Angus staged its own special commemoration of the Battle of Jutland, with the names of local men remembered on the centenary of the First World War’s major naval engagement.
As the Forth also remembered its role in the 1916 battle off the Danish coast, Arbroath harbour was the setting for a service of remembrance for the battle which affected the lives of many families in the Angus area.
The battle claimed the lives of 6,094 British seamen and 2,551 Germans, and although Britain’s Grand Fleet sustained far greater losses than the German Imperial Navy, Jutland was considered a victory for the Royal Navy as its remaining ships were less damaged.
Sunday afternoon’s service saw a parade from the town’s Signal Tower museum to Arbroath harbour, led by standard bearers of the Royal Navy, Fleet Air Arm and Royal Marines and including the Provost of Angus Helen Oswald and the Rt. Hon Earl of Dalhousie.
The service was conducted alongside Arbroath lifeboat station, where the gathered crowd heard the personal recollection of one Able Seaman’s family and the stories of those who received Britain’s highest order for gallantry, the Victoria Cross, for their heroism in the battle.
Arbroath RNLI’s inshore lifeboat was also used to carry a wreath to sea as part of the sombre commemoration in a service led by the Rev. Peter Mead, rector of St Mary’s Church in Arbroath.
The organiser of the event, former Royal Marine Kevin Smith said he had been heartened by the local response to the commemoration.
The service coincided with a display at the Signal Tower museum marking the centenary, which features a painting loaned by the family of the late Lord Fraser of Carmyllie, entitled British Naval Victory off Jutland, May 31st 1916.
An appeal for information about Angus servicemen involved in the battle has also proved successful and Mr Smith thanked all those who had come forward with family stories,
The #Arbroath parade to commemorate the #BattleOfJutland makes its way from Signal Tower to harbour. #LestWeForget pic.twitter.com/pUohHv5uNC
— Graham Brown (@C_GBrown1) May 29, 2016
“Their sacrifice will never be forgotten,” he said.
“When we started down the path of having a local ceremony, we didn’t realise it would catch on like it has.”
Elsewhere, the Princess Royal led an afternoon of events on both sides of the Forth marking the centenary.
Joined by Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Baroness Annabel Goldie, Princess Anne started her visit in Rosyth, where a remembrance service was held in the Parish Church.
Rosyth was a key player in the First World War battle and in 1916, the Fife port was where the Battlecruiser fleet was based.
During the ceremony, local schoolchildren gave readings before placing a book of remembrance on the altar.
There was a poignant minute’s silence and the ringing of a bell made from the hull of HMS Tiger, a battlecruiser which survived heavy shelling during the Jutland campaign.
The dignitaries then crossed the Forth for a ceremony at South Queensferry Cemetery, where 40 casualties from the battle are commemorated or buried.
