An Aberdeenshire village fell silent this weekend to remember the brave soldiers who died on the frontline of war.
More than 100 people gathered in Ballater on Sunday to rededicate a century-old memorial.
In 1922, more than 2,000 people witnessed the unveiling of the town’s war memorial, outside Glenmuick Church.
Inscribed are the names of 63 Ballater men who left for war but never came home.
100 years on, scores of local representatives, veterans, relatives and villagers gathered on the exact same spot to replicate the historic service, while paying tribute to their local heroes.
‘It was a good acknowledgment by the community of Ballater’
Speaking after the service, John Burrows, chairman of Ballater Local History Group, said it was a lovely acknowledgment to those who gave so much.
He said: “It went extremely well.
“This all started in 2014 when we were marking the centenary of the First World War. As a result of that, following this all through, suddenly you start to realise that we are coming up the centenary so it was important to really try to mark it in a reasonable way.
“It wasn’t over the top. It was a good acknowledgment by the community of Ballater for those boys that passed away all those years ago. And it really did get to me, I must admit. It was a lovely day.”
Ballater falls silent
Ballater Pipe Band took centre stage as they marched down Bridge Street before taking up their positions outside Glenmuick Kirk.
Members of the Gordon Highlands, the Royal British Legion (RBL) and the standard bearers took up up positions at the memorial, ahead of local officials including the clergy, Major Grenville Irvine-Fortescue depute lord lieutenant and his party, as well as deputy provost Councillor Ron McKail.
The poignant service began at 2pm with a welcome message and prayers.
Members of the Gordon Highlands and the RBL performed a standard salute before the names of the fallen were read aloud.
The poignant dedication was followed by an emotional rendition of the last post by Bugler Gary Boden and then a minute’s silence.
During the service, scores of representatives stepped forward to lay wreaths in memory of those who had died.
Uncovering the stories of those who came before us
To coincide with the service, the local history group have written a book titled The Ballater Memorial – Does it Make You Remember?.
The book tells the stories behind the 63 names mentioned on the memorial.
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