Porty People and Nearby Places

I was in town today, between meetings, when I came across this Garden of Remembrance, next to The Scott Monument.

I was not expecting to see the names, faces and ages of our Fallen on the crosses.

This section of the garden is dedicated to the 453 men and women of our Armed Forces who made the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan 2001 -2014.

So many of these brave souls were the same ages as our own children. A very sobering thought.

I found it hard to comprehend the sense of loss and cannot begin to imagine what the families of these heroes must be feeling.

I found it even harder to comprehend the loss of lives in warfare over the last hundred years since The Great War which was heralded at the time, as the War to end all Wars.

I also found it hard to comprehend the banality of the Underbelly lorries and workers that were shattering the peace of this garden as they set up Edinburgh's Christmas wheel and ice rink on almost the same plot.

Pursuit of a commercial Christmas at the expense of commemorating the loss of those who gave their lives so selflessly seemed incredibly selfish, somehow, today.