Newsletter

NEWSLETTER

WALLACE SOCIETY NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2008

Dear Patriots,
Just to remind you all that Wallace Day is this Saturday, 23 August, the actual anniversary of Wallace’s murder. This is the 703rd anniversary, and I can’t believe that is three years now since the commemorations in London.
The march leaves Ludovick Square in Johnstone at 2.30, so we will be gathering there from about 2 PM on.
The march goes to the memorial at Wallace’s birthplace in Elderslie, where there will be speakers and a wreath laying. The evening event in the village hall begins at 7 PM and carries on to midnight. Ted Christopher and Saor Patrol will supply the entertainment. Entrance is £10.
The café will be up and running as usual, and there will be the usual bar facilities etc.
I hope to see as many of you there as possible.

Some of you may have read in the press of the desecration of the original coffin lid of the tomb of James III at Cambuskenneth Abbey. I have been inside the abbey many, many times, and I know many of you have too, especially at prior Stirling Bridge events, but I had no idea that the original coffin lid was within, as it has never been pointed out to me, and it is certainly not signed in any way.
The tomb in the churchyard today was replaced in Victorian times, and it is on the site of the High Altar and surrounded by railings. I’m shocked that there is so little respect for our past that vandals would not balk from destroying such a precious artefact. But it is no wonder when I see the state of our press. The Daily Record had a paragraph on the story, with an accompanying picture of James the Eighth- who was James the Third of England! Their research was so bad that they had a picture of a king three centuries after the fact! And he was James III of the wrong country!
The Herald at least, covered the story with a little more dignity.
But we have so little remaining of our tombs of Kings and Queens, that I’m really surprised that the original tomb cover was so little known. I wish I had a photo of it at least.

As to the Olympics. Is it just me, or is everyone left as cold as I am. The whole “British” aspect means nothing to me. I watch “Britons” win medals and it does not stir me in the slightest. I would honestly be as happy to watch, or happier actually, a Lithuanian winning a medal. I hate the whole phoney British thing, and hate the Union Jack thing that accompanies it.
I’m glad I am not talented enough to be a world leader in any particular sport. There is no way I could stand there with the Union Jack waving, and that dirge of an anti-Scottish tune being played with me standing to attention.
Team GB. Who thought that one up? Does the GB bit stand for Gordon Brown? It means nothing to me. I will have no interest in the Olympics until I can actually watch Scottish athletes represent their nation.
I feel completely alienated from the whole thing.
And as for Gordon Brown, I saw him interviewed in the States, and the interviewer asked him where he was born. His reply was “North Britain”.
I would never recognise him as a Scot of course, and it seems he does not either. He is British. I am a Scot, and there is world of difference. William Wallace was a Scot, there is no doubt about that, and I am proud to call myself one.

I remain,
yours for Scotland,
David R. Ross, Convenor, Society of William Wallace

SOCIETY OF WILLIAM WALLACE AUGUST 2008 NEWSLETTER.

Dear Patriots,
Just wanted to remind you all that this coming Saturday is the day for the commemoration of Wallace’s capture at Robroyston. The event starts at 2PM, and afterwards, anyone who wishes can go on to the Campsie Nairn, a local bar that has put a room aside for us. I hope to see many of you there.
Most of you will be familiar with the Wallace Tavern in Elderslie, standing as it does on the Main St. The place is under new ownership, the new proprietor being Fraser Campbell, a local man who also plays rugby in Kilbarchan. I met up with Fraser and he has big plans for the place. He wants to make the pub more of a Wallace “visitor centre”, with a Wallace related theme and storyboards on the walls etc. He has plans to apply to put in a flagpole where he can fly the Saltire, and he is looking at having a Wallace mural painted on the gable end of the building.
He wishes to get involved in making Wallace Day more of a village-wide event, and he is putting on bands, and has a bouncy castle for kids and the like at the large car park at the side of the bar.
Obviously Fraser is a businessman, but he bounced some interesting ideas off me, and as the Society is very much a democracy, I want to share some of these ideas with you, so that people can debate their thoughts on these matters at forthcoming meetings.
He did suggest that there could be a large marquee erected in the pub car park in future years, where a series of events could be held in conjunction with the Society.
He is also willing to allow the place to be used by the Society if the need arises.
It did occur to me that it may be a fitting venue for this year’s annual dinner, and this is something to be discussed too.
The guy is obviously a patriot, and it is good to have folk on the ground, so to speak, that are interested in taking Wallace Day further. I would like to see Elderslie come on board as a unit, and celebrate its most famous son, and this may be the first step for the future.
There is only one meeting left before Wallace Day of course. It takes place on Tuesday the 19th of August. For those who cannot make the meeting, the details for this Wallace Day, the 703rd anniversary, are roughly the same as for previous years.
We gather in Ludovick Square in Johnstone at two for a two thirty set off, probably arriving at the monument in Elderslie at three. Speeches and wreath laying will take place. The evening event at the village hall will run from seven till midnight.
Tickets are ten pounds.

I have also received a copy of the new programme I have made for the History Channel in the States. It is called “Warriors” and this particular episode is about the Battle of Stirling Bridge. It runs for an hour, and I am toying with showing it at the next meeting, but that may depend on how much other business we have to get through! No matter, I’m sure you will all get to see it in the near future if we run over a bit. Or we could watch half at this meeting and half at the next!

I remain, yours for Scotland,
David R. Ross, Convenor.

SOCIETY OF WILLIAM WALLACE MAY 2008 NEWSLETTER

Dear Patriots,
I was watching a re-run of “Coast” on the TV, and took a little more than a passing interest because it was following the shore of Lewis and then round to Orkney. The girl presenter made a comment that made me think. She said, “When I’m standing on the shore of my country…”
As she is English, it made me realise that I would never think or say, if I was standing on the shore of Devon or on the Scilly Isles for example, that I was “on the shore of my country”. Different mind set perhaps, but I think very few Scots would stand on a beach in England and think of themselves as being in “their” country.

Other than that, I’ve been lucky enough to be out and about a bit in the last few weeks, taking in the history that surrounds me. Some of the Crann Tara (a Scottish cultural organisation) boys and girls had been over in Ireland to visit battlefields, especially ones with a Scottish connection, and just learn a little bit more.
Ted Christopher was flying over to Cork to “do” the entertainment for a couple of nights, and asked me if I wanted to go with him. As the flights worked out at less than a fiver (including tax!!!) I jumped at the chance. We saw some fantastic stuff, visiting the field of the battle of Knockanoss, where the Scots and Irish had fought with the English, and where Alisdair McColla the famous warrior from Colonsay, who had fought alongside the Great Montrose many times, had been slain.
We visited his tomb, and some of the locals had actually seen the body in its state of internment, and described it to me, telling me Alasdair, as tradition relates, was over seven feet tall.
But what really struck me again about Ireland, was the standard of living. No graffiti, no litter, and the standard of cars and houses looked several rungs up the ladder to what we are used to in Scotland.
This is because Ireland is an independent celtic nation of course, in charge of its own destiny. And on top of this, Ireland does not have the natural resources that we have-gas, oil etc. so it makes me think of what Scotland would be like if full nationhood were to become a reality. It worries me that people can have doubts about this, all they need to do is look at the situation in Ireland, and perhaps the reality would dawn at how much we are being held back, and that England is this huge albatross of subsidy junkies we have hanging round our neck, stripping and gobbling up our money and resources.
I had a wee jaunt down to Cumbria too, and am happy to report that re-construction work is underway on Holm Cultram, the little abbey where Robert the Bruce’s father is buried, and where the brain and entrails of Longshanks were interred. The church was burnt in a malicious fire a year or two back. I also took a run over to Burgh-by-Sands where Longshanks breathed his last, and took a little look in St. Michael’s Church there, where Longshanks was laid out before his journey south to his tomb in Westminster Abbey.
Duncan will be chairing the next meeting, as I have duties to perform to promote my new book “James the Good, the Black Douglas.” He is one of our greatest heroes, and I hope that I have brought his story to a new generation. He was raised with his father William fighting alongside Wallace, and he took up the torch that Wallace carried and became the man of England’s nightmares, eventually seeing England recognise Scotland’s independence.

I remain, yours for Scotland,
David R. Ross,

Convenor, Society of William Wallace.

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SOCIETY OF WILLIAM WALLACE NEWSLETTER MAY 2008.

Dear Patriots,
The campaign to try and have the only artefact that we can truly call a personal possession of Wallace’s continues.
We have the Wallace sword of course, although it has changed greatly over the centuries, a new pommel being fitted in the time of James IV for instance, but there is always going to be debate over its authenticity, although I truly believe it is, indeed, the “ghost” of Wallace’s sword.
But the letter in question was taken from Wallace, along with other documents during his capture at Robroyston. It was a personal possession that he was given by the King of France in 1300, and so he had carried it for some five years when he was taken in 1305. It was taken south to be used as evidence at his sham trial in Westminster Hall, and today it is kept at Kew, at the records office.
As interest in this letter has grown, so by comparison has the back peddling from down south. There is now dialogue denying that it really has anything to do with Wallace, or that it is some other letter that has mysteriously appeared, but just happens to bear Wallace’s name.
What I found particularly insulting was Kew saying that the letter was better where it was, as they had the facilities to look after such an artefact, thereby implying that Scotland could not. A bit rum when you consider that over the years they have managed to lose the other documents that were taken from Wallace.
The Museum of Scotland, a building housing the greatest artefacts from our history, and whose halls I love to wander, has a glaring gap in our past by having nothing on display that has any tangible connection with Wallace. The return of this document would change that.
The Sunday Post has been good enough to carry on this fight, and along with this newsletter there will be a cutting from that newspaper telling the latest episode of
the story.
I look forward to seeing many of you at the next Society meeting at Elderslie Village Hall, Glenpatrick Road, Elderslie, 7.30 for 8PM, on Tuesday 20th May.
I remain,
Yours for Scotland,
David R. Ross
Convenor.

SOCIETY OF WILLIAM WALLACE NEWSLETTER APRIL 2008

Dear Patriots,
I was lucky enough to be invited to the “Edinburgh Dungeon” at the side of Waverley Station in Edinburgh, to be at the unveiling of their new “Wallace” exhibit. They have done a good job describing Wallace’s last moments, and I was particularly impressed with the guy they have clad as one of Wallace’s companions who gave a moving and patriotic speech regarding Scotland’s fight for freedom.
John Smeaton was meant to open the exhibit, but had been delayed, so I happily obliged when I was asked if I would cut the ribbon.
As I have said before, it may seem strange to tell you about Wallace being used in a visitor attraction in this way, but it does at least show some kind of moot change in Scotland, as fifteen years ago, Wallace was not mentioned anywhere on a regular basis.
I parked my car on the outskirts of Edinburgh and got the bus in to the city centre. The Edinburgh Dungeon is a pricey place to visit, but I noticed that on the back of the bus ticket there was a £5 off the entrance fee offer, and it featured the story of Wallace on the bus ticket. I also saw several posters for the Edinburgh Dungeon featuring Wallace on bus stops on the route into the city.
All these wee things help of course, and keep people’s consciousness on Wallace and Scotland.
The Edinburgh Dungeon will not be to everyone’s taste, as it is more geared to tourism and I know it will not be a lot of folk’s idea of a good time, but I always want to keep you all appraised of any connection I hear of connected to the man.
It is only a five-minute walk from Waverley over to the Museum of Scotland, and that was the other destination on my journey through to the capital. It is always nice to look at the many Saltires flying from the buildings en route. There are still one or two Union flags, but in my soul I know that these are flown by those who have not woken up to the changes inherent in our nation, and that the days are numbered for that sad old flag of oppression and colonialism.
I always stop for a while and ponder at the opening exhibit on the ground floor of the museum, the Breacbannoch. That little house shaped and celtic motif embossed reliquary, which was carried before the Scots as they advanced at Bannockburn.
It is sad that there is really nothing on show that we can connect with Wallace, though there are articles from his era. I know that there is very little that has survived that has a tangible connection with Wallace, but as he is known the world over and is regarded as our National Hero, I feel that the museum should have one or two items in a case to at least recognise that he existed and ensure his place in our nation’s story.
The letter of safe conduct from the King of France for instance, that was taken from Wallace at his shameful betrayal at Robroyston, but is currently in the archives at Kew near London, should be on show in Scotland. It was a personal possession of Wallace, something that he could take from his pocket or sporran of sorts, and gaze upon, and every child growing up in Scotland should be able to gaze upon it as he did and forge that link.
And the question has to be asked, why are our museums not clamouring to have Scotland’s most treasured possessions back from the various institutions in Europe (mostly in England I have to add) where they currently languish?
Still it seems, this is down to the sorry spectre of Unionism, but I hope that the day will come when this situation is rectified.
While at the Museum of Scotland in Chambers St., it is worth visiting the exhibition currently underway on the silver of Scotland. Bit pricey to get in I thought, at six quid a pop (maybe that’s just the true Scot in me) but it was well worth the effort. Only black mark for me was that many of the pieces from the late 1600’s-early to mid 1700’s, were referred to as dating from the time of the Jacobite rebellion.
Rebellion is not a word I like to see used, uprising is a better choice. After all, Charles Edward Stewart was the direct descendent of Kenneth MacAlpin and the early Pictish kings, through Ceannmor, Bruce and James IV, and he was of course the great, great grandson of Mary, Queen of Scots. Hardly a “pretender” to the throne.
Sad that a Scottish museum refers to the ancient bloodline of Scotland as “rebels”, but that is propaganda for you.
Speaking of the silver, I thought we had lost something through the centuries, as the older, hand worked items were aesthetically far superior than our modern silver, and all done without modern tools and techniques.
I noticed that I was not only one to spot this, as a kid’s scrawl in the comments book said, “the old bits are great, the newer ones are rubbish”!
And when walking round this exhibition, please keep an eye open for the “Lanark Bell” among the sporting trophies. It was awarded as a prize for horse racing in Lanark, and parts of it may date back to the days of William the Lion. Our vice-convenor Duncan has taken a particular interest in this piece and has been doing his very best to promote it.
I remain, yours for Scotland,
David R. Ross,
Convenor.

SOCIETY OF WILLIAM WALLACE MARCH 2008 NEWSLETTER

Dear Patriots,
I’ve been involved in several media-related Wallace projects recently, and for better or worse, I feel I should tell you all a little about them.
I played Wallace for a short film for the “Edinburgh Dungeon”, who have a new attraction being built, which features the gory murder of Wallace. I always question the rights and wrongs of these things, but at the end of the day, 20 years ago there was nothing regarding Wallace, or for that matter, any of the great folk of Scottish history at any of these places, and I suppose any publicity is good publicity.
Anyway, I sat in make up for an hour to be transformed into a dark haired warrior, and I hope that I did the man justice in the words I chose to use for his “final” speech.
John Smeaton was also present. He was dressed up in Wallace garb and did some publicity work for the “Dungeon” folk, the press taking pics of him as our national hero. John, as everyone knows, seems to be a bit of a “Brit” at heart, but I have to try and put that down to a misguided or misinformed sense of what country he actually lives in and hope that one day the light will be seen. I was at least able to say the line (-I have to admit it, it was reported in the Sun) “700 years ago Wallace said to the English, “just come tae Scotland, we’ll set about ye” and 700 years on John Smeaton said to those who would try to curtail our way of life today- “just come tae Glasgow, we’ll set about ye!”
Well, I did try to forward a Scottish aspect to the scenario!
John was a decent enough guy at the end of the day. He has been catapulted into a situation not of his making where he is getting to see a bit of the world, getting awards, and documentaries are being made of his life, and I wish him the best of luck.
I’m also just starting to make a programme for the History Channel in North America, one episode for a series called “Warriors”. It will be focusing on various great fighters from history, and of course, the episode I’m working on is about Wallace.
I’ve enrolled as many people as I can who know their stuff, to try and do justice to Wallace and what he was all about as a fighting man. Member Hugh Robertson will be helping with the fighting scenes, and I’ve contacted some of our academic community to help too.
Dr. Amanda Beam is on board, and as most of you will know, Wallace fought in the name of King John Balliol, giving his fight some legitimacy, and so you may be interested to know that Amanda is to release a book on King John later in the year. It’s going to be something like 500 pages, so it seems that a king of whom we know relatively little, will be catapulted forward in our understanding.

On Society business, we are a little behind in some of our membership renewals, and the fault for this lies with me. I’ve undergone several bouts of surgery, and today sees me back in hospital for some face reconstruction work after a mishap where mine got a bit smashed. I’ve shown the surgeon a photo of Brat Pitt, but he didn’t look very hopeful.
Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that everything will be back on track after the next meeting, and I apologise for any delays, most of which were caused by me not being present at the last meeting and I have a backlog of renewals in a pile here, waiting to be handed in. And if you have a problem with that, the good news for me is that you might not recognise me to have a word with me about it!

I remain, yours for Scotland,
David R. Ross,
Convenor.