This week saw the opening of the ‘Garden for Heroes’ in the shadows of Dunfermline Abbey and brought to an end a campaign by Kelty woman Linda Buchannan to have a place of reflection where people can go and remember their heroes.
Linda lost her son Corporal Tam Mason from Dunfermline who died in the UK from injuries sustained in a roadside bombing in Afghanistan in 2009. She first raised a petition over three years ago with over 1000 signatures supporting the establishment of a garden that would recognise all the heroes from west Fife who had lost their lives in recent conflicts but also to recognise and support the heroes from our communities who currently serve in our Armed Forces and put their lives at risk whilst we go about our daily business never really giving them a second thought.
The campaign has been supported from day one by Alex Rowley who said; “Linda has shown great courage and determination in her campaign to have a garden for heroes established. Too many young people from this part of Fife have lost their lives in recent times and this garden is somewhere for people to go and to reflect and to think about those who lost their lives serving their country. In the Lochs ward Private Paul Low from Kelty who served in the Black Watch died in a checkpoint bombing in Iraq in November 2004 and Private Kevin McHale from Glencraig died in a separate incident in Iraq the same year. We remember them and all the others from this area who lost their lives and if people visit the garden they will also be able to reflect and remember their heroes whoever those heroes may be”.
The proposal for the garden was a pledge in the Fife Labour local government manifesto in 2013 and was funded by the Cowdenbeath, Dunfermline and South West Fife Area Committees.
