Category: Current News

After the Armistice :  Love and Loss – the Life and Death of Elizabeth Johnston, QMAAC is an event with words, music and images to commemorate the only woman on the Anstruther war memorial. 

Elizabeth joined the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps in 1917 and served in France where she tragically died on Christmas Day 1918. 

Researched and narrated by Kevin Dunion, it tells her story of being a woman at war, and the joy and sorrow after the armistice, illustrated by original photographs. Her relationship with a young Canadian soldier, Donald Cameron provides an unexpected twist.  

This centenary concert features specially composed music by Richard Wemyss, performed by Jim Tribble, Rebecca Clulow, Dick Halley, James Breen-McDaid,  supported by members of the Anstruther Philharmonic choir and with Elizabeth’s letters read by Kirsty Simpson, 

12 December 7.30 pm,  Cellardyke Church, Toll Road – tickets £9/£6 concession from Govan’s Optometrist or on the door.

14 December 7.30 pm, Scottish Storytelling Centre  Edinburgh tickets £10/£8 concession. Book online at https://www.scottishstorytellingcentre.com/event-post/eventid/16813-after-the-armistice-love-and-loss-christmas-1918afterdec18/

On Saturday 22 September we will officially open our new permanent home for the Burgh Collection in the East Neuk Centre, Ladywalk. We have a dedicated space to house our archives and an adjoining room to put some items on display as well as a space to meet with visitors, carry out research etc .  To celebrate and to show off our new home we are are having an open morning on Saturday 22 September, with an exhibition of some of our artefacts and material. Open to all, so please do join us – Open Morning from 10-12 noon with the Official Opening ceremony at 10.30am.  And why not bring along any local photo or object from the past that you think would be of interest to us?

Our new base in Ladywalk allows us to display some of our material. Amongst our favourites are the Dux Boards from Cellardyke School from 1920-1960. 

 

Love and War: The Life and Death of Johnnie of QMAAC’

Anster Nicht Talk, Dreel Halls 15 February 7.30 pm

The only woman commemorated on the Anstruther war memorial is Elizabeth Johnston, a former pupil of Waid Academy, whose father was a sailmaker in East Green. A telegraphist in Queen Mary’s Army Auxiliary Corps she tragically died, falling from a church tower in Rouen on Christmas Day 1918.

In this, her centenary year, Kevin Dunion, Chair of the Kilrenny and Anstruther Burgh Collection will consider the circumstances of her death and will reveal the results of his painstaking research to establish the identity of the young Canadian soldier she had become close to and who played a prominent part at her funeral. It is a story with an unexpected twist,

Thanks to Louise Lewis at The Bank we have the old wooden street sign from High Street Anstruther, which she saw the Council replacing with a new blue metal one.