Veterans and dignitaries gathered at Dundee’s Festival of Remembrance for a day of ceremony and entertainment to honour the sacrifice of our armed forces.
This year marked the centenary of the Battle of Loos, and there was a presentation to Lieutenant General Sir Alistair Irwin, the patron of the festival committee, who was instrumental in the city’s Loos commemorations this year.
He was presented with an award by Dundee’s Lord Provost Bob Duncan in recognition of his role as catalyst for the commemorations for the 100th anniversary of the battle.
Sometimes known as “Scotland’s Somme” the battle took a heavy toll on Dundee’s own who, by its end had lost more than half of the 450 officers and men dead or wounded.
Alistair Irwin was born in Dundee and was commissioned into The Black Watch in 1970 after studying at St Andrews University.
He retired from the army in 2005 and is chairman of the Black Watch Museum Trust.
He said: “I consider it a great honour to be patron of this long-standing festival held here in the city of my birth.
“I accepted the invitation because I thought it an excellent way of showing my personal support for an event that is of very great importance in the city’s annual calendar.”
The festival is a combination of performance and religious services to commemorate the sacrifices made by the country’s armed forces.
Among those taking part was the oldest veteran, 103-year-old Jimmy Sinclair from Kirkcaldy.
He brought a jug bearing a picture of Dundee’s famous Royal Arch to the event.
The Pipes and Drums of 3rd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland wowed the crowds and joined the Central Band of the Royal British Legion Scotland in a haunting rendition of Highland Cathedral before marching out to a standing ovation.