A SPECIAL remembrance service took place in West Kilbride on Sunday as the village marked the 100th anniversary of its war memorial.

Hundreds of villagers came together for the special ceremony at the site on the corner of Yerton Brae and Bowfield Road.

The occasion marked three important remembrance landmarks, with 1921 also the year that the Royal British Legion began and the poppy was selected as the national symbol of remembrance.

The West Kilbride war memorial was unveiled on November 27 that year in a ceremony that was attended by Lieutenant General Sir Aylmer Hunter Weston KCB DSO and Lord Glenarthur.

The memorial carries 130 names for the First World War and a further 30 from the second.

Local historian Bill McSkimming ensured that so names were recorded after his research led to the rededicating of the memorial in 2001.

West Kilbride Councillor Todd Ferguson says each loss is felt within the community - and there are two names that are special to him.

He explained: “Remembrance Sunday is an opportunity for the community to come together and remember the young men of our village who have paid the ultimate sacrifice during conflict.

“Two names on that memorial, Hector and John Blair, are especially poignant to me as I recently found out that they lived at 17 Portencross Road, the address where I was born.

“John was 29 years old when he died of wounds on October 12 1918, and his younger brother Hector, died of influenza aged 20 on November 20 1918 due to complications from a gas attack.

“For the brothers to have died so close together and at the very end of the war must have been especially heartbreaking for their family.

“Every single name recorded on the memorial, especially for such a small community, represents an immense loss which would have been sorely felt by the entire community.”

Cllr Ferguson has hailed the community for coming out to pay their respects, especially the village’s young people.

He said: “It was wonderful to see so many young people in attendance as they are our future and it will be up to them to ensure that the flame of remembrance is carried forward.

“I would like to thank Flowers By Aileen for preparing such a gorgeous centenary wreath and the staff and students from West Kilbride Primary for laying it on behalf of the village."