Colours are re-dedicated

Jul 6 2009 by Joanne Butcher, The Journal

SOLDIERS past and present gathered in Northumberland yesterday to pay tribute to heroes of the First World War. Serving personnel yesterday joined veteran colleagues to remember the Second Tyneside Scottish Battalion, who went into battle in one of the bloodiest conflicts in British military history.

A ceremony and military parade was held at St Cuthbert’s church in Bedlington to mark the re-dedication of the First World War unit’s colours, which have been displayed in the church for 90 years.

The Second Tyneside Scottish Battalion was one of four Scottish brigades raised up in the North East 1915. Many of the young men were from Bedlington and the surrounding area.

But on July 1, 1916, the unit suffered horrific losses at La Boisselle. The battle, which saw a total of nearly 60,000 soldiers killed or injured, marked the beginning of the Battle of the Somme and was the worst single day loss in the history of the British Army.

The Tyneside Scottish Battalions were among the worst hit, with 2,400 casualties between them – among the worst losses of any unit.

In 1919, after the conflict came to an end, the colours of the battalion was “laid up” in St Cuthbert’s in memory of the soldiers killed in action. It has been displayed ever since.

But ravages of time meant the fabric of the colours was starting to disintegrate, and needed to be painstakingly conserved. At yesterday’s ceremony, the restored colours was returned to its home in the church and re-dedicated to the North East soldiers, once again formally recognising their service to the region and the country.