Citizens rally together for war effort

THEY were the ones who were left behind.

• Queuing up for recruitment

Frightened, lonely and anxious about what the future would bring, they did not know whether their husbands, sons or brothers would ever return - or if life could ever be the same again. But they refused to sit still.

As thousands of soldiers waved an emotional farewell to Edinburgh, setting off into the unknown to fight for their country on the bloody battlefields of the First World War, those left at home threw themselves into the war effort.

They showed bravery and ingenuity, they did everything they could to support the troops, and they rallied together to minimise the impact of the war on the Capital.

For the first time, many of their breathtaking stories have been told, owing to an ambitious project led by historians at Edinburgh University, determined to tell the tale of "Edinburgh's War".

The online archive, launched this month, tells the courageous stories of those ordinary people who helped win the war, from the domestic science teachers at James Gillespie's High School who taught soldiers how to cook, to the pupils at Fettes College who tirelessly fundraised to buy an ambulance for the Red Cross.

Edinburgh's War tells the stories of those Canadian soldiers so moved by the generosity they were shown by the people of Edinburgh while serving some of their duty here, that they later sent money to build homes for veterans so they had somewhere suitable to live when they returned home, many physically or mentally scared by the atrocities they had witnessed on the battlefields.

"I have been an historian for many years," explains Yvonne McEwan, honorary fellow at the university's Centre for the Study of the Two World Wars, "and I was staggered by the stories we discovered.

"At times, I was deeply moved."

Perhaps none so much as by the tale of the 24 Serbian orphans who arrived in Edinburgh in 1916 with no English, no family, no money and no hope for the future.

Taken in by the British and the French following the invasion of their country in 1914/15, they were brought to Britain as part of a group of 300 refugees. They were offered a free education at one of the city's most prestigious schools, George Heriot's, where they boarded and made the building their only home.

"These boys had absolutely nothing when they came to Edinburgh," explains Yvonne. "Many of them went on to pass the entry exam for Edinburgh University where they trained to become engineers. Others became lawyers or doctors and were able to go back to Serbia and eventually help develop the country.

"When the boys left Heriot's they asked if they could erect a brass tablet in the school dining hall.

"It remains there today with an inscription thanking the school for the "everlasting gratitude" on behalf of the Serbian refugees who were "freely and generously admitted to all the education privileges of this ancient and honourable foundation".

"It's very moving."

It was last summer when Yvonne approached management at Edinburgh University to see if her dreams for this research project could be funded.

To her astonishment the finances were approved and owing to its success, there are now plans to roll it out across the whole of Scotland to allow a true picture of what every town and city did to help win the war.

In their masses, hundreds of locals flooded Yvonne's research team with stories, photographs and memorabilia from their family histories, allowing never-before-told tales to finally be brought to light.

"I have been staggered by the support we have been given for this project," Leith-born Yvonne explains. "I liken the response we received to that given during the war.

"People approached us asking ‘What can we do to help?'. Businesses flung open their archives. It has been nothing but great."

Among those stories unearthed is that of a Slateford-based rehabilitation scheme for veterans - one of the first of its kind in Britain.

"In 1917, an old laundry was turned into a workshop where veterans learned how to make tweed," says Yvonne.

"Jenners was the main outlet for the material which was sold to Burberry and turned into clothes.

"There seemed to be a very common-sense approach to soldiers in Edinburgh.

"Those who were disabled, or were psychologically affected by the war, needed to be brought back into society and a project like this gave them a job and a wage for their family."

So determined to do their bit for the war effort, Edinburgh's Girl Guides threw themselves into the cause, marked by a letter in the Scotsman on August 13, 1914 by the movement's leaders, declaring they would help in every way.

"And it is exactly what they did," says Yvonne. "They raised money, collected sage and moss for the war wounded, ran cake stalls and grew vegetables."

And it is thought that Edinburgh's Girl Guides may have played an ever greater role - by helping carry security messages for MI5.

"The Government believed that Girl Guides were a pretty trustworthy bunch," Yvonne explains. "So, during the war MI5 thought they were ideal for carrying messages between various institutions. Sometimes they were even given verbal messages.

"Apparently the Scouts were used at first, but were later considered a little too boisterous and talkative.

"We know this happened in London and although we do not have any examples of this in Edinburgh, there is every chance it would have happened here too.

"There may be people out there who have heard family stories of this and we would love to hear from them."

Yvonne is also conducting ongoing research with Canadian tribal elders whose ancestors served in the country's Expeditionary Force during the war, and who led by Chief Clear Sky requested part of the duty took place in Scotland.

As a thank you gesture for the generosity they were shown here, they granted money for the construction of veterans' homes, the first of which were built in Longniddry.

"So much of their history is oral and for some of them, this was the first they had heard of what their grandfathers had done," says Yvonne.

Anyone wishing to contribute to Edinburgh's War should visit www.edinburghs-war.ed.ac.uk or call the research team on 0131-651 1254.

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