Aberdeen Press and Journal - Monday 22 May 1922
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NEWHILLS HONOURS THE FALLEN.
" Love, Pride and Grief."
LORD ABERDEEN AND ROYAL SYMPATHY.
Newhill parish war memorial - a 25 feet obelisk Solattie granite, from the local quarryâwas unveiled by the Marquis Aberdeen and Temair on Saturday. The obelisk rises from a circular base, 14 feet in diameter, from which spring three ornate buttresses, supporting the hexagonal shaft, crowned by a Scottish lion. On the centre panel is the inscription :
To the glory of God and in remembrance of the men Newhills parish, who made the supreme sacrifice in the Great War, 1914-19.
Their memory hallowed in the land they loved.'
The names of the fallen — 106 — are inscribed on the panels between the buttresses. The memorial, which was designed by James Salmond (architect, of Messrs Davidson and Garden), has been placed at the junction of the Inverurie turnpike road and the Hope Farm road, near the Four Mile House, about three-quarters of a mile west of the fountain Bucksburn, and presents striking appearance in the locality.
Sympathy and Honour.
Saturday's ceremony brought a crowd of about a thousand to do reverent homage to the memory of those near and dear to them. A detachment of A Coy., 5th Gordon Highlanders, formed a guard of honour. In it and the pipe band of the battalion, which also attended, were men who fought side by side with those commemorated. Ex-officers like Major M. V. Hay of Seaton, who provided the site for the memorial, and Lt.-Col. Dawson, D.S.O., Aberdeen, an ex-O.C. of the 6th Gordons, of which famous battalion the Bucksburn Territorials were a part war-time and until the recent re-arrangement, were present to pay a tribute with Major C. G. D. Higgins (adjutant), Captain R. Adam, M.C., Captain G. P. Geddes, D.S.O.; Captain and Quartermaster J. Marr, M.C.; Lieut. A. D. B. Smith, officers of the battalion. Mr W. D. Davidson, Mugiemoss, convener of the memorial committee, presided, and was accompanied by Lord Aberdeen, who wore the uniform of Lord Lieutenant of the County; Mr D. M. M. Milligan, advocate, hon. secretary and treasurer the committee, the Rev. Andrew Currie, The Manse; Mr W. Campbell, chairman of the Parish Council, and vice-convener of the committee; Messrs James Cruickshank, A. Brown, A Rennie. and J. G. Rogers, of the committee.
The Chairman tendered their deep sympathy to the relatives and friends of the men whom they were honouring that day. Delay and disappointment were met with in regard to the site, but thought the one they now stood at was the best they could have fixed upon, and they had to extend their heartiest thanks to Major Hay for giving it free of cost, and for the great assistance he had rendered to the committee. They were also indebted to Mr Salmond for his untiring labour in connection with the designing and erection of the memorial. His work would live to mark the admirable gallantry the lads of Newhills. The Parish Council had agreed to take over the custody of the memorial, and it would be formally handed over to that body a future date. He thanked all the members of the committee for their assistance. Their work had been entirely a labour of love and small token the honour and respect they had for the glorious dead. They wesre deeply indebted to Mr Milligan, on whose shoulders a large proportion of the work had fallen.
Roll of Honour.
Milligan read the list of the names as follows:-
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The guard presented arms while Lord Aberdeen drew aside the Union Jaok from the names, and the Rev Mr Cume dedicated the memorial "to the abiding remembrance of the heroism of our men, the sorrows of our women, and the loss in the children's life through the death and bereavement of their parents."
The pipes wailed out "The Flowers o' the Forest," and when the plaintive notes had died awav the buglers sounded "The Last Post. "
The Marquis of Aberdeen laid the memorial a beautiful wreath of evergreens with white and red blooms, tied with blue ribbon, the gift of the committee, and relatives deposited other floral tributes.