I'll often say I was motivated to visit a certain location by spotting it on Google Maps. In this case I had randomly been scrolling across West Lothian literally the night before, looking for a destination of interest for the following morning. My eye dropped south of Linlithgow and the phrase "Korean War Memorial" stood out. I had no knowledge of such a place anywhere in Scotland, let alone just half an hour's drive from my home. Furthermore, the site backed on to the Bathgate Hills - a range I wasn't familiar with either. To this end, I decided to head across and see what I could find. Google Street View showed a large lay-by next to the memorial for parking purposes and I pulled up here and entered through the gate.
The Korean War took place between 1950 and 1953 and remains something of an unknown quantity. The remote location and the fact the outbreak occurred in the aftermath of WW2 probably explains why comparatively little is known about the bloody conflict among the general public today. 1113 UK military personnel lost their lives in Korea and many National Service recruits fought alongside seasoned professional soldiers. The overall death toll is estimated to be around three million war fatalities plus a higher rate of civilian casualties than WW2 or Vietnam, which bookended the Korean War. Virtually all of the cities on the peninsula were destroyed and the political aftermath was the creation of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) which divides the vastly differing political regimes of North and South Korea today. Despite Donald Trump and "Rocket Man" weirdly dancing across the border, there appears to be no serious prospect of a reconciliation. The memorial is dedicated to all UK soldiers who died and is the only one of its kind. The quiet location on an obscure back road is somehow poignantly apposite. The site is entered via a set of elaborate wrought iron gates and a footpath leads to a pagoda which has the names of the fallen inscribed upon its walls. The pagoda is set between earth mounds which - when seen from above - represent the Yin and Yang symbols on the Korean flag. The mounds are planted with 110 Korean firs - one for every ten British servicemen killed, while the wider landscape has been planted with 1100 native Scottish trees. I sat on one of the benches and took a few minutes to reflect upon the futility of the whole conflict and war in general. My great grandfather John Fraser was killed in WW1 at the age of 40. His five young children - my grandfather included - grew up in poverty and had to cut short their education in order to find work. One small example among many, but a reminder that we should never seek to romanticise life on the front line.
Immediately behind the memorial stands a small hill called Witch Craig. I followed the path up to the summit and this opened up fantastic views of the Lothians, Stirlingshire and Fife. The main body of water visible in the middle distance was Lochcote Reservoir. The Bathgate Hills barely top 1000 feet but an accessible climb is often all you need in order to unlock a sweeping panorama of the countryside around you. I rested at a stone monument known as Witch Craig Wall. Built in the form of an enclosure, the structure reflects the agricultural heritage of the area with its circular sheep fanks and many dry stone dykes. The wall incorporates 43 separate rock specimens from nearby locations and thus illustrates the geodiversity of the local area. I didn't have time to perform a circular walk today and I descended Witch Craig by a different route and made my way back to the car. I paused at Beescraig Country Park on the way home. It must be a popular spot as the main car-park was full and I had to use the overflow facility. Various walking trails are available here and there is also a small loch. I made a mental note to return on a quieter day. Just outside Linlithgow is Donaldson's School for deaf children. The modern purpose-built facility opened in 2008 and replaced the grand castellated mansion in the centre of Edinburgh - now being converted to luxury apartments. The original building was funded by the estate of printer and bookseller James Donaldson. From 1856 onwards, it served as an educational centre for the hard of hearing. The outbreak of WW2 saw the old Donaldson's School serve as POW camp for captured German and Italian troops. Links to the period that changed everyone's life forever can be found all over the place. You have to dig a little deeper to unearth connections to the Korean War.
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