Armistice 100: Milngavie memories from the Great War

As Armistice Day approaches, East Dunbartonshire is preparing to mark 100 years since the end of World War One with services on Sunday, November 11.
By The Newsroom
Published 8th Nov 2018, 14:07 BST
Updated 8th Nov 2018, 15:13 BST
Crowds pack the streets at the unveiling of Milngavie War Memorial in September 1922Crowds pack the streets at the unveiling of Milngavie War Memorial in September 1922
Crowds pack the streets at the unveiling of Milngavie War Memorial in September 1922

We will remember the soldiers who lost their lives, including Serjeant Robert McConnell of the Scots Guards, the first man from Milngavie to be killed in action in October 1914.

Also Private Peter Gray 
Logan from Milngavie, who was part of the 5th Battalion Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) and just 22-years-old when he was killed at the Somme in 1916, in one of the bloodiest battles of the war.

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The names of Serjeant McConnell and Private Logan are among the many brave soldiers on the roll of honour at Milngavie War Memorial.

Private Logan’s great-niece Kathleen Logan has unearthed a photo which appeared in the Herald of the memorial’s unveiling ceremony in September 1922, along with a copy of the service by the Reverend Edgar, who addressed the congregation with a passionate eulogy. Kathleen said: “My family will be laying a poppy wreath at the war memorial in remembrance of Peter Gray Logan.”

Earlier this year, local man Robert Blackburn organised a trip to the WWI battlefields of Flanders and the Somme 
to pay tribute to Serjeant 
McConnell.

Robert said: “During this extremely moving and unforgettable experience we laid a wreath on behalf of the Provost and East Dunbartonshire Council at the grave of Serjeant McConnell, the first man from Milngavie killed in World War One”.

Related topics:East Dunbartonshire