Moray military wives choir leads commemoration with a difference
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A LOCAL military wives' group has seen an enthusiastic response to its campaign to mark the anniversary of VE Day during lockdown.
As COVID-19 forced the cancellation of performances for the VE Day 75 weekend of May 8-10, Kinloss Military Wives Choir came up with "Remembrance Rocks" to help people celebrate 75 years since the guns fell silent at the end of the war in Europe.
Choir members urged people to decorate pebbles and display them on their doorsteps.
Some local schools joined up, co-ordinating pupils' home-school efforts and VE Day projects, while parents shared images of their children's indoor picnic celebrations complete with flags, homemade bunting, special cupcakes and window decorations.
Lorna Alexander, of the choir's events team, said: "It's been fantastic to see such community spirit, with many isolation picnics and afternoon tea parties taking place.
"So many people made the effort to decorate and hang flags, with many of our choir children getting busy painting and colouring in bunting as well as their rocks.
"We even had a lady from Sunderland who loved the idea and painted rocks in memory of her two great-uncles. Julie Qualie told us she had seen our story on social media and painted rocks to decorate her VE Day party table, and to remember. One of her great uncles, Joe Lambton, was a POW in Japan on VE Day 1945, while the other, Herbie Hedley, was on board HMS Talibont, which he helped steer to safety when it was under torpedo attack.
"Our largest painted rock came from a former choir member and her husband, who are now based over at RM Condor, Arbroath. Steve and Julie Lockwood spent a sunny lockdown afternoon creating their Remembrance masterpieces in the garden, with Steve adding the words of the Laurence Binyon poem 'For the Fallen' to his painted rock."
Painted rocks were also created by 73-year-old ex-serviceman and Moray Friends of Chernobyl Children volunteer Sandy Paton, from Duffus, who was district gunner at Edinburgh Castle between 1968-71.
Some of Sandy's painted rocks will form part of a memorial cairn at the Military Museum of Scotland, where he volunteers.
The choir marked the day with a Facebook slide-show of images of Kinloss military families and of its performances, interspersed with red poppies.
The choir members have now turned their attention to showing appreciation for those on the front line in the battle against coronavirus.
Lorna said: "We are now concentrating on painting rocks for our fantastic key workers.
"We hope that once the lockdown is over, we may be able to do a concert and thank them properly."
