FOLLOWING two years of extensive research by Live Borders Museum, Archive and Library Services and members of the community, the results of Saving and Sharing the Borders Experience are about to be revealed.
As part of the 2017 Borders Heritage Festival the MacArts Centre in Galashiels will open its doors on Saturday for a day of presentations centered around memories and experiences of the Great War.
The aim of the project, which is being funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Armed Forces Covenant, was to encourage and facilitate research and commemoration across the region.
Project Officer Morag Cockburn feels that the original goals have been by far surpassed.
She told us: "We are now two years into the Saving and Sharing Scottish Borders Stories of WWI project and this event is a fantastic opportunity to bring together a large and varied range of stories which capture the Borders experience of WWI.
“Important parts of the region’s social and family heritage over this momentous period have been documented over this time by recording material in various formats so that it can be made widely available and secured for future generations.
“By doing so it is hoped that the project will leave a legacy which commemorates the contribution made by individuals and families across the Borders."
The project has also facilitated a range of volunteer opportunities and many local historians and groups have shared their WWI research.
As the two-year funded element of the project draws to a close Live Borders have organised Saturday's presentations on a wide variety of topics relating to WWI.
Morag added: "Many of the speakers have worked closely with the project and each will offer a unique insight into their work on topics from poetry to policing."
A series of short talks on subjects such as Forgotten Poems & Sonnets from the Great War and Stobs Camp: Past, Present & Future will be followed by a presentation on the recent Borders Youth Theatre project Delving Deep.
Dr Yvonne McEwen will also present a keynote talk entitled From Battlefield to Blighty -WW1 Casualty Care and Evacuation Arrangements
Ewan Jackson, chief executive Live Borders, said: “We are now 100 years on from the Great War, a war which affected people from all walks of life; from the K.O.S.B who fought in many bloody actions to the women who took on new roles.
“It is vitally important that the impact on the local community and the sacrifices made are remembered by current and future generations.”
Saturday's event at the MacArts Centre runs from 9.30am to 3pm.
9.30am: Doors and registration
10am to 10.20am: Morag Cockburn – Dr Muir’s War
10.20am to 10.40am: Harry Scott – Forgotten Poems & Sonnets from the Great War
10.40am to 11am: Kevin Laidlaw – Piper Laidlaw
11.30am to12.30pm: Dr Yvonne McEwen – From Battlefield to Blighty -WW1 Casualty Care and Evacuation Arrangements
12.30pm to 12.50pm: Shona Sinclair – The Remarkable Life of Mary Lee Milne and her Adventures with the Scottish Women’s Hospital
1.40pm to 2pm: Kenny McLean – Researching the War Memorials of Berwickshire
2pm to 2.20pm: David Smale – Policing the Scottish Borders in the Great War
2.20pm to 2.40pm: Andy Jepson – Stobs Camp: Past, Present & Future
2.40pm to 3pm: Music/drama presentation by Borders Youth Theatre
The event is free but booking is essential on 01450 360699 or localhistory@liveborders1.org.uk
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