A special ceremony to mark the centenary of the unveiling of Paisley’s war memorial is set to take place this week.
The service will take place at 10am on Friday 21 June at Paisley Cenotaph.
The memorial, which features a bronze sculpture of a mounted crusader flanked by four infantrymen atop a 25ft stone plinth, has stood in Paisley town centre since it was unveiled in 1924.
A crowd of 20,000 attended the unveiling by Mrs Macnab, a widow who lost three sons in the Great War. Prayers were led by Reverand Maclean of Paisley Abbey, accompanied by the Provost of the time, Provost Glover, and former Provost, Provost Robertson.
After the service at the Cenotaph, attendees are encouraged to make their way to Renfrewshire House where the Armed Forces Day flag will be raised to mark Armed Forces Day.
Armed Forces Day, held this year on Sunday 29th June, is a chance to show support for the men and women who make up the Armed Forces community: from currently serving troops to Service families, veterans and cadets.
The flag will be raised by Kenny Lupton from the Royal British Legion Paisley Comrades branch and will fly outside Renfrewshire House for seven days.
Renfrewshire’s Provost Lorraine Cameron said: “Showing support for the Armed Forces provides a much valued morale boost for the troops and their families and it’s important we continue to highlight how much we appreciate their contributions to our country.
“Here in Renfrewshire we formally mark Armed Forces Day a week ahead of the national event, to allow our local military community to attend events both locally and nationally. This year we also come together to mark the centenary of our Cenotaph – a monument where the community of Paisley have gathered in remembrance of our fallen service men and women for 100 years and will continue to gather for many years to come. It’s important that the sacrifices of those who came before us are never forgotten and that their courage and valour continues to inspire generations.
“There’s also a family open day this year on Armed Forces Day organised by our local Army Reserve community and I would encourage as many people as possible to come along and join me in showing support for our Armed Forces and their families.”
The flag raising service will take place at 11am on Friday 21st June outside Renfrewshire House.
The Armed Forces Day Family Open Day will take place on Saturday 29th June from 1pm to 4:30pm at the 102 Field Squadron base on Hawkhead Road. The event is open to all and there will be a variety of activities on offer including face painting, glitter tattoos, inflatables, and an assault course.
Local army and air cadet units will have stalls at the event and there will be a BBQ.