Perth & Kinross Remembers Project Update Two

9 APRIL 2020 

Hello everyone! Fiona here, the Project Officer for Perth & Kinross Remembers, and welcome to my second project update! I hope everyone is staying safe and keeping well during this difficult time. 

Due to COVID-19, there have been some changes to the way I am working and how some of the project activities are being delivered. In this blog, I will update you of these changes and give a brief overview of what I’ve been up to since my last post. 

I am currently writing this from my kitchen table, which is quite strange and is taking me a while to get used to! The biscuit jar is too accessible… 

Deposits

Having advertised the project in local community and church newsletters, I received several new deposits for the Perth & Kinross Remembers First World War Legacy Collection and would like to extend my thanks to everyone, especially the community of St Marks Church, Letham for their generous support and enthusiasm for the project. We now have 36 deposits in total and several more are on my radar – watch this space! 

Pictured below are two scanned photographs from a recent deposit (ACC20/35), showing the Duncan and Lamond families of Perth. Not much is known about the two young men pictured in their regimental uniforms yet, but my colleague, Stewart, in the Local & Family History Team, is busy researching their stories and will blog about their wartime experiences in May when he guest edits a special post on how to research your First World War ancestors. 

Photograph of Duncan family of Perth, c1914 (Acc 20/35), Perth & Kinross Archive.

Photograph of Lamond family of Perth, c1914 (Acc 20/35), Perth & Kinross Archive.

Cataloguing

With all of the project’s physical deposits safely stored in the Archive strong-room, I have turned my attention to sorting and cataloguing our digital deposits. This includes photographs, word files, scans and PDF attachments containing a wonderful variety of interesting material from our memorial groups and researchers. They will keep me busy for a while and I will keep you all updated on my progress over the next few months. 

As a little treat for myself, I will also be cataloguing Edith Maud Drummond-Hay’s war journal (ACC19/93).  

Edith Maud, from St Kessog’s, Glencarse, served as a nurse with the Red Cross Voluntary Aid Detachment during and after the First World War. She was based in Perth Military Hospital (now the AK Bell Library) from 1914 until 1917 when she travelled to France to carry out her nursing duties. Throughout her life, she kept a series of beautifully illustrated journals documenting her adventures in a light-hearted way and late last year we were delighted to receive a digital copy of her war-time journal from her great-nephew to add to our Legacy Collection. 

I will be creating a description for each page of Edith Maud’s journal, documenting her story and First World War experiences into our archive catalogue to make it accessible for researchers. Here is a little preview, showing the early days of preparing for the wounded soldiers in Perth. 

Sketch by Edith Maud-Drummond Hay showing VAD nurses preparing the County Buildings, Perth, for a temporary war hospital, 1914 (Acc 19/93). Perth & Kinross Archive.

Talks program and events

As a result of COVID-19, all Culture Perth & Kinross events have been postponed indefinitely; sadly, this includes our Perth & Kinross Remembers talks and events program. Instead, we will be delivering them in a series of blog posts, so keep an eye out for some fascinating reads on conscientious objectors and war resistance in Dundee, Belgian refugees in Scotland during the First World War and the story of the artists and the Memorial Shrine of St John’s Kirk and much more! 

We have also invited members of our FWW memorial groups to blog about their projects. Next week Nancy Johnston will share her research on the Stained Glass Memorial Windows of Perth & Kinross, which shines a light (get it?) on First World War memorial windows in churches across the region. 

Volunteering: 

Unfortunately, we have also had to postpone our volunteering program for the time being. I hope that this will be able to continue in the future and that we can provide our potential volunteers with some exiting cataloguing and research opportunities. I would like to thank those who have submitted applications for their understanding during this period. 

Over the past few weeks, I have been thinking about ways in which you can all actively participate in Perth & Kinross Remembers, and with your local history and heritage. Are there any war memorials or buildings in your area that have a connection to the First World War? I would love to see your photographs and hear your stories! You can get in touch with me at [email protected] or on Twitter at @CPKArchives. I look forward to hearing from you! 

Looking up in Perth 

And finally, a wee quiz! Below are some images from my walks around Perth city centre – can you guess the building or street this is on?