On the centenary of the Great War, Mid-Scotland and Fife MSP Murdo Fraser has called on fellow MSPs to remember the ultimate sacrifice made by soldiers of the Black Watch during the First World War.
Nearly 9,000 Black Watch soldiers lost their lives during the conflict with a further 20,000 suffering injuries. Soldiers from the regiment were involved in a series of key offensives at both the Battle of the Somme and Ypres.
Commenting Murdo Fraser MSP said:
“Today, it is only right that we take some time to pause and think about the selfless sacrifice thousands of soldiers from the Black Watch and throughout the UK made during the Great War.
“Nearly 9000 men from Mid-Scotland and Fife left to fight and never returned, leaving an irreplaceable hole in the families and communities from which they left. This was a colossal sacrifice and should never be forgotten.
“I’m sure that my colleagues will join with me in remembering the role of the Black Watch in the battlefields of Europe and the Middle East and hope that we never experience a return to conflict on this scale.”