Poignant ceremonies as names on Kirkcaldy war memorial to be read aloud as part of centenary events

Starting today (Friday) all 1500 names of the fallen will be read aloud as part of the events to mark its centenary across three mornings at the end of this month.

The commemoration has been organised by the Kirkcaldy branch of the Royal British Legion Scotland, and the readings will co-incide with the exact date of the memorial’s centenary – ahead of next week’s royal visit by the King and Queen.

It was formally unveiled on June 27, 1925.

It will start on Friday morning at 10:00am when Melanie Ward, MP for the Lang Toun and Cowdenbeath, who will read the first names, and continue through the weekend to Sunday 29th when the parents of Sergeant Sean Binnie - killed in Afghanistan and the most recent name to be added to the memorial - conclude the rollcall.

Each set of readings will start at the memorial with a bugler playing the Last Post and reveille at each conclusion.

On the Friday, the readings will cover the 566 surnames killed in World War I, from A to L, and take place from 10:00am until 11:30 am. It runs from 10:00am until 11:30am

On Saturday the 475 names from the Great War, from M to Y, will be read aloud between 10:00 am and 11:00 am

Sunday’s rollcall will honour those killed in World War II and later conflicts, and be read between 10:00am and 11:00am.

Among the volunteer readers will be some who will read out the names of their own relatives.

The rollcall is one of the key pieces of the centenary commemorations. An appeal to knit poppies produced a huge response - and the incredible work will be unveiled next month.

The Kirkcaldy branch of the Royal British Legion Scotland wanted to create 1500 poppies, one for every name on the memorial, but over 8000 poured into its appeal.

The central tower at the memorial now has poppies flowing down it on special nets, while the balcony at Kirkcaldy Museum will also be dressed with poppies, along with the stair head inside the building.

The branch is also working on unveiling a unique cairn in the war memorial garden.

It will feature new stepping stones where people can walk in the footsteps of seven war heroes with strong links to Kirkcaldy, and also honour the Nairn family’s significant contributions to the Lang Toun - the gallery and museum buildings and grounds were bequeathed to the town by linoleum manufacturer John Nairn, in memory of his son, Captain Ian Nairn MC who was killed in the Great War - and celebrate the work of people in our community.