New book will tell story of Scots soldiers in First World War London

The Princess Royal has endorsed a new book about the 'extraordinary' contribution of Scots in London during the First World War.

The Princess Royal is patron of Scots in Great War London. Picture: Lisa Ferguson

She is the new patron of the Scots in Great War London group which is publishing the work in June to mark the centenary of the end of the conflict.

The group is made up of ten organisations, including the Church of Scotland.

A chapter of the book is dedicated to St Columba’s Church in Knightsbridge which provided hospitality to 50,000 Scottish troops between 1915 and 1919. Volunteers would wait at Victoria Station for trains and direct Scottish troops towards the church on Pont Street.

They were fed, given time to rest and sometimes put up for the night before going back to the stations to continue on their way.

Rev Angus MacLeod, the minister at St Columba’s Church, whose family are from Skye, said: “The story of the church’s hospitality to visiting Scottish troops is remarkable and moving.

“It highlights themes that linked people one hundred years ago – hospitality, friendship, the meeting of need and giving of comfort, the offering of prayer.

“It inspires those same things today.”

The book recounts stories of members killed in action, including those from Crown Court Church of Scotland in Covent Garden.