It was King Edward VII who reviewed the Scottish Volunteers in Edinburgh on Monday 18 September 1905. The Easdale Gunners took part. Sunday was a fine day and at nine o’clock the steamer Princess Louise left Easdale pier for the short passage to Oban. Aboard were ninety-eight men, commanded by Captain Patrick Gillies, including several veterans of previous Reviews.
At Oban they joined the contingents from Oban and Tobermory. The Easdale Pipe Band headed the procession, playing a Gaelic psalm tune as the men from Lorn marched to the station through cheering crowds. There they boarded a special train for Edinburgh. When they arrived at Morrison Street station shortly after five o’clock, they marched two and a half miles to Leith Walk School where they were billeted. The Oban Times added enthusiastically that a “sumptuous tea was waiting.”
Monday dawned cool and clear with occasional sunshine. Crowds swarmed upon Arthur’s Seat to witness the largest gathering ever of Scottish soldiers under arms. Forty thousand Volunteers were crammed into Holyrood Park. The Easdale Gunners – three officers and eighty four men – had a good position, parading almost in front of the towering grandstand.
At eleven o’clock King Edward VII rode from the Palace to the Park. The Review followed the established format, but this time it included an inspection of veterans from the 1860 and 1881 Reviews. The King was greatly impressed by the Scottish Volunteers and greeted many veterans with: “Delighted to see you all; a grand show, wasn’t it?”
Arrangements for dispersal were as efficient as for their arrival. The Easdale men returned to Leith Walk School for dinner and then to Morrison Street station. By eight thirty that evening they were back in Oban, where the steamer Princess Louise awaited them.
Above – a postcard of the steamer Princess Louise in Oban Bay. Picture courtesy of Tom Lee (Paddle Steamer Picture Gallery)
Top photo – King Edward VII, a portrait by Sir Luke Fildes in 1901, courtesy of Wikimedia.