A NEW exhibition commemorating the Great War and its impact in Clackmannanshire opened at the Speirs Centre, Alloa on Saturday, September 12.
The exhibition will looks at the events leading up to the outbreak of war on August 4, 1914 and the first 17 months of the conflict. It will also  focus on two local men who were awarded the Victoria Cross in 1915.
James Dalglish Pollock VC and James Lennox Dawson VC were both born in Tillicoultry, although Dawson’s family moved to Alloa when he was eight.
They were awarded the VC, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces, for their actions during the Artois-Loos Offensive.
James Dalglish Pollock VC  was 25 and a corporal in the 5th Battalion The Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders, when he was awarded the VC for his outstanding bravery on September 27.
He threw hand grenades into a British trench which had been infiltrated by German soldiers, while subjected  to  heavy machine gun fire. He held up the German advance until he was wounded.
Two weeks later his second cousin, 23-year-old James Lennox Dawson VC, who was serving in 187th Company Royal Engineers (Special Brigade),  also won the VC during the same battle, near the Hohenzollern Redoubt.

He saved many men  by patrolling  back and forth above the trenches, directing his sappers and clearing infantry from the trenches which were full of gas, all the while under very heavy  fire. He then ensured that three leaking gas canisters did not get near the trenches.
A range of items relating to the war will also be displayed in the exhibition, including objects from the council collection, material on loan from The Regimental Museum of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and memorabilia of Clackmannanshire soldiers loaned by members of the public.
In addition, from September 24 until October 20, the medal set of James Dalglish Pollock VC will be on display, on loan from The Highlanders’ Museum at Fort George.


Councillor Donald Balsillie, depute council leader, said: “This fascinating exhibition gives us the chance to look back 100 years and learn of the extraordinary impact that the First World War had on everyone, including families here in Clackmannanshire.
“From items associated with our local recipients of the Victoria Cross to posters that would have been put up locally to encourage men to enlist, this collection gives us a great opportunity to see our history at first hand.”
The exhibition runs until the end of the year.