Leith’s Living Archives
It may appear funny to name a blogsite this but when you think about it surely everyone is. Except that they don’t all live in or come from or love Leith – they are somewhere else’s Living archives.
I can’t remember who said it, but whoever it was is correct:
‘Today’s events are tomorrow’s history’
Someone else said:
‘We only know of what went on in the past because someone took the trouble to record it’ whoever that was should have gone on to say we believe it because no one has recorded it differently and had someone else recorded it and passed it down in a different way who would we believe then.
It has also been said that statistically if all the written records of events since the year one-ad were representative of all that has happened, then today would be something like the year ten-ad.
Why then do some people still crave for the written word. We have at our disposal the largest, most comprehensive Encyclopedia that man could ever had imagined yet still we need more.
One can only explain ones own desires for these needs, I like to think that I am not alone in this because self named historians the world over are still seeking the events of the missing centuries, and, continuing on a personal note I want to do my bit to ensure that today’s events that are tomorrow’s history are recorded if only to be discussed and sought verification of.
Why? – surely there is enough so called media coverage to satisfy this requirement, that may be true but who is to verify it. Today’s media tell you what they think you should know not necessarily what you would like to know.
Many websites existing today try to gather and impart this information. Some relate only to the past, some are topical with an historic bent. Some are chat rooms, some concentrate on Pictorial evidence and there is a need for all of them.
This site will try to be what you, the unknowing historian want it to be.
There will be regular looks backwards, if only to remind us of our heritage and what we have to protect and uphold. There will be questions, some unanswered, views or comments and even the anecdotal stuff that is so LEITH.
Lets start with a couple of current projects around Leith today.
The campaign for a Leith Museum – you will get regular updates from the horse’s mouth.
Leith’s Living Archives, as they were 100 years ago.
We will share with you our current information and if we can’t help with a question – we know someone who can.
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Leith’s Living Archives
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WW1 Roll of honour to Leith War Heroes to go on show..........From the Evening News....
BOOKS containing the original records of people from Leith who were killed in the First World War are set to go on public display for the first time.
They represent a roll of honour to the 2205 men who died in the Great War, and have been in storage since their publication in 1920.
It is understood the five books are now set to be unveiled at this year's Leith Festival.
The lists give the names, addresses, Army divisions and ages of those who fell, as well as the dates and causes of death.
Steve Mitchell, who is the Leith Festival representtive on the Leith Museum Group, discovered the existence of the books and yesterday met Lothian Health Services Archive representatives to discuss a temporary exhibition for them, probably in Leith Library.
He said: "Each volume is a beautiful manuscript. We knew of them before so we asked the Lothian Health Services Archive if they knew where they were.
"After a lot of digging we managed to get them. It was part of another project we are doing about Great Junction Street for the Leith Local History Society, and it all developed from there."
The books, which are currently kept at the Edinburgh University Library in George Square, also contain names of 350 people who earned special honours during the war.
There is a summary about the contribution by the people of Leith and the area itself.
The information in the books provided the names for the memorial at the old Leith Hospital, which opened in January 1927.
Mr Mitchell added: "It was agreed that these really should be displayed somewhere and we thought the Festival would be an ideal stage for them to be on.
"The library would be the ideal place for this – I don't see anywhere else in Leith more fitting and that would be able to display them."
The books – officially called The Leith Roll of Honour – were created following a resolution by Leith Town Council, and were moved to safe storage when the hospital was passed over to
the NHS in 1948.
Assistant archivist for the collection, Laura Brouard, said: "A manager's minute of May 12, 1927, tells us that a design for the case in which to display the Leith Roll of Honour was unanimously approved. It is permanently preserved in appropriate archival and environmental conditions."
Leith councillor Gordon Munro, who laid a wreath last year at South Leith Parish Church in memory of the First World War dead, said: "There's still a plaque at the community treatment centre to commemorate the dead, and this would be another way of remembering the glorious dead.
"It's of strong community interest and acknowledgement of the role they played. We can never overstate the loss and sacrifice those people made."
The exhibition will run from May 30to June 8.
The full article appears in Edinburgh Evening News:
08 February 2008 12:07 PM
'The Porthole'..........This quarterly magazine was distributed around the town in the mid/late '90's....can anyone with copies please contact me.
I would like to 'archive' them for posterity.
They will be returned after being electronically copied.
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