One hundred years after Campbeltown War Memorial was unveiled, the community gathered at the monument once again to honour the service and sacrifices of those who have served in the country’s armed forces.
While last Saturday saw sunshine for Armistice Day services at the war memorial and the war graves at Campbeltown’s Kilkerran Cemetery, it was bitterly cold for the following day’s Remembrance Sunday service at the cenotaph.
Reverend Steven Sass, who is in charge of the Church of Scotland’s South Kintyre kirks, presided over Saturday’s proceedings, which began with a service at the war memorial that included a two-minute silence at 11am.
This was followed by a service of Remembrance at the Cross of Sacrifice in Kilkerran Cemetery, after which a poppy cross was placed at each of the war graves.
Sunday’s Remembrance service at the cenotaph was led by Reverend James Murray of Campbeltown Free Church, himself a British Army veteran.
The community looked on as Kintyre Schools Pipe Band led a parade to the war memorial.
Once there, representatives of the following groups and organisations placed wreaths: the Lord Lieutenancy of Argyll and Bute, Argyll and Bute Council, the Royal British Legion Scotland Campbeltown branch, Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, the RNLI, HM Coastguard, The Salvation Army, Lodge St John’s No 141 and St Kieran Royal Arch Chapter No 158, the Rotary Club of Campbeltown, Campbeltown Community Council, the 16th Argyll Scout Group, the 1st Campbeltown Brownies, Kintyre Schools Pipe Band and Campbeltown Grammar School.
On both Saturday and Sunday, Campbeltown Brass musicians and piper and veteran John McGeachy were present.
RBLS Campbeltown branch chairman George Rahman said afterwards: “Well done to all who attended. We did the town and our branch proud on these two very important days.”
Across Kintyre, events were held on and around Remembrance Sunday at other war memorials and by schools and youth groups.
West Kintyre residents flocked to Glenbarr War Memorial on Sunday for its own service of Remembrance.
War memorial trustee Marion McDonald led the service, welcoming those present and inviting Victoria Maxwell Macdonald to read the names of those listed on the monument, a duty her great grandmother carried out at the dedication of the memorial in 1922.
A two-minute silence was then held, after which the silence was broken by piper Calum O’Hanlon and wreaths were placed at the foot of the cenotaph.
This year, Innes Boyd was invited to lay the wreath on behalf of Glenbarr War Memorial Trust in acknowledgment of his 24 years’ service with the British Army’s Royal Engineers.
Mr Boyd, a retired warrant officer, was born and raised on the Isle of Tiree and moved to Kintyre with his wife Joyce in 2020.
He said: “I was in the Royal Engineers for 24 fantastic years, with the latter part of my career doing something a bit different to normal soldiering – I deployed on numerous operations and had a foot in every continent during my service, including visits to the Arctic and Antarctic.
“My last tour was to Kabul, which was my seventh and final visit to Afghanistan, where I took command of a specialist multinational NATO force spread throughout the country. This was my first glimpse at remote working.
“I left as a senior soldier which is something I am very proud of.”
Following his military career, Mr Boyd continued working remotely in Kintyre but in a new career as a financial crime investigator.
He described his role at Glenbarr on Sunday as “an honour”.
A second wreath was placed at the war memorial by Cadet First Class (CFC) Tyler on behalf of Campbeltown Sea Cadet Unit, which added some naval tradition by tolling the bell for the service and using the bosun’s call to mark the start and end of the two-minute silence.
Colour Sergeant Robbie Semple, chairman of Glenbarr War Memorial Trust, concluded the service by pointing out to those gathered that the bitterly cold conditions served as a reminder of just one of the hardships faced by Britain’s armed forces.