Highland marks Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day

• Photos of the 2014 Remembrance Day parade in Inverness.
• Photos of the 2014 Armistice Day Service in Inverness.

Members of the public are invited to join parades and services to mark Remembrance Sunday (9 November) throughout the Highlands at various locations.

Anyone with information on services or parades not listed is welcome to send details to The Highland Council via Twitter @HighlandCouncil and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/highlandcouncil or email: corporate.communications@highland.gov.uk

Caithness and Sutherland

In Caithness, Civic Leader Councillor Gail Ross will be laying a Highland Council wreath at the Wick War Memorial Remembrance Service on Sunday 9 November at 10.40am. 

In Sutherland there will be Remembrance Parades and Services on 9 November at:

• Brora War Memorial – Leader of the Caithness and Sutherland Area, Councillor Deirdre Mackay will attend the parade which marches from the village centre;
• Golspie War Memorial at 11am, Councillor Graham Phillips will be attending  the Service;
• there will be a parade to Dornoch War Memorial from 10.30am onwards which Councillor Jim McGillivray will be attending; and
• the Remembrance Day Service in Helmsdale is at 10.30am meet at the Bridge Car Park at 10.45am for a procession to the War Memorial for wreath laying and service.

Inverness and Nairn

In Inverness there will be a Remembrance Service on Sunday 9 November at 3pm at Cavell Gardens War Memorial and a short ceremony to mark Armistice Day at 11am on 11 November outside the Town House. Staff in council offices will also observe a two minutes silence at 11am on 11 November.

Organised by The Royal British Legion Scotland, Inverness Branch and supported by The Highland Council in partnership with Poppy Scotland the events reinforce the on-going importance and relevance of Armistice Day to the local community and the Highlands.

Members of the Inverness Royal British Legion and Highland Council, staff and uniformed youth groups will parade from Huntly Street and the Town House to the Cenotaph at Cavell Gardens accompanied by Colour parties (flag bearers), the Inverness British Legion Pipes and Drums, Salvation Army Band and local MP’s and MSPs. The parade will march off from Huntly Street at 2:30pm and arrive at Cavell Gardens Cenotaph at 2:50pm.

A Service of Remembrance - conducted by Legion Padre, Reverend Alistair Murray - will take place at 3pm at the Cenotaph.  Rev Murray will be assisted with the readings by Inverness Royal Academy pupils Mithran Macaden and Sarah Malhan.

The Provost of Inverness, Councillor Alex Graham and Highland Council’s Armed Forces and Veterans Champions Councillors Carolyn Caddick and Allan Duffy accompanied by fellow members of The Highland Council’s City of Inverness Area Committee will join the parade as it marches past on the junction of Ness Bridge and Castle Street.  Provost Graham will lay a wreath on behalf of Highland Council on the War Memorial at Cavell Gardens accompanied by Councillors Caddick and Duffy.

Provost Graham said: “It is important that as a community we continue to remember those who lost their lives in the defence of this country. The Act of Remembrance continues to be of great significance to the people of Inverness, including the members and staff of The Highland Council.  The participation of young people from schools and youth organisations is immensely heartening, and it is a privilege to be able to support The Royal British Legion Scotland and Poppy Scotland in marking Remembrance Day.”

Councillor Carolyn Caddick, The Highland Council’s Armed Forces and Veterans' Champion who hands over the role of Veterans’ Champion to Councillor Duffy this month added: “Public support through Remembrance Day for ex-Service men and women who still require assistance is a much-valued support for former troops and their families. The offering on Remembrance Day is for Poppy Scotland which assists ex-service personnel and their dependents in times of need. Remembrance Day is particularly poignant this year, being the Centenary of the start of the First World War, in which so many people were killed or injured.”

Councillor Duffy said: “It is an honour to take up the role of Veterans’ Champion and I look forward to taking on the challenges ahead and hope to continue the good work that Carolyn has done to date.”

A short ceremony to mark Armistice Day will also be held on Tuesday, at 11am on 11 November in front of the Town House on Inverness High Street to mark the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month to remember those killed in the service of their country.

The Highland Council, Royal British Legion Scotland, Inverness Branch and representatives from 3SCOTS will attend and observe a two minute silence at 11am. Representatives from Inverness secondary schools will also be in attendance. Members of the public are invited to attend and mark the two minute silence.

Elsewhere in Inverness area, Councillors Kate Stephen and Roddy Balfour will be attending Remembrance Day Services on 9 November and laying wreaths on behalf of the Council at Cawdor (10.50am), Croy (1pm), and Ardersier (2pm) and Councillor Margaret Davidson will attend the service at Drumnadrochit War Memorial also on 9 Nov at 10.30am.

In Nairn - the Nairn Provost and Councillors will be in attendance at the Remembrance parade on Sunday 9 November at 11am and Provost Laurie Fraser will lay a wreath at Nairn War Memorial (at the junction of Cawdor Street and Millbank Crescent) on behalf of Highland Council.

Dingwall, Black Isle and Easter Ross

The Royal British Legion Scotland Dingwall Branch pipes and drums and standard bearers will parade at 10:40am on 9 November along Dingwall High Street towards Dingwall War Memorial (outside the National Hotel) for a Remembrance Service at 10:50am. Councillors Alister Mackinnon and Graham Mackenzie will be laying wreaths.

At Muir of Ord, Remembrance Day observers will meet in the car park on 9 November at 10.30 am and walk to the War Memorial for a service which starts at 10.45 am. Councillor Margaret Paterson will be laying a wreath.

A parade for the Conon Bridge Remembrance Service on 9 November at 11am will set off from Ferintosh Church of Scotland, Church Hall at 10:30am and Councillor Angela MacLean will lead the parade to the War Memorial with local uniformed youth groups. The Maryburgh Remembrance is at 3pm meeting at the Maryburgh Amenities Hall before-hand for a short service. All Dingwall and Seaforth Councillors Angela MacLean, Margaret Paterson, Alister Mackinnon, and Graham Mackenzie will be laying a wreath.

On the Black Isle all memorial services are being held on the morning of Remembrance Sunday 9 November and the following councillors will lay wreaths at:

• Avoch War Memorial - Councillor Jennifer Barclay;
• Fortrose War Memorial - Councillor Craig Fraser;
• Munlochy War Memorial - Councillor Isobel McCallum;
• Resolis War Memorial – pupils from Resolis Primary Schools will lay a wreath with Councillor David Alston; and
• Cromarty War Memorial - Cromarty and District Community Council will lay a wreath on behalf of The Highland Council.

Eight services of Remembrance are to take place in Easter Ross. The first will be held at Inver War Memorial on Friday 7 November at 2pm (Councillor Fiona Robertson will be attending) and the last on Polish Remembrance Day will be on Sunday 16 November at 2pm at the Invergordon Polish War Memorial (Councillors Maxine Smith and Martin Rattray will be in attendance).

On Remembrance Sunday (9 November) the following services will take place in Easter Ross:

• Evanton War Memorial at 10.30am followed by a service at the Church of Scotland (Councillor Mike Finlayson attending);
• Alness War Memorial at 10.45am (Councillor Carolyn Wilson attending);
• Invergordon Service at 10am at Hayes Hall then to the War Memorial (Councillors Maxine Smith and Martin Rattray attending);
• Tain Parish Church at 10.45am then to the War Memorial (Councillor Alasdair Rhind attending);
• Portmahomack War Memorial at 10.45am (Councillor Fiona Robertson attending);
• Kilmuir Easter War Memorial at 10.45am (Councillor Jamie Stone attending).

Badenoch and Strathspey

In Badenoch and Strathspey Remembrance Day Services on Sunday 9 November will take place at:

• Advie War Memorial at 3pm;
• Aviemore War Memorial at 11am;
• Glenmore Norwegian Stone at 2pm;
• Grantown on Spey War Memorial at 11am;
• Kingussie War Memorial at 12.15pm;
• Nethybridge War Memorial at 1.15pm;
• Newtonmore War Memorial at 12.15pm;
• Kincraig War Memorial at 11am;
• Dalwhinnie War Memorial at 3pm;
• Laggan War Memorial at 9.30am.

Councillor Jaci Douglas is attending the Advie and Grantown on Spey services; Councillor Bill Lobban will attend the Aviemore, Glenmore and Nethybridge services; Councillor Rimell will attend the Kingussie service and Councillor Fallows the service at Newtonmore.

Skye and Lochaber

Councillor Drew Millar will be laying a wreath at the Remembrance Day Service, at Somerled Square Portree, 11am Sunday 9 November and Councillor Ian Renwick will also be attending.

In Lochaber at Fort William – the Remembrance parade leaves Viewforth car park on Sunday 9th at the earlier than usual time of 10.18am with the service at the War Memorial beginning at 10.40am.  The salute with be taken by the Lord Lieutenant, Donald Cameron of Lochiel and The Highland Council’s Area Leader Councillor Thomas MacLennan.  The ceremony will be slightly extended this year in recognition of the centenary of World War I with a roll call of those killed in the First and Second World Wars and subsequent conflict being read by members of the Cadet Forces and Boys’ Brigade.

At the Commando Memorial, Spean Bridge - the parade will form up as usual from the lay-by south of the Memorial at 2.45pm with the service beginning at 3pm.  Members of the public are encouraged to arrive early to ensure they arrive prior to the parade.

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