Ceremony marks ‘service and sacrifices’ of Gallipoli campaign
A service to commemorate the “service and sacrifices” of those who served in the Gallipoli campaign during the First World War has been held at the Scottish National War Memorial.
The event marked 110 years to the day since Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (Anzac) troops, together with British, French and Russian forces, landed on the Dardanelles Peninsula, which is now in Turkey, at the start of the months-long campaign.
The Anzac and Gallipoli Day Service was attended by senior military personnel, Lord Provost of Edinburgh Robert Aldridge and representatives from Scotland, the UK, Australia, France and Turkey.
This is an opportunity to come together to remember the service and sacrifices of Anzac servicemen and women through the years, as well as our own soldiers who fell during the Gallipoli campaign
The service takes place at the memorial each year on the anniversary of the landings, and is organised by the Royal British Legion Scotland (RBLS).
Claire Armstrong, chief executive of RBLS, said: “This is an opportunity to come together to remember the service and sacrifices of Anzac servicemen and women through the years, as well as our own soldiers who fell during the Gallipoli campaign.
“It is a chance to reflect on the extraordinary courage of our armed forces community, both past and present, as well as the enduring friendship between our countries.”
The Navy, Army and RAF were represented by Naval Regional Commander Scotland and Northern Ireland, Brigadier Andy Muddiman, governor of Edinburgh Castle Major General Bob Bruce, and Air Officer Scotland Air Commodore Mark Northover.
During the service the band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland provided a musical ensemble and the solo piper was provided by the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards.
The British Army in Scotland was represented by soldiers of the Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
The Scottish National War Memorial was built in Edinburgh Castle to mark the end of the First World War, when one in five Scots who went to war did not return.
It houses the Rolls of Honour for Scotland’s war dead from the First and Second World Wars up to the present day, including more recent conflicts such as Iraq and Afghanistan.
