PLANS to honour Moray’s military heroes by naming streets after them as part of the centenary of the Great War have been scrapped by councillors.
Local authority officials had suggested that residents could nominate men and women who lost their lives in the 1914-18 conflict to be immortalised in new road signs.
They had even designed a form to allow people to suggest suitable candidates.
But members of the council’s economic development and infrastructure committee rejected the scheme yesterday.
Senior engineer Richard Gerring told them that the move could form part of Moray’s efforts to commemorate the 100th anniversary of World War I.
He consulted local author Derek Bird, who is chairman of the north branch of the Western Front Association Scotland.
He suggested street names could also feature battlefields where local heroes fought and that using a historical background and a poppy in the design of the signs would help display the connection with the war.
Mr Gerring highlighted the recent online publication of the Roll of Honour for Morayshire – a record of residents of the old county who were involved in the conflict.
But councillors said they were not convinced by the plans – and raised concerns that they would leave out historic Banffshire, which was not part of the former county of Morayshire. This would rule out areas including Keith, Dufftown and Buckie.
Speyside-Glenlivet councillor Fiona Murdoch said: “It’s an odd report. It’s about Morayshire but quite a lot of the Moray Council area is the former Banffshire.” Mr Gerring said there was no roll of honour for the historic Banffshire region. Council convener Stewart Cree, who represents Keith and Cullen, said: “I don’t mind – in fact I would support – moves to highlight the war.
“But I don’t want to see this as being something that for the next 30 years we have a list of World WarI names.”
Mr Gerring’s report featured a street name proposal form that he said could be published online for public use. The forms would then be collated by local authority officers and shared with councillors.
Speyside-Glenlivet councillor Pearl Paul said she was “uneasy” about the suggestion. She said: “When it comes to street names, I don’t think I have ever not consulted with the community association.”
Mrs Murdoch said the council should maintain the status quo – which allows people to approach councillors at any time to suggest new street names but no forms are used.
Fellow councillors unanimously backed her suggestion. Mr Bird said last night: “I’m a little bit disappointed that we can’t mark some of the local men.
“There are lots of good names, and not only the names but some of the places where they fought the battles. Perhaps they will come up with a different scheme.”
Mr Bird said he did not think the suggestion discriminated against communities in historic Banffshire as the Morayshire Roll of Honour was a separate issue. He said: “My understanding would be that any community of Moray could nominate and ask people to suggest ideas and they could then be voted for. That could be from any community that had a new development built.
“It wouldn’t necessarily have to be someone who had a VC – there were plenty of people who served with distinction without medals.”
WWII memories, Page 25