BARRHEAD’S war memorial at Bourock Parish Church has been formally re-dedicated after being restored.

The memorial, carved out of pink Corrennie granite, was erected in 1920 to commemorate the 49 members of the church and parish who died in the First World War and whose names are also recorded on the Roll of Honour at the rear of the church. 

The church’s communion table was dedicated on the same day in 1920 and, in the late 1940s, the names of the 16 parish members killed in the Second World War were added to it. 

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As 2018 marked the centenary of the end of the First World War, the Kirk Session of Bourock Parish Church decided this would be a fitting time to restore and re-dedicate the memorial.

Over the spring and summer, work was carried out to completely refurbish it, revealing the original pink colour of the granite and ensuring the names are now easy to read.

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A service took place in the church on Sunday, September 2, incorporating some of the hymns used in the original dedication service in September, 1920.

Afterwards, the congregation moved outside to the memorial where a short service was held, including the reading of the names of all the men commemorated.

During the service a wreath was laid by Isobel Alexander, whose uncles, George and James Ellingham, were killed and whose names appear on the memorial.

The service concluded with two minutes’ silence and the playing of “The Flowers of the Forest” by piper Johnny Gauld.

The restoration was made possible with the assistance of a grant from the Centenary Memorials Restoration Fund.

Director of the War Memorials Trust, Frances Moreton, said: “War memorials are a tangible connection to our shared past, creating a link between the fallen and today.

“It is vital we ensure all our war memorials are in the best possible condition for their age.”