Thursday, July 16, 2009

Anger at 'war graves picnickers'

Signs are to be erected at Culloden Battlefield asking visitors to respect the site as a war grave following a complaint about picnickers. A member of A Circle of Gentlemen, a society which recalls the Jacobite cause, said he was furious at the behaviour of some tourists.

Alasdair MacNeill said he saw a family picnicking on top of one of the grave mounds. The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) said it was aware of the issue.

Culloden, near Inverness, saw the defeat of the Jacobites in April 1746. The circle takes its name from a secret society in Edinburgh.



It remained loyal to Charles Edward Stuart - Bonnie Prince Charlie - after the Jacobites' defeat at Culloden and continued to meet late into the 18th Century.

Mr MacNeill said he and other members had complained to the trust. He said: "A family of four and their two dogs were sprawled across a grave mound having a picnic.

"The father was leaning against the headstone eating a Scotch egg and smoking a cigarette." The circle member said he would not expect such behaviour to be acceptable at World War I battlefields such as Flanders or Ypres.

No comments: