The Scottish Military Research Group - Commemorations Project

Adam Brown · Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2007 8:06 pm Post subject: 6th Bn Gordon Highlanders, Keith

Jim McGinlay has already posted photographs of this memorial under the Keith War memorial post.

The memorial is an integral part of the war memorial garden in Keith and compliments the civic war memorial so I'm only going to post the link in this thread.

Keith is now in the Moray Council area and Morayshire used to be the recruiting area of the Seaforth Highlanders but Keith used to be in Banffshire and that was in the recruiting area of the Gordon Highlanders.

Regards

Adam

kinnethmont · Joined: 19 Dec 2006 Posts: 1649 Location: Aberdeenshire

6TH BATTN GORDON HIGHLANDERS (WW1)
UKNIWM Ref: 8661

Address
MEMORIAL GARDEN
MAIN RD
KEITH
GRAMPIAN
SCOTLAND

Type: SERVICEMAN/WOMAN
Other Location Details: ADJACENT TO MAIN ROAD

OS Map Ref: NJ 430 507

This memorial deserves to be recorded seperately from, and together with if needs be, the Keith Parish Memorial due to it's importance as a Regimental Memorial and to avoid confusion. UKNIWM has three listings for Keith.
This is one of three memorials within the memorial enclosure at the Land St. / A96 junction. The others are the Keith Parish War Memorial and one to those who have fallen in their country's service outwith the two World Wars.

The 6th Gordons recruiting area included the Donside area of Aberdeenshire as well as Banffshire. The significance of Keith, then in Banffshire, being being chosen for the site for this memorial is in common with those of the other Gordon T.F. Battalions at Peterhead (5th) and Banchory (7th), Keith was the location of the Battalion HQ during the Great War. They had a camp nearby at Maisley, complete with rifle range.

The memorial figure is of a Gordon Highlander reaching for a charger to reload his rifle whilst keeping his gaze on the enemy. At his feet, signifying the victory over Germany, a Prussian Picklehaube helmet lies trampled in the mud.

The main ceremony for the formal opening of the 6th Batt memorial, and the Parish of Keith Memorial in front of it, took place on Armistice Day 1923 in Keith parish church. Following the service the memorials were unveiled and dedicated.

Account taken from the Banffshire Herald
"Boy scouts and girl guides took up a position in front of the memorials, the Gordons took up a position on the left of the memorials, while pipers went inside the enclosure. At the corners of the two memorials were Gordons, standing with arms reversed. The Duke of Richmond stepped forward and pronounced the dedicatory and thanksgiving prayer, which was followed by the lament "The Flowers of the Forest" by the battalion pipers. The "Last Post" was then sounded. The Duke and others laid wreaths and the ceremony concluded with the singing of the national anthem, the dedication by Rev Mathew Stewart and the sounding of reveille "
_________________
Jim

If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

www.kinnethmont.co.uk