My first traditional cache is a Lest We Forget cache, part of a series near war memorials. This particular memorial commemorates the members of the 3rd Leith Boys Brigade who were killed in World War One and World War Two. The memorial is a lampost which was first erected and dedicated in 1925, with the second plaque for World War Two added in 1954. Restoration of the memorial has been co-ordinated by the church to be complete in time for the centenary of the First World War.
The church is also organising a booklet about the boys and men commemorated on the memorial as the church still has the original company register. According to the church website (linked above), "John Auld and Douglas Burke are just two of the many soldiers from the 7th battalion of The Royal Scots who died in the Gretna Green (Quintinshill) Rail disaster in May 1915 and are commemorated on the memorial at Rosebank. Alexander Badenoch Nicol had emigrated to America in September 1923 and married Edith Deardon. They had a daughter Marion around 1930. In June 1939 the family travelled to the UK and left again on the SS Athenia in September 1939. This ship was the first British ship to be sunk by the Germans in WW2 and sadly all three drowned."
If you would like to visit the Quintishill memorial, there is a Lest We Forget cache (GC17WFQ) - co-ordinates are here.
The memorial bears the name Claremont Church which used to be the name of Leith St Andrews Church. I haven't been able to find out why the name was changed, but if I do discover this in future, I will update this page. If you know anything about the history of this name change, please do message me and I will add the information.
Useful and Important Information
- The cache itself is accessible from the street, and does not require you to enter the church grounds.
- The church were a little concerned about damage to the gardens, so please take care in order to keep this cache active.
- I think the cache should be reachable by wheelchair users (although I have not been able to test this personally).
- It's not advisable to park directly next to ground zero because of the junction - you will cause a traffic jam! It is free and unrestricted parking on the streets nearby or in the Tesco carpark.
- Buses no 1, 12, 21, 25, 34, 35 and 49 all stop within a short walk of this cache.
This cache has been placed with the kind permission of Leith St Andrews Kirk Session. For more information about the church, or to contact them, see the additional links above.