Prestonpans 275 Commemoration invites the Clan's Representatives to join us on September 20th

Commemorations focus on the Clans that came out with the Prince on September 21st 1745

This is the 275th anniversary of the battle here in Prestonpans. There's a major programme of commemoration scheduled and of course we'll be making sure it avoids the pitfalls of the coronavirus … and we can't be sure where we'll be on Sunday 20th September 20th. BUT …

Whether it's all live streaming or a modest size gathering with safe distancing can take place, we are definitely honouring the Clans that were here in 1745 - mostly speaking Gaelic! And Yes, we'll also be remembering the unsuccessful regiments from the British Army that day too.

Here's the context of what we are planning to achieve:

On the Annivesary Weekend September 19/21st we are planning a series of events which include a conference day and community theatre evening event on Saturday 19th, followed by a busy day at Prestonpans Town Hall on Sunday 20th, and guided walks and commemorative service on the battlefield on Monday 21st September.

We will warmly welcome members of clans and their associated societies to join us at any of these moments, but we would particularly like to invite you to a special moment on the morning of Sunday 20th September at Prestonpans Town Hall.

From 11am the Hall will be open for Clan members for a preview of our new exhibition panels "The Clans & Regiments of Prestonpans", along with a number of other displays. At 11.30am we shall hold a short presentation and ceremony, culminating in an act of remembrance for all those who fought and fell at the battle.

At 12pm the Town Hall will then open to the widest public, for an engaging day of family-friendly activities featuring re-enactors, wargames models, and craft activities hosted by our own Alan Breck Regiment of Prestonpans Volunteers. All Clans wishing to have a table at the event are more than welcome to do so; just let us know.

As well as inviting you to encourage your friends and members to support the event, we are also looking for some practical support too.

1) We hope that each clan or clan society will be able to nominate a contact point for us, so that we can share in advance the text of the relevant Clans & Regiments panel to ensure you are happy with our interpretation of the clan’s involvement.
2) We are also planning to create a Clans & Regiments space on our upcoming new website, which will include links and contact points to the relevant clan organisations today so that potentially interested parties can get in touch with their clan. It would be great if each clan society could confirm the website or social media link they would like us to use.
3) Perhaps most importantly, we would like each of the clans which were present at the Battle of Prestonpans to have a Representative and a Banner at the ceremony we are holding for them on the morning of 20th September. The parading of these banners at the Act of Remembrance will be the key moment of that morning.

We value the interest and support of the clans and their associations/societies, and hope that coming together for these important occasions will help keep build strong and mutually beneficial relationships we've had since 2009 and especially in 2018 when we dedicated the two new Memorial Tables after the Clan Parade and Re-enactments.

After a difficult next few months of restrictions, with so many events, commemorations and gatherings having to cancel or postpone, we hope that this anniversary weekend will provide a welcome opportunity for people to get together to remember our shared histories.


COVID-19 UPDATE: we are currently working on the basis that public events will be permitted by September, and that UK-wide travel restrictions will have been lifted. If this proves not to be the case, we intend to present our commemorations digitally, preserving as much of the spirit and content of the original plans as we can, and show them online via our social media (@Prestonpans1745).


If any reader here would like to discuss any aspect of the commemorations with us then we would be delighted to hear from you.

Sunday 20th September 2020
Battle of Prestonpans Clans Commemoration

Prestonpans Town Hall, 157 High Street, Prestonpans EH32 9AY
11.00 – Open for viewing of exhibition and displays
11.30 – Commemoration
12.00 – Full event open to the public until 16.00

Contact: ajohnston@battleofprestonpans1745.org
www.prestonpans275.org
Facebook Prestonpans275