Lest we forget on the centenary of the outbreak of what I still refer to as "The Great War".
An extract from "Scotland's War Losses" by Duncan Duff.
“It may well be that the total Scottish loss in the war does not fall far short of that of the United States of America, which was 126,000 out of a population of106,000,000. It is rather startling to find out that the losses of the United States of all services, Army, Navy and Air were at the rate of nearly 1200 per million population, while Scotland’s loss in infantry alone worked out at about 18,000 per million. The losses of Scottish Infantry Regiments alone exceeded the whole Canadian losses (Navy, Army and Air Force) by nearly 23,000. They were considerably higher than the total Indian losses, and though New Zealand is generally credited with having made the greatest sacrifices of all the units of the British Empire yet its rate for all services is much less than that of Scottish infantry, whose losses were more than double Belgium’s total of all arms. All these were countries whose right it was to choose between war and neutrality. All of them had their say in the settlement of peace terms. Scotland paid a higher toll of sacrifice than any of them. She had not, nor has yet, any voice in the decision between war and peace.”
“It may well be that the total Scottish loss in the war does not fall far short of that of the United States of America, which was 126,000 out of a population of106,000,000. It is rather startling to find out that the losses of the United States of all services, Army, Navy and Air were at the rate of nearly 1200 per million population, while Scotland’s loss in infantry alone worked out at about 18,000 per million. The losses of Scottish Infantry Regiments alone exceeded the whole Canadian losses (Navy, Army and Air Force) by nearly 23,000. They were considerably higher than the total Indian losses, and though New Zealand is generally credited with having made the greatest sacrifices of all the units of the British Empire yet its rate for all services is much less than that of Scottish infantry, whose losses were more than double Belgium’s total of all arms. All these were countries whose right it was to choose between war and neutrality. All of them had their say in the settlement of peace terms. Scotland paid a higher toll of sacrifice than any of them. She had not, nor has yet, any voice in the decision between war and peace.”
The full text of Duncan Duff's book can be found here.
Let us also remember John Maclean, Red Clydesider, Scottish Republican, first Soviet Consul in Scotland and a campaigner against the war.
His celebrated speech from the dock during his trial for "Offences against the Realm" can be found here.
Some readers will be familiar with the famous denunciation by Maclean;
"I am not here, then, as the accused; I am here as the accuser of capitalism dripping with blood from head to foot."
Too many people want us to forget Duncan Duff and John Maclean.
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