IT used to be widely habitual, few churches do it now. But the trusty Canongate Kirk, a firm believer in the full monty, is sticking to its guns. The upcoming Remembrance Sunday will be observed in the traditional manner at 10.45.
"We'll have a piper and a bugler, something that has become increasingly rare in Scotland," says its minister, Neil Gardiner. "We happen to find this ceremonial, if you can call it that, highly effective. It's emotive and particularly appropriate in
this kirk, considering its lengthy association with the military.
"In fact this has long been regarded as 'the military church in Edinburgh', being so strongly linked with the Royal Scots, the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, the Scots Guards and now the Royal Regiment of Scotland.
"They all recognise this kirk as their place of worship when they are 'back home', so to speak and it's not exclusively Army. There are growing ties with the 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron who can boast a glorious history highlighting the Battle of Britain and the Luftwaffe raid on the Forth at the start of the Second World War."
We were coffee-ing in the Rev Gardiner's orderly study in the adjacent manse. I was so taken with the leafy view on to the back garden I spilled the milk.
Rather clumsy and so unlike Neil's past. He is a military man himself and uniform with it. He served all of eight years in Army as a chaplain. Currently he is chaplain and parish minister to the Governor of the Castle and to the Scots Guards and the Black Watch.
Life was cheap Aye, time to remember the 11th of November and Haig, the grand old First World War soldier. That's him on the horse as you walk up the esplanade to the Castle. Arguably the pick of Edinburgh's monuments and a permanent reminder that the Field Marshal, a local man, indirectly "blew the whistle" on our troops and sent thousands of them over the top to their death. Life was unspeakably cheap then.
Afterwords . . . . . "The electorate won't forget that Brown was joined at the hip to the Blair regime, and must therefore be held accountable for its sins, its corruption and its cronyism." Margaret Cook with a crisp comment on the Prime Minister.
The full article contains 392 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
