SNP President, Ian Hudghton MEP, was among a group of Scottish and Commonwealth dignitaries who attended the unveiling of a Celtic cross memorial in honour of those Scottish soldiers who fought and died in the First World War.  The ceremony took place in Frezenburg, Flanders, the site of some of the bloodiest battles and trench warfare of the War.  The memorial cross was unveiled by Scottish Minister for Europe, External Relations and Culture, Linda Fabiani MSP. 

Speaking afterwards, Mr Hudghton said:

"In my experience of working in one of the governing bodies in Europe, there is rarely a moment to stop and think about the factors which led to the creation of Europe's democratic institutions.  Saturday's memorial ceremony, however, was certainly a poignant and fitting reminder of what our forebears gave so society today could enjoy a peaceful existence.

"Ypres and Passchendaele, two nearby towns within a stones throw of the Scottish monument, are two whose names are recognised across Europe as emblematic of the bloodiest battles of the First World War.  Scotland paid a particularly high price in terms of the sheer volume of its soldiers who died in the conflict.

"I found the unveiling ceremony a very moving experience and it is only right that those Scots who never left Flanders fields are honoured in this way.  Scotland effectively lost a generation of men in the First World War and a Celtic cross standing over where they lost their lives is the least we can do.

"The Scottish memorial cross in the serene Flemish countryside will stand as a permanent reminder of those Scots who perished in the battles and the war of attrition that took place in the grey battlefields of the Ypres Salient."