SITE FOR GLASS WAR MEMORIAL
A meeting of the Glass War Memorial Committee was held at Blairmore last Friday afternoon to hear the report of Dr William Kelly, architect, Aberdeen, who had been asked to advise the Committee as to the most suitable site for the memorial.
Mr E. Alan Cameron occupied the chair.
Six different sites had been mentioned, viz:-
(1) Braehead Brae: (2) Market Road: (3) at the Parish Church: (4) On the glebe: (5) at the Haugh: (6) at Wallakirk. Dr Kelly’s report dealt with such on its merits, and concluded as follows:-
No. 6 at Wallakirk, west of the churchyard, there is a fine piece of ground through part of which access is got to the churchyard. The place of extreme interest and beauty, and closely associated with the history of the district, and it is more attractive than any of the other sites mentioned. I feel that a fitting memorial, properly placed on the piece of ground west of Wallakirk, would fulfil every requirement of a memorial. The site and surroundings are ideally fine, and the association with the ancient site of Wallakirk and with its churchyard, used from antiquity to the present time, would add to the interest with which the memorial of the greatest event of our time would be viewed. It is right to make the appeal circulative, and to take advantage of everything available of natural beauty and historic interest to make the War Memorial a thing of real and lasting interest to the people of Glass. I am of opinion that of all the sites suggested, Wallakirk is the most valuable and suitable for the War Memorial.
The majority of the Committee, however, preferred site No. 5 of which the following report was made:- “The Haugh site – The high bank at the roadside, facing south would provide a site, better, in my opinion than No. 1 (Boghead Brae). This site would also need to be enclosed. The surroundings are very interesting and picturesque. This is the best of the roadside sites suggested.
It was remitted to Mr Cameron to communicate the Committee’s decision to Dr Kelly, and to request that he should submit to them a design of a monument with enclosure to be erected on the Haugh site at a cost of £350 inclusive. The Committee was afterwards hospitably entertained by Mr and Mrs Cameron.