It is now over a century since the Great War, came to an end in 1918. In the period shortly after the war, war memorials were established in most communities to commemorate those who had lost their lives in the war. After the Second World War, additional names were added to those memorials and some have had names added in relation to subsequent conflicts.

Most of the memorials were built and dedicated in the period 1921-1922 although one or two were a little later (Creich – 1923 and Helmsdale – 1924). As a consequence many will be marking their centenaries over the next year or so.

On Friday 24^th June, we held a service of Commemoration and Rededication at the Dornoch War Memorial at the foot of Poles Road. On top of this impressive memorial there is a magnificent sculpture of a 5th Seaforth Highlander at Beaumont Hamel in about 1916. It was produced by Alexander Carrick and shows the soldier looking south towards the battlefields. 

At the service, pipes were played, prayers were said, wreaths were laid and we had a two minute silence as we remembered the fallen. Young people planted small wooden crosses one for each of the 100 names on the memorial and the Young Curators group from History Links told a little of the story of the memorial.

This pattern is likely to be repeated across our region over the coming months:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; 
age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them. 

More pictures at the Northern Times.