Aberdeen’s Veterans Day spectacular
26/05/08
The City of Aberdeen will celebrate Veterans Day in spectacular style with a parade of pipe bands, veterans and military vehicles, including a fly-past by an RAF MR2 Nimrod jet at 11am on Saturday, 28 June, 2008.
On the day it is hoped the community will come together to acknowledge the outstanding contribution made by veterans during their time in the services and to the contribution they make to the community on their return.
The event will incorporate Veterans Day, the Army’s Pipers' Trail, and The Gordon Highlanders Museum project ‘Camouflage 08.’
Approximately 800 people are expected to take part in the parade and the public is invited to come along on the day to witness what will be the first of an annual spectacle which is hoped will create a lasting legacy.
The parade will start off at 11am from Albyn Place, and will head along Union Street before ending at the Castlegate at approximately 11.30am. As the parade reaches the Town House, the Lord Provost of Aberdeen Peter Stephen will take the salute along with the three highest-ranking officers from the Army, RAF and Royal Navy, while the RAF Nimrod will fly over the parade.
The Pipers' Trail is a celebration of the Army’s links with Scotland through music, culture and tradition and will consist of a number of musical events and workshops
It will set off from Shetland on 17 June and will travel through Scotland over the course of six weeks in June and July. Pipers and drummers will make a journey of more than 470 miles, with each mile piped by an individual soldier until the end of the route in Edinburgh. The Aberdeen leg of the Pipers’ Trail has been organised to coincide with the Veterans Day parade.
To ensure the day is a huge success the public is invited to show its appreciation for veterans young and old. Veterans who want to take part in the parade are asked to contact their local association.
Thanks to the Gordon Highlanders Museum’s Camouflage 2008 project children aged from eight to 12 will get the chance to support the veterans by marching in the parade.
Children who wish to take part in the parade should contact the Gordon Highlanders Museum on (01224) 311200 or email education@gordonhighlanders.com
It is not just their military service that makes veterans special, it is their continuing contribution to the fabric of communities through the use of the skills they learned whilst in the armed forces that makes them unique. It is in recognition of this that the Ministry of Defence launched the annual Veterans Day on 27 June 2006. Veterans Day is a celebration not a commemoration.
As veterans are an important part of the local community, the MoD works with a wide range of organisations and individuals throughout the country offering advice and in many cases, financial assistance in organising Veterans Day events.
All ex-service personnel are veterans, whatever their age, background or service experience. Veterans continue to contribute to society through the transferable skills they have acquired during their military career.
Veterans who wish to take part in the parade should contact their local association. For further information telephone (01224) 522998.
The Gordon Highlanders Museum preserves and shares the legacy of the world-famous Gordon Highlanders for future generations. Based in the beautiful former home of prominent Scottish artist Sir George Reid, the museum is constantly evolving. The Gordon Highlanders Museum is an independent self-financed museum, governed by a charitable trust.
Camouflage 2008 has been developed by The Gordon Highlanders Museum in collaboration with Aberdeen City Council’s Arts Development Team and a range of creative and cultural partners.
Exploring the development of camouflage from the origins in nature to its militarisation and then its impact on contemporary fashion and design, the temporary exhibition at The Gordon Highlanders Museum provides a focal point for a year of themed events.
If you have any queries regarding this, or any other news story, please contact Aberdeen City Council on: 01224 522000.
