War Memorials

Memorials and Location: Local versus National Identity and the Scottish National War Memorial

by Jenny Macleod

Scottish Historical Review, 89 (April 2010): 73-95

This article seeks to explore the controversy surrounding the building of the Scottish National War Memorial. It... more This article seeks to explore the controversy surrounding the building of the Scottish National War Memorial. It analyses the arguments over the design of the memorial and its impact on Edinburgh Castle. The criticisms by Lord Rosebery and others of the design proposed by Robert Lorimer are dealt with in detail. The campaign by the Duke of Atholl to raise money for the memorial is scrutinised and the difficulties in securing donations at a time when there were many simultaneous attempts to raise money for local and institutional memorials are discussed. The article relates this material to the wider literature on war memorials in the period immediately following the First World War. The main theme of the article is to note the way in which the memorial at the Castle came to be accepted as a ‘national’ memorial and how this process relates to the formation and maintenance of Scottish national identity in the 1920s. As highlighted by comparison with the other national memorials, the Scottish National War Memorial ultimately serves to show the unity of the Scottish nation and the ongoing strength of its martial tradition, a means by which Scotland could express a distinctive identity whilst remaining securely within the United Kingdom.

“By Scottish hands, with Scottish money, on Scottish soil”: The Scottish National War Memorial and National Identity

by Jenny Macleod

Journal of British Studies 49 (January 2010): 73–96

This article examines the primary sources relating to the process of organizing the Scottish National War Memorial.... more This article examines the primary sources relating to the process of organizing the Scottish National War Memorial. These papers show the extent to which the Duke of Atholl was the driving force behind the memorial. The process is instructive in some aspects of the relationship between the social elite and self-made industrialists in Scotland. Above all, the erection of the memorial indicates the multi-faceted nature of Scottish identity reflected therein. It shows the ongoing influence of Presbyterianism. It also enriches our appreciation of the imperial dimension of Scottishness, and in particular the way in which Scots around the world considered themselves to be part of an “imagined community”. This article therefore seeks to show how Scotland’s religious, martial and imperial traditions continued to resonate as a means to commemorate this shockingly modern and destructive war.

Metal theft & memory theft – valuing sentiment in punishing war memorial attacks

by Luke Bennett

This essay reviews recent moves in the UK towards introducing specific legislation to address metal theft and suggests... more This essay reviews recent moves in the UK towards introducing specific legislation to address metal theft and suggests that existing sentencing guidance - and specifically its acknowledgment of "sentimental value" - could be used to encourage tougher sentencing of metal thieves who target war memorials.

Remembrance Article

by Lewis Stockwell

Published in 'Trench Footnotes', the Journal of the Hertfordshire Constabulary Great War Society, (Dec, 2011).

Remembrance is a part of many people's lives and cultures yet it is very often just accepted. This paper forms a part... more Remembrance is a part of many people's lives and cultures yet it is very often just accepted. This paper forms a part of a wider project that is intending to decipher the 'code of remembrance': the acts that form the commemoration process and place activities into a cultural tradition. This is a brief insight into the vast array of areas covered by the ideas and concepts of 'Remembrance'.

(Why) We Will Remember Them: Introductory 10 minute Conference Paper

by Lewis Stockwell

Conference Paper

This was the brief talk to the UH Undergraduate History Conference, 2012. It gives a brief insight into my areas of... more This was the brief talk to the UH Undergraduate History Conference, 2012. It gives a brief insight into my areas of research for my final project.