The Scottish American History Club Newsletter
July 2010
The National War Memorial
At
the November History Club meeting Gregg Charles Gammie,
gave me a book that belonged to his grandfather, George
Gammie. I read the book as part of my Veterans Day
remembrance on November 11, 2009.
The book is titled
Their Name Liveth, The Book of the Scottish National War
Memorial
by John Hay and was first published in 1931. Since most
visitors to Edinburgh find their way to the Castle Rock
this location was chosen for the National War Memorial.
It was chosen after months of thought and planning,
looking for the “site of all sites.” Once the site was
chosen, attention turned to the type of building. Many
objected to a modern building, afraid it would change
the character of the Rock. The Scots did not want their
Edinburgh skyline changed.
Fortunately,
a building already existed on the summit of the Rock. It
was part of the Palace Yard on the very edge of the
cliff which drops almost “sheer down” to the Grassmarket
on the south side. Another part of the building contains
the ancient Banqueting Hall, which was in existence in
1440. Along the west side was a building that is now the
Military Museum and on the east side stands the Palace
Block where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to King
James.
In the center of this area is the stone-vaulted Crown
Chamber where the royal jewels, know as the Honors of
Scotland, are often displayed. In 1916, a German
zeppelin dropped a bomb on the Rock, but the Jewels had
been safely removed. On this spot, with so many
traditions and memories, it was decided to build the
Memorial. The actual building was once a barrack for
troops and was often known as the Billings’ Building.
From a lack of use the building had fallen into
disrepair. And so the Memorial went up, “built by
Scottish brains, Scottish hands, and Scottish money.”
The idea was first suggested in 1917 and the opening
ceremony was held July 14, 1927. There is some evidence
that our Saint Andrew
Society sent a gift, but the record is somewhat
hazy and the amount is not given.
In the book there was much written about the opening
day, but we don’t have room in our Newsletter to write
the full story. Thousands came and overflowed the
Esplanade, down the Royal Mile, past St. Giles, the
Parliament House, along High Street and the Canongate,
as far as Holyrood palace. It was “a public festival
with a Sabbath atmosphere” as they awaited the arrival
of their King and Queen.
The Prince of Wales was to perform the Opening Ceremony,
but first there were prayers and the singing of the One
Hundred and Twenty-First Psalm. The Prince now
approached the strong oak doors, inserted a golden key
in the lock and the doors opened. It was all recorded on
a “cunningly placed microphone to the ears of invisible
thousands all over the Empire.” The central arch
contains the words:
“To the Glory of God, and In Memory of Scots Who
Fell, 1914-1918”
Pictured: The front entrance
of the Scottish War Memorial.
More information
on the Scottish National War Memorial can be found at
their
website.
Memory Trees Stand in Eulogy “The Dead Are
Silent-The Trees Have Tongues”
The
date is November 12, 1921. The place is Niles, Illinois.
Two hundred women, all dressed in black, have come to
Niles on a very wet and cold winter day. They were Gold
Star mothers and had made the journey to honor their
sons killed in the Great War. There was a large bronze
tablet which carried the names of 240 sons. Each of the
mothers carried flowers and these were placed along the
bronze tablet.
Waukegan Road, running north from Niles was just being
constructed and along this route was to be planted 240
memorial trees. The holes were dug into the wet soil by
Boy Scout Troops 869 and 870. They worked until dark in
order to finish their work
Nearby in a hall, services were held. Captain G. M.
Caward, read slowly and distinctly the names of every
“boy whose name graced the first of the great Memory
Road tablets. The sobs of the mothers were almost too
much to bear.”
James
Keeley who first had the idea of the Memory Road planted
the first tree. Ranson Kennicott, Cook County’s
forester, delivered thousands of trees to the 25
planting places.
In the afternoon, another group of Gold Star mothers
assembled at the Edward Hines, Jr. Memorial Hospital in
Maywood, IL. It was a terrible winter day, the kind of
weather that many had fought in during their term of
service in France. The mothers and sisters stood there
till the last tree was standing upright. Col. Henry A.
Allen of the 105 engineers said that planted trees would
become companions to those wounded. “I fancy the spirit
of my comrades lives in these trees and I am going to
make frequent journeys to see them standing here.”
Along the state line, north of Zion, people from cities
in Illinois and Wisconsin gathered along the “new
Waukegan government road” and planted the first of
thousands of trees to follow. Ex-Gov. Charles S. Deneen
and Judge Fairchild of Milwaukee delivered addresses.
(Governor Deneen had spoken at the dedication of the
Burns Monument in Garfield Park.)
Daniel S. Wentworth, had obtained the trowel used by
Mrs. Warren G. Harding as she planted the first tree
along the Lincoln Memorial drive in Washington. It was
used in planting the first tree just north of Zion.
In Evanston, the American Legion planted trees to “blue
stars turned to gold.”
One tree was planted in honor of Miss Fannie Poole, a
Red Cross nurse who had died in service. In Lake Forest,
“a long and beautiful memory row” on Green Bay road
extended for two miles. In Winnetka, in addition to
their gold star trees, one was planted in honor of the
Unknown Soldier. Harold W. Snell was in charge of the
service.
The headline of the
Chicago Daily Tribune,
October 30, 1921, read “Wheaton Plants Elms for Its
Heroes.” People were planting memory trees along
Roosevelt Rd at the intersection of Naperville Road. The
entire village was involved including school and civic
organizations as 500 trees were planted along these two
streets. We once lived in Wheaton, so I know that
location well. In fact, I remember residents fighting to
save their trees along Naperville Road as it was being
widened. Each tree was adorned with a yellow ribbon.
They lost and the memorial trees are
now
gone.
A Great Parade down Michigan Avenue

The date is Monday, April 12, 1919,
and there is a great parade down Michigan Avenue,
Chicago, Illinois. The newspaper picture shows thousands
of people standing along the street. A company of
troops, marching in formation, is also shown and
American flags are flying everywhere. Why a giant parade
on May 12? Troops are marching in honor of the Gold Star
Mothers.
The day before had been Mother’s
Day. The churches were filled - “almost like Easter
Sunday. ”Pastors commented on the words spoken by Christ
on the cross concerning the care of His mother. Six
returning soldiers were welcomed at the Calvary
Presbyterian Church. The Rev. R. D. Kearns said “When
you find a mother who gives herself to poodle dogs,
cards, and society to the neglect of the church and the
home, there you will find a boy not right.” Dr.Kearns
continued, “The glory of motherhood is seen in her sons,
who have come under discipline and the home influence.”
The Rev. Will F. Shaw, pastor of the Sheffleld Avenue
Church of Christ, said, “The test of a nation’s morality
is the degree of its respect for mothers and the home.”
Gold Star mothers occupied the
reviewing stand as the “procession of floats, Marines,
crippled soldiers, men fresh from the front, members of
the Salvation Army, and the young women of the Y.W.C.A.
passed by led by bands and viewed by throngs which lined
the sidewalks.”
American
Gold Star Mothers
American Gold Star Mothers, Inc. is an organization of
mothers who have lost a son or daughter in the service
of our country. If you've lost your child and would like
the community of others in your situation, you are
invited to join their organization. No one knows how you
feel like another mother who has lost a child. Contact
them at
here.
GOLD STAR SHIP SAILS - MAY
8, 1930
In reading through old copies of the Chicago Daily
Tribune, I came across this story which was new to
me. The 70th
Congress approved an act called the “Pilgrimage Act”,
which appropriated funds to allow mothers and widows to
travel to European cemeteries where their sons and
husbands are buried.
The total number of women approved to make the
trip came to 18,256 and of this number 6,674 actually
made the pilgrimages. I do not know who made the trip
from Chicago and Illinois. The average age was
sixty-seven. At the time the article was written, it was
believed that 30,800 soldiers were buried in military
cemeteries in Europe.

Most of the ships left from New York. In fact, there is
a picture of hundreds of Gold Star mothers and widows
standing on the steps of the city hall in New York
(above). They were the first to make the trip on the
liner
America.
Thirteen years earlier, the troop ship
S.S. Orduna
had left on the same day in 1917, when the first
contingent of American troops had sailed for France. Now
their mothers and widows land at Cherbourg, France and
have ten days to tour Paris and the various cemeteries.
Four days were allowed at the ceme-teries. They were
often met by General Pershing, and the entire trip would
cover 27 days.
Each person was issued a badge created by Bailey, Banks
and Biddle. It was in three parts with a top bar of
bronze, inside
was engraved the name of each mother or widow.
The ribbon was red, white and blue with a pendant
of irregular shape.
The steamship lines also issued a bronze medal
created by Tiffany and Company of New York.
On the back was the legend: “Gold Star Pilgrimage
to the Battlefields of The World War.”
The motto at each cemetery is “Time will not dim the
Glory of Their Deeds.”

*
One Gold Star mother's story of her
trip to Europe, as told by her great granddaughter, can
be found on the internet.
Part I
Part II
More
information can be found
here.
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