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A friend of ours needed to return home to Oban, so I offered to take her. On the way back I called at The Wallace Monument. The monument is dedicated to William Wallace. Who started the fight for independance against the hated English in 1291, that Robert the Bruce was to finish in 1328 when Edward III signed The Treaty of Edinburgh - Northampton
William Wallace was born around 1270, possibly the son of a minor noble. It is thought he was born in Elderslie in Renfrewshire.
King Edward the 1st of England had taken over control of Scotland in 1296, the occupation had begun.
Between the years 1291 - 1297 Wallace used hit and run geurrilla tatics, very successfully against the English. By 1297 Wallace had a small army of followers, and in this year he joined forces with Andrew Moray. Moray was a military and politaical leader, he was also of noble birth. On 11 September 1297, although vastly outnumber Wallace and Moray's army defeated the English at The Battle of Stirling Bridge.
Unfortunately less than a year later, Wallace was in turn defeated at Falkirk. He evaded capture until 15 August 1305 when he was betrayed by John de Menteith, a Scottish knight loyal to Edward. Wallace was taken to London and tried for treason, in a sham trial. He was found guilty and sentenced to death. He was dragged naked behind a horse through the streets of London,to Smithfield Market. Where he was hung until almost dead, he was castrated and disembowled. His entrails were then thrown onto a fire before his eyes. Finally he was beheaded, and his body was cut into four pieces. His head being placed on a spike on London Bridge, and the four parts of his body were displayed seperately in Newcastle, Berwick, Stirling and Aberdeen.
The memorial plaque on the right, is mounted on the wall of St Bartholomews hospital. Near the site of Wallaces execution.
BRAVEHEART
The most famous account of the exploits of William Wallace, are in the 1995 film Braveheart. Which was directed by and starred Mel Gibson, it has been critisized for it's innumerable historical inacurracies. Perhaps the most striking being the battle of Stirling Bridge, that in the film does not feature a bridge.
March 2005
The weather was a bit grey when we went up to Strathconon in March. This is Jan at the Comando memorial at Spean Bridge, and the view is of the surrounding hills. Below are a couple of shots of Glen Coe.
August 2005
We went cruising in the Mediterranean in June for two weeks, but still managed a week in Strathconon. Here are some of the photo's we took this year.
Fort George is about 12 miles east of Inverness, and sits on the Moray Firth near the village of Ardersier. It is an imposing place, a working army base & historic monument that is open to visitors. It covers 42 acres and the ramparts are a mile in length. It was built in 1746 after the Jacobite rebellion of 1745 had been defeated at nearby Culloden moor. It has always been an infantry barracks, my grandfather & great uncle were in the Seaforth Highlanders. They were at Fort George for training before being posted to Mesopotamia (Iraq) during the first world war. I had a friend (now deceased) Harry Kinder, who did his training at Fort George with the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders before being posted to Korea. It is well worth a visit Dolphins can sometimes be seen in the Moray Firth from the ramparts.
Right: Jennifer & Lucy on one of the Howitzers
Left: The Point Battery looks out over the Moray Firth
Book of remembrance in the chapel. On the page is Pte Harold Hilton, my grandfather survived WW1 but his brother (my great uncle) was killed in action.
The Ramprts
The Chapel
November 2005 Kippford
Had a weekend away in November, we decided to go somewhere no more than 3 hours drive away. After some deliberation we settled on a place called Kippford. It is just over the border in Dumfries & Galloway, nothing much there but we did get in some walking on the Saturday morning although it was pouring with rain.
Above: A couple of views along the shoreline.
Left: Jan looking suitably soaked
Right: We walked through the tiny village of Rockliff
It was the weekend of November the fifth (bonfire night), the bonfire was right outside our guest house on the shoreline.
There is an artist in the village, who makes sculptures from pebbles and bits of drift wood. The garden had dozens of these sculptures outside. If you look closely at the picture on the left the pebble below the face has painted on it "look into my eyes".
