New book remembers the Scottish civil servants who gave their lives in WW1

CIVIL Servants in Scotland who gave their lives during the First World War are to be remembered in a new book dedicated to their sacrifice.

‘The Scottish Office: Those Who Fell In The Great War’ has been compiled by Scottish Government employee Neil MacLennan.

It tells the stories of 79 men listed on four memorials in the Scottish Government’s headquarters at St Andrew’s House, Edinburgh.

“Of all the thousands of people listed in the registers who have worked for the Scottish Government down the years, most of those employed in the early days are long forgotten,” Mr MacLennan said.

“Yet here we are in 2012 still remembering the few who are immortalised on our memorials.”

He was joined at the book’s launch in St Andrew’s House by Veterans Minister Keith Brown and Colin Lindsay-MacDougall, the grandson of Francis Howard Lindsay who is one of the 79 remembered on the memorials.

Francis was an Examiner with the Scotch Education Department who became a Captain and Temporary Major in the 14th Battalion London Scottish. He was 40 years old when he was killed on the first day of the Somme in 1916.

Mr Brown said: “This book is a lasting reminder of all who fell in the First World War and those who have served with our Armed Forces or been involved in conflicts around the world, past and present.

“While it is not possible to know the exact circumstances in which these men died, this enduring tribute ensures they are not forgotten.”