The role of the Firth of Forth in one of the First World War’s largest naval conflicts will be remembered later this month.
More than 8,500 British and German seamen lost their lives in the Battle of Jutland 100 years ago.
Commemorative events are scheduled to take place at sites across Scotland to mark the upcoming centenary, including in Rosyth and South Queensferry.
Rosyth was where the Battlecruiser force was based in 1916, and on May 28 Rosyth Parish Church will host a wreath-laying service to remember those who sacrificed their lives.
A further memorial will take place in South Queensferry, at the town’s Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery, where 40 casualties from the battle are commemorated or buried.
Descendants of those who served are expected to attend, along with local officials and school children, including a visiting group from Wilhelmshaven in Germany.
Edinburgh’s Lord Provost and Lord Lieutenant Donald Wilson said the battle had left a “tragic legacy” along the Firth of Forth.
He said: “It will be a time for remembrance and reconciliation.
“It is so important to remember our shared past and I am impressed by how the Leith, Queensferry and Fife communities have been so eager to play their part in the commemorations.”
Fife’s Depute Provost Kay Morrison said: “Scotland, and Rosyth’s naval dockyards, played a vital role in the UK’s war efforts and the focus for these commemorations is rightly the theme of reconciliation with Germany.”
Orkney will be the focus of commemorations on May 31, the day the Battle of Jutland began 100 years ago.
Fought over 36 hours, the British lost 6,094 personnel and 2,551 Germans died during the conflict near the coast of Denmark’s Jutland Peninsula.
Most of the British vessels which took part in the engagement were stationed at Scapa Flow in Orkney.
The Royal Navy’s Captain Chris Smith, Naval Regional Commander Scotland and Northern Ireland, said: “The main event will be held in Orkney on May 31, the actual date of the battle, and acknowledges the important role played by Scapa Flow and the people of those islands.
“The Grand Fleet sailed from Invergordon and the Firth of Forth, however, so it’s marvellous to see that both locations are hosting their own commemorations.”
