Card of the Day: The Opening of the Scottish National War Memorial

King George V and Queen Mary mourned along with the rest of the Commonwealth after the Great War. Their desire was to honor those who had lost their lives to the war as well as create an atmosphere of strength and understanding for the people of Britain. As part of this, they and their children, supported the building of War Memorials across the land.


The twenty-ninth in the series of Silver Jubilee Cards produced by Wills’s Cigarette Company in 1935 shows the opening of the Scottish National War Memorial.

The reverse of the card reads:

THE OPENING OF THE SCOTTISH NATIONAL WAR MEMORIAL


Scotland’s War Memorial stands at the summit of the Castle Rock in Edinburgh, one of the most majestic and historic sites in the world. The noble Hall of Honour, in which are preserved the names of those who fell, was inaugurated by the Prince of Wales (who is Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Scots Fusiliers) on Jule 14th, 1927. The old colours of the Scottish Regiments were deposited each in a separate bay, and the Rolls of Honour were placed by the Prince in a steel Casket on an altar of marble. The King, the Queen and Princess Mary [only daughter of the King and Queen], then in residence at Holyrood, attended the ceremony.

The Scottish National War Memorial still stands proudly in Edinburgh and can be visited to this day.