Heart of Midlothian War Memorial Works Complete

Heart of Midlothian and the Foundation of Hearts (FoH) are pleased to announce that the works to dignify the Heart of Midlothian War Memorial have been successfully completed.

The works were made possible by the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) and with guidance from various leading bodies in war memorial conservation and research.

The war memorial, close to Haymarket Station, is an important symbol of community, friendship and sacrifice in the history of the club and the City of Edinburgh. The funds for the Memorial were initially raised and paid for by the Club and its supporters as a form of remembrance to those who made the ultimate sacrifice. You can read more about the history of the Hearts’ Memorial here.

As part of the Maroon Mile Project, the NLHF has supported the works to dignify the Memorial, including creating an inscribed boundary around the memorial using a selection of Aberdeenshire Grey Granite, Caithness Flagstone & Clashach Sandstone. Each stone has been carefully inscribed with selected quotes taken from historic archival sources.

The project was led by FoH Honorary Director Garry Halliday and Conservation Architect Bob Craig, both of whom have put many hours of unpaid work into the project. Over the weekend, Garry worked with a team of highly skilled volunteers to complete the work to the Memorial. 

The work will be formally dedicated during Hearts’ annual Remembrance Service in November this year. 

Quote from Garry Halliday, Hon Director of the Foundation of Hearts: 

‘The journey to get these works carried out has been going on for many years and without the dedication, determination and expertise of the architect Bob Craig, this project would not have happened. Bob was one of life's good guys; a warm, wonderful man. Sadly, Bob passed away a few months ago and we are all immensely upset that Bob never got the chance to see the completion of his vision. 

It was an honour to carry out the works at the Memorial; a huge thanks to Gordon Halliday, Gordon Finney and Gary Mackay who gave up their time for free to help complete the project. We would also like to thank John and Charlie – two passing Hearts fans - who helped lift the crest into place!’ 

You can watch Garry and his team carry out the works to the war memorial over three days below.