Troon and The Great War by Gordon Hunter

Keen amateur historian Gordon Hunter has published what he describes as 'a weekly account of Troon during WW1, with everything from the weekly casualty lists, the huge amount of voluntary work, launches at the shipyard and rationing. I have also added some golf, bowling and football scores..'

Gordon includes items of interest such as adverts for films and concerts which he has found during his research in the Troon Herald, Troon & Prestwick Advertiser and Ayrshire Post. He has also researched Troon Burgh Minutes, Troon Dean of Guild Records, Valuation Rolls and Admiralty Records to produce his record of his home town during The Great War.

The book is available in Kindle for £7.99. If you go to either Kindle or Amazon and search for Gordon Hunter - Troon in The Great War you will find it should you be interested. You can have a free preview read !

WW1 Christmas Truce - 1914

The centenary of the start of World War 1 is in 2014 and there are sure to be many events held to mark the occasion.  Here's an original idea from Des Brogan who runs Mercat Tours in Edinburgh. 

Many people, when they think about the first Christmas period of the Great War,  are aware of the famous truce which occurred along the Western Front and was characterised by the football match in No Man’s Land. 

Mercat Tours propose to commemorate that truce on the anniversary of its occurrence i.e. on Christmas Eve 2014 by organising a visit to the area.They have the support already of the Belgian Tourist authorities, the Town Councils of Messines and Ypres, PoppyScotland, the Royal British Legion and the Scottish and British governments. While details are still being worked out, they would like to  gauge the level of interest in the project.

At the moment they are only looking for interest in principle and in May next year this will be converted to a commitment by payment of a deposit. The intention is to travel by coach to Belgium and travel either by overnight ferry from Hull to Zeebrugge or by Dover/Calais or Channel Tunnel.
Meals, Christmas dinner etc will be included and although it is a little too early to provide an exact price, the intention is to keep prices to the minimum so that whole families and young children can take part and find it affordable.



The provisional general itinerary would be as follows:
December 23 Leave Scotland and travel either overnight by Hull/Zeebrugge  ferry or overland to Dover and    thence to Calais.

December 24:
Assemble in Ypres and in the evening at Messines for torchlight procession to site of truce. Service in No Man’s Land.
Midnight Mass in St Martin’s Cathedral, Ypres.

December 25 :Christmas Lunch. Commemorative Football Match in which everyone can participate for a few minutes, followed by a professional game.
8pm. Wreath laying Ceremony at the Menin Gate

December 26: Carol singing from scratch in the Great Square, Ypres.
Evening Concert Party in the Cloth Hall, Ypres.

December 27: Return home either by Hull/Zee or Dover/Calais.


Aim
1. To provide a dignified and appropriate opportunity for communities to mark an important historical event
2. To bring together in peace the former belligerents of WW1
3. To celebrate the joys of the Christmas Season

If you are interested in this venture, you can get in touch with Des Brogan at

Mercat Tours International Limited
Mercat House
28 Blair Street
EDINBURGH
EH1 1QR
Scotland

Telephone

0131 225 5445
International +44 131 225 5445

Email

info@mercattoursinternational.com

The Road to World War One.

The tragic events of Summer 1914.  On this day (28 July) the Great War officially began.

1914
	June 28th	Francis Ferdinand assassinated at Sarajevo
	July 5th	Kaiser William II promised German support for Austria against Serbia
	July 28th	Austria declared war on Serbia
	August 1st	Germany declared war on Russia
	August 3rd	Germany declared war on France and invaded Belgium. Germany had to implement the Schlieffen Plan.
	August 4th	Britain declared war on Germany

First World War Centenary

2014 will mark 100 years since the outbreak of the First World War.
The website www.1914.org will highlight centenary events and resources from across the globe