Argylls heritage team needs Falkirk volunteers

The museum of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders is looking for history fanatics to help run the brand new £4.7million state of the art museum that’s set to open next year.

This was 'Outlander' 1953 ...with Argylls soldiers playing the part of Jacobites and Kings Own Scottish Borderers men acting as redcoats in the Disney film Rob Roy. We're not sure which side won.

Throughout this year and last the old museum in Stirling Castle has been dismantled in preparation for a landmark visitor attraction that’s reckoned to have the potential to be the finest military museum in the country - with the possible exception of the United Services Museum in Edinburgh Castle.

Countless thousands of Bairns served in the Argylls during its illustrious history, particularly in the Great War when the regiment was massively expanded to the equivalent of an army Corps.

The Thin Red Line Appeal, named from possibly the regiment’s most famous victory (Balaklava in the Crimean War), has helped repair and restore many exhibits and make possible a dramatic transformation of the former museum.

More than just a place to look at history the new attraction will be a resource which will fully “tell the story” of a regiment which routinely covered itself in glory - from the Korean War to the seizure of Aden under Lt Colonel Colin “Mad Mitch” Mitchell and its tough tours of duty during the troubles in Northern Ireland.

Powerful interactive displays will bring to life the stories of people whose family life sometimes revolved entirely around

their military service in the Argylls - often for several generations.

Now, as the museum refit gears up for its crucial preparation phase, volunteers are being recruited to help with a variety of exciting roles.

Volunteers can get involved with updating databases and transcribing archive material, or can act as guides to show visitors around halls of fame loaded with unique regimental memorabilia - and can also assist with school visits.

The museum staff will be in the Thistles Centre in Stirling on Monday, September 16 from 9.30am to 1pm as part of the Festival of Volunteering, and anyone interested in finding how they might be able to help is welcome to stop by for a chat.