Proud Colinton Primary School pupils salute their parents who serve the country with a special military art exhibition in capital

WHEN young Lennox Baselala opens his father's wardrobe he is greeted by rows of polished boots, tunics with gleaming buttons and the flat black hackle - a feather plume - fitted to a soldier's Tam o'Shanter.

It's a familiar sight but, unfortunately for the 11-year-old, not a constant one.

As a detachment commander, Sergeant Major Ray Baselala of The Royal Scots Borderers has to leave his family for months at a time to serve in some of the world's most dangerous war hotspots, in particular Afghanistan's Helmand province.

The postings leave Lennox longing for his father's return, the days filled with worry about whether his dad has made it through the day or become the victim of a Taliban bullet or bomb.

Thankfully, though, he doesn't have to deal with his fears alone. He, along with 90 per cent of the pupils at Colinton Primary, are the sons and daughters of servicemen and women from The Royal Scots Borderers, known as 1 SCOTS, and 3 Rifles, living in barracks at Dreghorn and Redford.

To help them cope with their feelings, the school has encouraged them to put their emotions on paper - the result of which is a dazzling array of paintings and installations to be displayed to thousands of visitors this weekend at the City Art Centre as part of Armed Forces Day.

For Lennox, who is in primary seven, the row of card tunics and boots produced by the pupils is a stark reminder of his father's wardrobe, whether empty or full.

On the back of each tunic are written the words which the children believe their parents feel when they wear their uniform. Words such as "proud", "nervous" and "scared".

"Seeing them in their uniforms makes me feel proud, I think they feel proud as well," says Lennox. "It reminds you what they do for the country."

But it is a painting portraying a dozen pipers marching in full dress that stirs up the emotions of the 140 Colinton pupils, who are frighteningly aware of the wider world and its perils in a way most other children are not.

"The pipes remind me of when all the dads come back home. Everyone's waiting in the gym for them to come back and then later the pipers parade through the barracks," says Lennox.

"But it also reminds me of my dad carrying a coffin of one of the men when they returned home. It's not a happy time for everyone."

Vani Bulls, whose father, Bainivalu, is a retired 1 SCOTS corporal, adds: "It's sometimes very sad because not everyone's dad comes home. But we should be proud of them, what they do.

"I guess Armed Forces Day is a kind of reward for the families this has happened to, where we can honour what they have given for the country."

While the image of the pipers is a poignant one for all of the children, it strikes a particular chord with 11-year-old Alan Rowan, whose father, Pipe Major Gordon Rowan, teaches at the Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming at Redford Barracks.

"To me, the picture reminds me of dad practising full blast in the kitchen every day," smiles the primary six pupil. "He taught my brother, so when he's away we still have him playing all the time. It's such a part of the army, it reminds us all of different things."

Other aspects of the collection include bunting influenced by the recent royal wedding, medals cut out and pinned on the walls, and a long canvas of happy families waving the soldiers off.

For Ciaran Bain, ten, who set up a camouflage tent with classmates, all of the exhibits remind him of the army as a family.

"The best thing about the army is they look after you," says Ciaran, whose father, Sarjeant Billy Bain, served in Helmand with 3 Rifles, the hardest-hit battalion of any conflict since 1945, during their gruelling tour last year.

"They give you tickets to the football and things when your dad's away and when they come back as well, so we can all go," he adds.

The school has worked with artist Lindsey Hamilton over the last six weeks to have the exhibition ready for Armed Forces Day. "The kids at Colinton are very articulate and are very expressive," she says. "A lot of them move around the country and abroad so they are used to meeting new people and they are used to speaking to other army kids, and that's really helped them to express themselves for this exhibition.

"It was very interesting to see what they came up with. For the uniforms, they wrote on the back words such as proud, homesick, nervous, scared, angry, when asked what they think their mums and dads feel when they wear that uniform."

Principal teacher David Morrison, who has recently arrived at Colinton from Broughton Primary, said army life brings a very different dynamic to the school.

"There is an entirely different feel and way of working to the school life and we work very closely with the liaison officers at the barracks. During troop deployment or training missions almost all of the pupils will have a mum or dad leaving home for a time.

"As a result, the children are in very similar circumstances and they work well together, just as they have here."

n The We Salute You exhibition runs from June 25-26 at the City Art Centre, Market Street. It is situated on the fifth floor and is free and open to the public.

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