The Unveiling of Earlston War Memorial

 

On the 11th day of the 11th month, 1918, 

the Great War of 1914-1918 came to an end.  

Two years later on Sunday 13th November 1921, in a service of dedication in the square, Earlston War Memorial was unveiled by Mrs Hope, wife of Colonel Hope of Cowdenknowes, chairman of the War Memorial Committee,  

 "The Southern Reporter" of 17th November 1921 noted that the memorial was designed by Galashiels sculptor Thomas Clapperton, and executed in Creetown granite  by Messrs G. Sutherland and Sons, Galashiels.  at a total cost of £650.  The report also listed  the forty-eight  men whose names were inscribed on the memorial,    the names of the fund raising  committee and details of the  service, including Colonel Hope's speech. 

 Colonel Hope looked back at the campaigns and sacrifices of the Earlston men who never returned home and concluded:

"This Memorial which we are about to unveil, will keep the nenories of thos brave men always before the minds of those seeing it from day to day , or passing by it from time to time.  We are proud also today to see so  masny of those vsaliant men who went forth from this parish and have have been spared to rturn to their homes.  And now having all pulled together to win the war........ shall we not now all pull together to  win  the true peace and prosperity which  are so much wanted throughout the world after all the devastation of the war."  

           

The memorial inscription reads " To the glory of God and in memory of the 48 men of Earlston Parish who gave their lives for King and Country during the Great War. Their names liveth for evermore".

Names of the fallen, as listed in the Dedication Service Programme (above) 

Aikman, William F.                  Aitchison, Alexander S.        Archibald, James S.          Ballantyne David                     George, Lord Binning            Black, Archibald  
Borthwick, David A.                 Boyd, John                          Cessford, Alexander
Dickson, John                          Duff, Henry                         Elliot, Henry
Faichney, Thomas                    Fairley, Alexander               Forbes, Henry W.
Gillie, Thomas                         Graham, William                 Hardie, James 
Hardie, John T.                        Hewitt, John                      Johnston, George R.  
Kerr, William                           Kerr, William G.                  Lees, Robert 
Lunam, David                          Milne, Alexnder                   Notman, James
Paterson, David                          Robertson, James W.           Simpson, Alexander
Simpson, George                      Slassor, Walter                   Stirling, William
Thomson, James                      Turnbull, Henry C.              Turnbull, William  
Todd, George                          Vallance, Thomas                Weatherston, James
White Robert R.                       Wilkie, William                    Wilson, Adam
Wilson, Robert                        Wilson, William                    Young, George 
Young, John F.                         Young, Robert D.                Young, William R.
 .


Following the Second World War, a bronze tablet was added. with seven more names of those who lost their lives in the conflict 

Brown, Robert                         Colville, David                      Donaldson, Walter Scott
Falconer, Edward                     Faulkener, Robert Mason      Johnston, John t. 
Sandilands, David 

The War Memorial Today 

 

"LEST WE FORGET"

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