An Ayrshire sailor of the Great War: Able Seaman John Newall

John Newall was a Girvan sailor whose eventful active service during the First World War came to a tragic end. Called up as a navy reservist on the outbreak of war, he was sent to the Indian Ocean to take part in operations against German East Africa, now part of Tanzania. John survived when his […]

News of Peace comes to Ayrshire 1918

In towns throughout Ayrshire, the arrival of news on Monday 11th November 1918 that an armistice to end the Great War had been signed with Germany brought crowds onto the streets. Workplaces and schools declared a holiday, bells were rung, and churches hastily organised thanksgiving services. Events in Troon were typical, as reported by the […]

Ayrshire and the Great War U-Boat threat

Engineers surveying the seabed of the Firth of Clyde and the North Channel on the route of a planned undersea power cable recently came across a wreck. It was identified as that of a First World War German submarine, or U-Boat, either UB-82 or UB-85. Much press coverage resulted, due to the bizarre claim made […]

South Ayrshire’s Great War 1914 -1918: Exhibition and Events

Exhibition Wednesday 6th August – Saturday 30th August 2014, Carnegie Library, 12 Main Street, Ayr To commemorate the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, an exhibition of photographs and memorabilia will be on show in Ayr’s Carnegie Library. It will cover the battlefields and the home front, including auxiliary hospitals. Tributes will […]