Battle Trust Memory Lane [27]: Battle in Cuthill Park 2011 ....

Saturday & Sunday September 24th & 25th ... the action rolled and the Redcoats fled ...

... but not before sending off a good volley. The 1000+ visitors to the re-enactment over the two days saw largest gathering of re-enactors in Prestonpans Cuthill Park since 1995 - the stupendous 250th Anniversary staged at Meadowmill by East Lothian Council. As ever though, the Finale was the Highland Charge and the redcoat flight! Hey, Johnnie Cope ....

More regimental and Clan re-enactment groups joined the Alan Brecks this year. Led as ever by the 77th Montgomeries travelling 1000 miles from the Czech Republic for the fifth year running and the Glenbuckets, they included the Charles Edward Stuarts from Derby, Lace Wars, Battlescar, Border Clansmen, Veritas Vincit and Birkbeck's Battery.

The local and national press, Scotland on Sunday, East Lothian Courier and East Lothian News recorded the events. Photography was by Fiona Campbell BBC News, and Gillian Hart + Gordon Prestoungrange for the Battle Trust






Week long programme in lead up to the Battle itself

The Trust through its local Alan Breck Regiment of Prestonpans Volunteers, led by Colonel Adam Watters, arranged events across the days following the actual anniversary on the 21st. Reaths were laid that day at the Cairn, Colonel Gardiner's Obelisk and at Prestongrange Churchyard where a redcoat is buried. Peter MacKenzie led the traditional Battlefield Walk, and also compered the subsequent re-enactments [pictured first below].

On Friday evening the Redcoats occupied Prestonpans, preceded by the pipes and drums of the Alan Breck Band, aka the Royal British Legion, and retired to the Prestoungrange Gothenburg to prepare for the morrow.

Through the Friday night/ Saturday dawn the Highlanders once again walked the Riggonhead Defile and took a hearty breakfast at The Goth as their reward. Throughout Saturday and Sunday Cuthill Park played host to the vistors as they wandered both camps and talked with the re-enactors. Gordon Veitch displayed and played his now famous Battle Game which has visited and delighted more than 50 schools hereabouts - and more planned!












Thank you for your donations

Two volunteer young ladies held the collection bins as visitors left and the Trust is most grateful as a charity for the donations received to help defray the re-enactors expenses. Thank you to those two ladies, also to Sharon Dabell, double author with Cuthill Press of two Jacobite '45 novels, who manned the BattleBus for the weekend, and to Fiona Campbell who 'lunch-fed' the re-enactors.