War veterans in the frame for Poppyscotland

WAR veteran Gary Jamieson poses with his wife and daughter alongside a car number plate which shows that, although he has lost some of his limbs, he is far from losing his spirit.

Medal-bedecked Ian Forsyth – from a different era – stands proudly beside a memorial to his fallen comrades in arms.

In a third image, 89-year-old Marie Galbraith, who served in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, displays the fortitude of a generation who knew real hardship.

All three Scots agreed to take part in a unique ‘Unforgettable Stories’ exhibition to mark the 90th anniversary of the Poppyscotland charity, which will open in Edinburgh in the run-up to Armistice Day next month.

They were captured by award-winning Scottish photographers Trevor and Faye Yerbury, who were commissioned by the charity to take 90 portraits of Scots.

The subjects were also asked to write down what the symbolic poppy meant to them.

Fifty will be put on show as part of an appeal for funds.

For the Yerburys, whose previous subjects have ranged from the Duke of Edinburgh and the Princess Royal to Billy Connolly and Alex Salmond – who has also been photographed for the exhibition – it has been an emotional but inspiring few months.

“We have found beauty everywhere in this project,” said Trevor, who used a 10x8in plate camera on a large tripod to take the portraits.

“The large-format camera makes the sitter aware that they’re directly involved in the creation of something of importance,” he said, adding that they knew that making the ‘Unforgettable Stories’ portraits would be emotional but had not expected to be so profoundly moved.

The sprightly 88-year-old Ian Forsyth, who served with the 15th-19th King’s Royal Hussars in the Second World War, was among those who prompted tears.

Awarded an MBE in January, Forsyth stands alongside a Hamilton war memorial for the fallen bearing the words, ‘Lest We Forget’.

The veteran wireless operator and retired secondary school teacher was among the first to reach the Nazi concentration camp of Bergen Belsen.

“Faye and I were in tears as we listened to Ian telling his story. Ian was in tears too, when he talked about post-traumatic stress syndrome and the damage still being inflicted on young men and women in today’s conflicts,” said Trevor.

The couple have also photographed serving soldiers and their families, as well as many veterans.

“It’s been an incredible privilege to meet people like Ian Forsyth and Sergeant Gary Jamieson and his wife Claire.”

Gary was serving with the 1st Battalion Scots Guards in Afghanistan when he was injured by an IED.

“He lost both legs and his right arm and is adapting to his prosthetic legs. He loves his car, which has been converted for his use. His courage is humbling. We also love his black humour – he searched for months to find the number plate for his Saab.” The plate reads NO08 LEG.

There have been “lots of laughs, too. Marie Galbraith, from Giffnock, said to us: ‘Never get involved with old people. They are a pain in the arse.’ What a woman!”

Trevor said he hoped young people would visit the exhibition: “Of course we want them to look at the images but they should also read the powerful words. They will learn a lot about the dignity of others and the appalling trauma of war.”

n Visit www.poppyscotland.org.uk for details of the exhibition.