Annual police memorial service honours Scottish officers who died on duty
Police Scotland Chief Constable Jo Farrell welcomed the family and friends of officers who died in service to an annual memorial service in their honour.
The 20th Scottish Police Memorial Trust (SPMT) Service of Remembrance took place at the force headquarters, Tulliallan, on Wednesday (September 4), where seven new names were added to the roll of honour.
The memorial stones, which are based on the grounds of Tulliallan, now bear 344 names of officers who passed away while on duty, dating back to 1812.
This year’s additions to the wall represent former police services in Glasgow, Perth and Kinross-shire, Argyllshire, Dunfermline, and the Burgh of Leith in Edinburgh.
During the ceremony, more than £500, which was raised through the sale of Road Policing Challenge coins, was donated to the SPMT.
Tribute was also paid to Reverend Dr Georgie Baxendale, following her death in February this year. Dr Baxendale had previously led the memorial service each year since its inception.
Ms Farrell said: “This annual service of remembrance is a significant date in the policing calendar each year. It allows us to reflect on those who are no longer with us and the significant contributions they made – not only while in uniform, but in their everyday lives.
“Those whose names are engraved on our memorial stones were not just a police officer. They were a beloved family member or friend, and it is important that we remember them here today, together.
“We also reflect on the absence of our friend, Reverend Dr Georgie Baxendale, who continues to be missed by all of those associated with this service of remembrance. Georgie’s warmth and humour were always well received by everyone in attendance and she, like everyone named on the memorial, will be remembered fondly.”
Christine Fulton MBE, co-founder of the SPMT, whose husband PC Lewis Fulton was killed on duty in Glasgow in 1994, said: “The annual service of remembrance is an important and poignant event, for the loved ones of the officers we honour, and for the police family as a whole.
“By adding the names of officers who have passed to our roll of honour and memorial stones, we are helping to ensure they will be remembered, and respected, for generations to come.”