. My own view is that it is very dangerous to rewrite history using the attitude and opinions of the present. Nobody including the nephew in this case can possibly have any idea why the name was omitted and in my opinion we should respect the actions of the past, even if the omission was a genuine mistake. After all there would have been ample opportunity for the original descendants to rectify the situation, so why was this not done.

Norman

[Greyhound]

Who do you mean by "original descendants"?

[truthergw]

One of the difficulties for an enthusiast is to realise that other people do not share that enthusiasm and indeed may have no interest in it whatsoever. I wonder how many people ever stop to read the inscriptions on the memorials? Certainly, on Remembrance day, a minority of the local population will attend at the services but even here, how many read every name? In fact, remembrance is carried in the family, the knowledge that Uncle Joe was killed on the Somme becomes Gt Uncle Joe then a nameless ancestor of unknown affinity who was in the Great War. Whether he is commemorated on the local monument seems to me to be of little import if hardly anyone reads the inscriptions and no one recognises his name when they do.

[ian turner]

Whether he is commemorated on the local monument seems to me to be of little import if hardly anyone reads the inscriptions and no one recognises his name when they do.

Tom, I note your point, but surely it is upto us of the present generations to draw attention to these casualties and educate the next generation as to who they were?

Ian

[newstuff25]

Tom, I note your point, but surely it is upto us of the present generations to draw attention to these casualties and educate the next generation as to who they were?

Ian

I totally agree. Okay, so people might not read the names of every single soldier on a memorial but it's very presence has a lot of significance - especially in a small town like the one in this story. It might not make much difference in the grand scheme of things but the basic fact is the Private Kilgour had every right to have his name there and now it is!

[john w.]

The blame for all this lies squarely on the memorial committees at the time, they were adhoc and had their own rules and some people abused the system by ensuring their relatives were on more than one. There was no national leadership or rules followed, just those created locally. Inclusion on the memorial was down to the families, but who was to say that all families were asked, what about those who resdied in the town/village and moved away, those who were born in the village/town and moved away, those who lived in the village/town but werent born there. All feature on memorials.

In today's society there is a growing relevance of the memorial with Iraq and Afghanistan occurring today. Someone in Billericay Essex place a wooden cross at the foot of the memorial with Pte John Thrumble Killed in 2006 from friendly fire in Afghanistan, my son went to his funeral.. the memorial has relevance again.

The fact that he has been remembered flows from the modern desire to remember not forget.

There are memorials like mine in Stock (see link below) where the Parish Council want it left as it was, so we got by that by creating our own online memorial, making a virtual memorial and adding those names we felt should/deserved to be there, no arguments then we have done it. If we are wrong then they can be removed, new ones added. I know it skirts the problem, but can be a solution all the same. Oh and also in this day and age we can attempt to help with spellings and names for genealogists trying to trace their family tree

Am glad he was included.

John

PS would be interested in to see if Shoreham have included Pte Highgate on theirs as he was the first to be executed and the Parish Council wouldnt add his name until pardoned