Ex-soldier inspired by father’s wartime bravery launches Military Museum Scotland

AN ex-soldier who was inspired by his dad’s wartime bravery is launching a museum to honour Scotland’s military heroes.

Military Museum Scotland, which will open its doors on Saturday, follows on from a touring set-up established by Ian Inglis.

It will pay tribute to the men and women, past and present, who served their country, with some making the ultimate sacrifice.

The opening comes as the Ministry of Defence slashes funding for Army regimental museums.

Veterans say the cuts will see closures that could jeopardise links to our proud military history.

Ian, 52, is worried by the closures, but even without those he says a huge chunk of the past isn’t covered.

“There are a number of great museums but they tend to focus on their own particular regiment,” said Ian, from Dalkeith, near Edinburgh.

“It’s a real shame that we’re losing some, but there are hundreds of thousands of Scottish servicemen and women who weren’t part of the Scottish regiments.

“There’s the Royal Artillery, Commandos, many other infantry regiments elsewhere in Britain and no one is telling their story.”

Ian’s military connections go back to his earliest days. His dad George died when he was just nine and Ian was given his World War Two medals.

The collection included a Military Medal, awarded for bravery at the Battle of the Bulge in the final few months of the war.

Although his dad had never spoken about the circumstances, Ian later uncovered the truth through tracking down the citation.

“He was in the Royal Artillery and they were firing big artillery guns during the battle,” explained Ian.

“He grabbed a Bren gun and stormed a German machine gun post to save his commander.”

Even before learning that, Ian was inspired to follow in his dad’s footsteps, serving in the Army for 21 years. He worked as an outdoor instructor after leaving. But having started to collect military memorabilia after getting his dad’s medals, he kept on adding to it.

He was asked to talk to some kids about his collection and interest was such that school visits became a weekly occurrence.

That led to the setting up of the Mobile Military Museum with his vast array of weapons, uniforms, kit, letters, photographs and more.

It dates from World War One to modern-day conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“I have so much that I could fill the average school gym hall at least five times over, so I knew I needed to get a permanent museum.

“I’ve got most of it in storage, in family’s homes and it’s packed in my house. Luckily, my wife Donna is very understanding.”

Ian has found premises within the Scottish War Blinded estate in Wilkieston, West Lothian, for the grand opening next weekend.

“I’ve had an amazing amount of help and veterans from all over the country have been donating loads of kit,” added Ian.

“We’ll also have a drop-in advice centre for veterans. I really hope there will be something for everyone who wants to learn about our military heritage.

“Most of the stuff won’t be in cases, it’ll all be very hands-on.”