One hundred years on from the Battle of Loos, various events are taking place in Dundee to commemorate the city’s role in the ultimate sacrifice.
The main events run from Friday to Sunday and are being held to remember the 30,000 Scots who served and the 7,000 who lost their lives in the battle.FRIDAY6.30am: Beacon lighting at Dundee war memorial on the Law
The annual lighting of the beacon at Dundee’s war memorial will mark the 100th anniversary of the start of the battle and will be hosted by veterans of The Black Watch.
Due to space restrictions, it is a closed service but will be filmed and shown at Saturday’s major commemorative service.
4.30pm: Book launch at West Park
The launch of The Wreck of the Argyll by John Fulton, winner of the Great War Dundee Children’s Book Prize, takes place at the West Park Conference Centre in Dundee.
6.45pm: Schools exhibition at Marryat Hall
Pupils from Morgan Academy and St John’s RC High School have created their own exhibition panels about World War One and its impact on Dundee and will act as guides/facilitators to introduce the subject to the local community. Alongside this exhibition will be the Loos Visualisation project produced by the University of Abertay. There will be a further opportunity to view both exhibitions at the close of the ‘Remembering Loos’ event.
7pm: Remembering Loos, at the Caird Hall
Through the words and stories of those serving or left at home, TV presenter Lorraine Kelly, Scottish tenor and BBC Radio Scotland classical music presenter Jamie MacDougall, actor Daniel Portman (Podrick Payne in ‘Game of Thrones’) and Scottish author James Robertson will bring to life a flavour of the times.
The commemorative event will also feature poetry, readings, songs and orchestral music.
The Royal Scottish National Orchestra will play alongside the Dundee Symphony Orchestra. Singers including Dundee’s Sheena Wellington and vocalist Robyn Stapleton will also perform.
Tickets priced £5 are available from Dundee Box Office (www.dundeebox.co.uk)SATURDAY11.30am: Commemorative parade and service at City Square
Around 300 veterans and 250 serving soldiers will parade through the city centre towards Dundee’s City Square which will be transformed into a ‘Cathedral’.
Special guests include the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
The major commemorative service will start at noon and will be conducted by four ministers from Dundee representing the Scottish Episcopal, Roman Catholic Church of Scotland, Church of Scotland and the Armed Forces.
Actress Lesley Mackie and Lieutenant General Sir Alistair Irwin will perform readings in front of the anticipated 1,000-strong congregation.
Members of the public are invited to line the parade route and watch the service on a big screen on the High Street.
A limited number of tickets for the City Square gathering will be made available to the public.
3pm: Dundee FC v Ross County, at Dens Park
Dundee FC will commemorate the battle by playing in special Black Watch-themed strips. Thousands of free tickets have been distributed to veterans and the serving armed forces.
7pm: ‘The Guns of Loos’ screening, at Dundee Contemporary Arts
DCA, in partnership with Great War Dundee, has commissioned a new score by acclaimed silent film musician Stephen Horne for the 1927 war film The Guns of Loos.
The arts centre will screen the film with live musical accompaniment.SUNDAY11am: Church service
A Black Watch commemoration service will be held at Dundee Parish Church (St Mary’s).See more at www.ww100scotland.com