War Memorials
The War Memorials on the back wall of the Sanctuary come from the four churches which eventually, through various unifications, became Bennochy Church.
These unions were, in summary:
- Bennochy Church: formed in 2010 as a union between St Andrew’s and St John’s Churches.
- St Andrew’s Church: formed in 1972 as a union between Dunnikier Church and Victoria Road
Church.
- Dunnikier Church: had five years earlier been involved in a merger with Abbotsrood Church.
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Bennochy Church War Memorials |
The memorials from left to right of the above photo are as follows:
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St John’s Church WW2 Memorial |
St John’s Church - plaque commemorating the erection of a transept in the original church building in memory of those who fell in the Second World War.
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Victoria Road Church WW1 and WW2 Memorials |
Victoria Road Church. The upper memorial relates to the First World War (“The Great War”) and the lower memorial relates to the Second World War. This building housed the St Andrew’s congregation from 1972 until 2010.
All those who died were a personal, family tragedy, each with a story:
- Four died in 1942 including one on Christmas Eve.
- Two died within a day of each other in February 1943 and both are buried in Hayfield Cemetery Kirkcaldy.
- Three are buried in North Africa.
- Seven served in the Army. One in the Navy died when his ship was torpedoed and one in the Air Force when his Lancaster bomber was shot down.
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St John’s Church WW1 Memorial |
St John’s Church memorial which relates to the First World War. This memorial was originally made in marble, but this was destroyed along with the sanctuary in the fire in 1975. This new brass memorial was commissioned by the Kirk Session and Board of Bennochy Church. The marble memorial can be seen in the Order of Service from 1920.
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Dunnikier Church WW1 Memorial |
Dunnikier Church – First World War (”European War”) memorial. The Dunnikier Church building, on the corner of Dunnikier Road and Victoria Road, was sold to the Catholic Church and is now St Marie’s Roman Catholic Church.
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Abbotshall United Free Church WW1 Memorial |
Abbotshall United Free Church, which became Abbotsrood Church of Scotland in 1929. This memorial relates to the First World War, when this church was located at 32 High Street, having been there since 1875. The congregation moved to Hayfield Road in 1949 and then merged with Dunnikier Church in 1967, bringing this memorial with them. The High Street building was later converted for commercial use, and much of the fabric is still visible above the shops today (see picture below).
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Abbotsrood Church on the High Street |
Order of service for the dedication of the St John's WW1 war memorial in August 1920
Covering letter from Mr RJ MacMillan, in connection with a printed order of service for the dedication of the St John’s war memorial, August 22nd, 1920.
Dear Rev McAlpine
I recently re-discovered the enclosed Order of Service among items of a similar nature, mainly Methodist, and realised the centenary of the Unveiling of your War Memorial was in the not too distant future. lt is possible you already have a copy of this Order of Service, but two is better than none!
I am a member of The Methodist Church in Kirkcaldy, and also a member of the Methodist Philatelic Society, hence my interest in items of Church history, people, buildings and anniversaries. This O of S may have been given to me as I have been the recipient of many items of ephemera over the years from numerous friends, and I feel this one belongs with you.
Looking at Sir Robert on the web was an interesting insight into a name on an Order of Service, and also to find some information on Cpt Elder of the SS Baron Wemyss.
I spent my working life in the print industry and was pleased to see the printers Allen Litho's logo on the reverse.
l hope you will be able to find a home for it.
Regards
R MacMillan
24 June 2020
The order of service is shown below. Click on the pictures to view a larger version.
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Order of service for the dedication of the St John's WW1 war memorial in August 1920 |
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Order of service for the dedication of the St John's WW1 war memorial in August 1920 |
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Replica of the Marble Memorial |
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