Oban is parade-ready to mark the centenary of its war memorial.
For 18 months a core of volunteers have been working hard to make sure the town marks the occasion with a fitting tribute this November as those whose names are inscribed on the memorial are remembered – along with all the others who have returned from conflicts still carrying mental and physical wounds.
Here is a round-up of remembrance events happening in Oban as part of the 100 years commemoration of the unveiling of the memorial.
A Town Poppy Trail marking homes or workplaces of the town’s war dead from both world wars is likely to run next year because of the response to this year’s poppy trail, centenary commemoration organisers heard when they met last week to finalise plans.
Lights illuminating the names on the war memorial are now up and a plaque honouring the memorial’s sculptor Alexander Carrick is also in place.
A poppy cascade on the face of Argyll Square Church will go up on November 4 with help from BID4Oban. Poppies have been contributed from individuals and groups across the town, including the Dove Centre and churches.
And there will be two free exhibitions opening at The Rockfield Centre in time for the weekend. Running from November 4-15, one will feature poignant artefacts, including medals, world war uniforms and last letters home. The second is about the war memorial’s sculptor Alexander Carrick who was one of the finest sculptors in Scotland. His career was interrupted by the First World War when he served in Ypres with the Royal Garrison Artillery. During his time as a gunner, Carrick sketched many images of the battlefield and created sketch models from clay found in the trenches. Carrick’s war time experience was influential in creating memorials in many towns and villages, mostly throughout Scotland. Oban War Memorial is an outstanding example of Carrick’s work, in which he depicted two kilted Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders wading through the trenches carrying a wounded comrade.
Places need to be booked for a free illustrated talk from an expert speaker on Saturday November 11 from 7pm to 9.30pm in the Oak Room, also at The Rockfield Centre, taking the audience on a journey through the experiences of soldiers during the war, exploring the common experiences and challenges they faced. That event will have input from Oban High School pupils who have visited the battlefields and there will be pipe music. For tickets, go to The Rockfield Centre website, www.therockfieldcentre.org.uk
On Saturday November 11 there will be a service at the Garden of Remembrance in George Street at 11am.
On Sunday November 12 the remembrance parade will muster from 10am at the Corran Halls ready to leave at 10.30am to make its way to the memorial for the traditional laying of wreaths which will include a replica of a wreath that was laid at the memorial’s unveiling. Uniformed organisations as well as the Lord Lieutenant of Argyll, Jane Macleod, and Argyll’s Provost, Maurice Corrie will be taking part.
Oban War Memorial Centenary Group is hosting a lunch by invitation at the Rockfield Centre after the parade. More than 90 people will be attending, including many families of those servicepeople named on the memorial, among them will be a 93-year-old travelling from North Berwick who is the last surviving brother of a Second World War soldier.
Research carried out to find out more about the lives of the men on the memorial, and featured in The Oban Times as part of the project, is being collated in to a special book. The original will be kept at The Rockfield Centre along with a user-copy available to the public. Other user copies will go to the War and Peace Museum, the Masonic Lodge, the town library and the Central Library of Argyll and Bute in Dunoon.