Friday November 3rd 2023
Photograph from 1918 as soldier prepare for a raid.
From Saturday 4th to Wednesday 8th November 2023, The Royal Scots Museum, Edinburgh Castle, are bringing Remembrance 23, a free interactive exhibition, to Dalkeith Palace. This temporary exhibition has been specially designed to promote the strong connections between The Royal Scots (373 unbroken years of service – 1633 to 2006), the local regiment for Midlothian, and Dalkeith Palace, as well as the continuing relevance of Remembrance today.
The exhibition curators are especially keen to engage with the wide-ranging community of Midlothian by including fascinating military stories from soldiers from Edinburgh, the Lothians and Peebleshire, the heart of the old regimental recruiting area, that will appeal to visitors of all ages.
Two of these stories, that have already created local interest, are from Lance Corporal Peter Burnett and Private Andrew Cornwall, 2 Battalion, The Royal Scots. Their story focuses on the tragic sinking of the Japanese troop ship Lisbon Maru, sunk in the South China Sea on 01 October 1942. Of the 1816 Prisoners of War aboard 828 perished, 183 of whom were Royal Scots.
After a recent appeal to the Midlothian community for information about Lance Corporal Peter Burnett and Private Andrew Cornwall, a living relative has been found and will attend the exhibition.
Brigadier George Lowder (Retd), Chair of The Royal Scots Trustees said:
“This exhibition is a wonderful opportunity to underline the significant role the community of Midlothian played in the history of The Royal Scots, down the years. It gives us a chance to display interesting objects and stories which are not on show in our Museum in Edinburgh Castle. Dalkeith Palace, which has its own story and connections to tell with our Regiment is an excellent setting for this temporary exhibition.”
The exhibition also includes living history films featuring former Royal Scots talking about their time in the regiment. In one video, Rob Wainwright, one-time Medical Officer to the 1st Battalion, a former Captain of the Scottish rugby team, and capped for the British Lions, gives his take on serving in the armed forces and the impact of warfare on those who serve. Videos will be available on HERE on YouTube.
Remembrance 23 will provide an opportunity to:
– Visit Dalkeith Palace
– Explore the connections between Midlothian people, The Royal Scots and Dalkeith Palace.
– Learn about the history of the local Regiment and remember why We Should Never Forget.
– Watch Living History films.
– View displays and objects.
– Research local veterans and medals.
– Explore the history of The Royals Scots during the Boer War and the two World Wars.
– Understand the continuing relevance of Remembrance.
There will also be a Research Hub at the exhibition where there will be experts from the National Records of Scotland, Lothian Family History Society (LHS), Royal Scots Researchers and a Medal Expert. If you are searching your Family’s Military History and have hit a brick wall then they will be happy to help.
If you have any medals you want to know more about then bring them along and the medal expert may be of help. You can also discover your family military records held by the National Records of Scotland.
The proud heritage and privilege of being Right of the Line has been taken forward by successors to The Royal Scots: The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
Remembrance 23 tickets are free but need to be booked online HERE.
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