Ceremony will remember the ‘lost boys’ of Aberlour

A special rededication ceremony is to be held next month to honour Moray orphans who died in first world war.

Restoration work has been carried out on the Aberlour Orphanage War Memorial in the grounds of St Margaret’s Church in time for the centenary of the start of World War 1.

Now members of the public are being invited to attend a service led by the Bishop of Moray, Ross and Caithness, the Rt Rev Mark Strange, to be held at 10am on Sunday, November 16.

The Aberlour Orphanage was once home to over 500 children and after the outbreak of war in 1914 a total of 289 boys left the home to fight for their country.

It was in 1924 that the memorial was put in place to commemorate the 62 former residents of the home who did not return.

While the orphanage closed in the 1960’s the Aberlour Children’s Charity still helps vulnerable children from throughout Scotland.

Chief Executive of the charity, Sally Ann Kelly, said: “We are extremely grateful to the War Memorials Trust and the Mrs M A Black Charitable Trust for their support, which has enabled us to restore the war memorial to its former glory in time to commemorate 100 years since the start of World War 1.

“The quality of the restoration is a fitting tribute, and we hope that many people from Aberlour and beyond will join us at this poignant service to remember the sacrifice made by the young men of the Aberlour Orphanage who should not be forgotten.”

Following the November 16 service will be a screening of a short film created to remember the orphanage’s ‘old boys’.

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