First Day - My Day

The Culloden Battlefield, when we were here last it was cold wet and miserable but we were the only ones here. Today was better weather, warm and dry with a breeze, lots more people. Amongst them a coach load of US citizens who covered the entire site in under an hour before getting back on the bus and heading to their next stop.

Culloden; The last pitched battle fought on British soil lasted less than an hour with between 1,500 and 2,000 Jacobite dead and 50 to 100 Government troops killed. 800 of the Jacobites were killed in a five minute period, the remainder as they fled the battlefield.
Sam and I walked every inch of the battlefield and although it doesn’t look much as the participants would have seen it 269 years ago it still evokes emotions.
I laid a Poppy Cross on behalf of my friend Ian whose ancestors, the McPhails stood with the Fraser on the right of the Jacobite line and suffered heavy casualties. Honoured to do so.

Its important to remember that the emotional experience of visiting a battlefield is highly personal and can vary greatly depending on individual circumstances, motivations, and historical knowledge.
Military Veterans visiting a battlefield can evoke a wide range of complex emotions, including grief, reflection, sometimes a sense of pride or connection to a shared history.
Many of these sites are often sites of profound loss and sacrifice, leading to feelings of sadness and mourning. Simultaneously, they can inspire awe and a sense of the power of human resilience and courage.

So it was today