Armistice 100: New College remembers

The building is one of several Scottish landmarks taking part in this year’s PoppyScotland ‘Light Up Red’ campaign to commemorate 100 years since the signing of the Armistice that came into force at 11am on 11 November 1918 – the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month – ending the first World War.

New College Act of Remembrance

On Friday 9 November 2018, New College Principal, Rev Professor Susan Hardman Moore, will lead a short Act of Remembrance, 10.50-11.10am, beside the war memorial in the black and white corridor outside the Assembly Hall.

Memorial to those we lost

The memorial outside the General Assembly Hall commemorates 43 ministers and students of the Church of Scotland, including many from the University of Edinburgh, who were among the millions who lost their lives, 1914-1918. They are:

Students of Divinity

     WJ Booth MA

     TH Boyle MA

     David Buchan MA

     Donald Crawford MA

     Ebenezer Fenton MA*

     John Keith Forbes MA

     Andrew Fraser MA

     David Garven MA

     Frederick Colin Gray MA*

     John Forbes Knowles MA

     Thomson Sinclair Mackie MA*

     Raymond Alistair Maclean MA*

     George E Main

     Hugh W Mann MA

     Robert Reid MA

     Alexander Ritchie MA

     John Kemp Scott MA

     William Duncan Hewett Scott MA*

     Alec Graham Scougal MA MC

     James Buchanan Strang MA*

     John Maclean Thomson MA

     TD McGregor White MA

Ordained Ministers

(1) Chaplains to HM Forces

     Rev WD Black MA, Rutherglen

     Rev WI Falside MA, Howgate

     Rev IC Ireland MA, Stow

     Rev George Millar Lt A, Kirkwall

     Rev Thomas Paterson MA, Leith

     Rev A Easton Spence, Dollar

(2) Combatants

     Rev GW Elliot MA, Forfar

     Rev John Morrison BD, Alvie

     Rev Frank W Scougal, BSc MC, Manchuria

     Rev CB Simpson MA, Elgin

     Rev John RD Smith MA, Ayr

     Rev Andrew Stewart MA MC, Isle of Whithorn

Probationers

     Rev Charles Buchan MA

     Rev Norman Crichton MA

     Rev AJ Cunningham MA

     Rev P Ross Husband MA

     Rev Walker H Kay MA

     Rev Ian D Munro MA

     Rev J D Robertson MC

     Rev Simon F Ross MA

     Rev Robert Weir MA

*Students marked with an asterisk* are also commemorated on a plaque in the Martin Hall as "Students of this College."

University Remembrance Service

A University-wide Remembrance Day Service will take place 10.15am, Sunday 11 November 2018, at the Playfair Library Hall, Old College, South Bridge. Following the service, the City of Edinburgh Universities Officers Training Corps, Royal Naval Reserve and East of Scotland Universities' Air Squadron will lay wreaths and observe a two-minute silence in the Old College Quadrangle.

Diary insights into ‘this awful time of war’

Very Rev Professor William Paterson Paterson (BD 1883) was Professor of Divinity and  Dean of the Faculty of Divinity, University of Edinburgh, 1912-1928. He kept detailed diaries, 1912-1920, which included his record of “this awful time of war” during which two of his sons died in combat.

One of the many extracts reads:

“Friday 5 March 1915. J Arnott Hamilton, divinity student, stationed at Cromarty as assistant chaplain, called. He has talked a lot with men home from the trenches… The horror of it is unimaginable. The fewest want to go back, but do not entertain the idea of shrinking from the duty.  Friday 12 March 1915. I wound up the session. Most of the third year’s students had previously left on war service.”

From The Diaries of William Paterson Paterson, Edited by CL Rawlins, F&L Publications Ltd., Edinburgh1987.

Links

University Remembrance

Poppyscotland Light Up Red campaign

History of New College