Scottish troops remembered at Passchendaele centenary parade

Scottish soldiers who fought at the Battle of Passchendaele have been remembered as commemorations begin to mark 100 years since the conflict.

Soldiers from The Royal Regiment of Scotland Black Watch (3 SCOTS) march during a parade and service in Crieff, Perthshire, to mark the 100-year commemoration of the Battle of Passchendaele. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Sunday July 30, 2017. Photo credit should read: Jane Barlow/PA Wire

Thousands of people attended a parade and service in Crieff to commemorate the start of the First World War battle, which cost tens of thousands of British and Commonwealth lives.

Veterans and serving soldiers from The Royal Regiment of Scotland marched through the Perthshire town during the event, which begins the wider “Crieff Remembers” fortnight.

The British and Commonwealth attacks were fought near Ypres from July 31 to November 10 1917, in battlefields that turned to liquid mud and were summed up in poet Siegfried Sassoon’s line ‘’I died in hell, they called it Passchendaele’’.

Veterans and serving soldiersduring a parade to mark the 100-year commemoration of the Battle of Passchendaele. Picture: PA

There was a large Scottish presence in the battle with more than 50 battalions joined by expat comrades in Scottish battalions from Canada, England and South Africa.

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Crieff is particularly linked to Passchendaele because of the high number of Black Watch soldiers who took part a century ago.

A group of current Black Watch soldiers took part in the commemorations after returning from Ypres, which they had reached in a 600-mile cycle.

Veterans and serving soldiersduring a parade to mark the 100-year commemoration of the Battle of Passchendaele. Picture: PA

While the Scottish event was taking place, royalty, politicians and relatives were gathering in Ypres for a ceremony at the Menin Gate, which is etched with the names of thousands of missing soldiers.

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said: ‘’These services provide us with the time to reflect on the sacrifice not just of the thousands of British and Commonwealth troops who gave their lives, but of the men on all sides who did not return home.

“This was a battle which touched communities across Europe and it is a privilege to be here in Belgium to stand as friends with the representatives of all the countries who took part in the battle - friends who continue to be strong allies.”