Scotland plans to mark 100th anniversary of WWI

More than 8,000 people from all parts of Scotland will gather on August 10 to commemorate the centenary of the outbreak of World War I with a drumhead service at Edinburgh Castle, organizers said on Thursday. Members of the public from every local authority area in Scotland will be invited to form the congregation along with representatives of the military, veterans groups, charities and civic leaders for the multi-faith service on the castle esplanade to replicate those held on the front line 100 years ago where neatly piled drums were used in place of an altar, Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop announced at a press briefing inside the Edinburgh Castle. Following the service, military bands will parade down the Royal Mile and the congregation will be invited to follow in a procession to Holyrood Park, where they will find a replica Commonwealth war graves cemetery and there will be more than 100 headstones to represent the names recorded in the Rolls of Honor at the Scottish National War Memorial. The Scottish commemorations program will remember eight events from World War I that had a significant impact on Scotland, including the start and end of the war, as well as major battles and domestic incidents, Hyslop noted. "The First World War claimed the lives of more than 100,000 Scots and left many more injured or disabled, forcing families and communities across the country to come to terms with the devastating consequences." she said. Throughout the centenary period, people of all ages across Scotland will be encouraged to recognize the significant and broad impact World War I had on Scotland and its people, and to reflect thoughtfully on its lasting social and civic legacy, Hyslop added. British Secretary of State for Scotland Alistair Carmichael said the event "will provide a chance to pause for reflection, an opportunity for people to learn more about the war and help ensure our country never forgets those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and the world will never be the same". Both Norman Drummond, Chair of the Scottish Commemorations Panel, and Donald Wilson, Lord Provost of Edinburgh, stressed the role of education of young people and the next generations, service sacrifice and reflection of "What do we learn from all this?" to ensure that "it will not happen again". On Aug. 4 this year, the 100th anniversary of the date Britain entered the First World War, there will be commemoration events in Glasgow, Scotland's largest city, as part of the British commemorations program, including a Commonwealth-themed service and a Cenotaph service. World War I was a global war centered in Europe that began on July 28, 1914 and lasted until November 11, 1918.