Lest we Forget: Remembrances of World War I

An exhibition highlighting the stories of some of those commemorated on our local war memorials, how their lives were touched by war and how our communities remember them.

Armistice Day on 11 November 1918 marked the end of the fighting in the “war to end all wars”. The following year, a Service of Remembrance was held in London at a temporary cenotaph to honour the fallen. 100 years later, this annual event is more widely observed than ever: but how should we commemorate events that are slipping from memory?

Like most Scottish communities, Anstruther and Cellardyke were deeply affected by the War. The local War Memorials list the names of those who served: on board ship in the Irish Sea or Adriatic, in the trenches or behind the lines in northern France or Gallipoli, and in the fledgling air-force.

Lest We Forget: Remembrances of World War I highlights the individual stories of local people who served in various theatres of war to show how Anstruther and Cellardyke contributed to, and were affected by, the war effort. Personal responses to the conflict recall those who served and those who remained behind to work, wait and worry. The towns’ lasting memorials illustrate one community’s attempt to grieve, to comprehend and to endure.