VC Memorial Garden, Tillicoultry

Corporal James Pollock VC

Memorial Garden opened September 2015

Corporal James Lennox Dawson VC

Corporal James D. Pollock VC: For most conspicuous bravery near the Hohenzollern redoubt on 27th September, 1915. At about 12 noon, when the enemy’s bombers in superior numbers were successfully working up the “Little Willie” trench towards Hohenzollern redoubt, Corporal Pollock, after obtaining permission, got out of the trench alone, walked along the top edge with the utmost coolness and disregard of danger and compelled the enemy’s bombers to retire by bombing them from above. He was under heavy machine-gun fire the whole time, but continued to hold up the progress of the Germans for an hour, when he was at length wounded.

Corporal James L. Dawson VC: For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty on 13th October, 1915, at Hohenzollern Redoubt. During a gas attack, when the trenches were full of men, he walked backwards and forwards along the parados, fully exposed to a very heavy fire, in order to be the better able to give directions to his own sappers, and to clear the infantry out of the sections of the trench that were full of gas. Finding three leaking gas cylinders, he rolled them some 16 yards away from the trench, again under very heavy fire, and then fired rifle bullets into them to let the gas escape. There is no doubt that the cool gallantry of Corporal Dawson on this occasion saved many men from being gassed.

Elizabeth Young, Community Councillor, says “Tillicoultry is very honoured to have not one but two recipients of the Victoria Cross – Cpl James Dawson of the Royal Engineers and Cpl James Pollock of the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders. How brave those two young men were to leave their homes and families for us. I have been looking after the garden and memorial stones in the High Street for around four years, and the flowers that I have planted all have a meaning:
Poppies, as these still grow in Flanders Fields;
Violets remind me of the postcards that the soldiers sent home to their sweethearts, usually embroidered with many of these flowers which were symbolic of love and faithfulness;
London Pride – when many buildings were reduced to rubble, this tiny delicate flower grew and covered some of the sites the first spring after the bombings;
An ornamental thistle as their cap badges included a thistle;
The white peace rose and the yellow remembrance rose are sited behind the memorial stones;
Forget-me-nots, another symbol of remembrance;
A variety of bulbs to bring some more colour in the spring;
Lavender (planted by Clackmannanshire Council), reminds me of France where they fought.”

Elizabeth Young, does a grand job maintaining the VC memorial garden in Tilly High Street, and she would love to have some volunteers to help her out.