At the southeast corner of Jeanfield Park near the end of Hawarden Terrace stands this memorial which records the names of 70 soldiers who fell in the First World War. Difficult to believe just how many died from a such a small part of Perth.
In a garden south of High Street and east of New Row is the Korean War Memorial. It contains a series of plaques with details of the fallen and commemorative plaques remembering the veterans of all services.
Balhousie Castle on Hay Street dates from 1631 but became the Black Watch Museum in 2009. South of the entrance is statue and inscription to remember the fallen of the Black Watch. Two plaques on the castle walls remember Field Marshall the Earl Wavell who as General Wavell commanded the 8th Army in North Africa where he defeated the Italians. Wavell was appointed Commander in Chief for Middle East. Following service in North Africa he was appointed to take charge of the defence of India in the Burmese theatre. Wavell’s final appointment was as Viceroy of India. A plaque beside the west gate commemorates the opening of the Gardens and the dedication of the gates to the memory of Field Marshall the Earl Wavell by his widow, Lady Wavell. The site also exhibits a series of plaques acknowledging the association of Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mother with the Regiment.
St Ninians Cathedral on Atholl Street contains a series of War Memorials. A large window dedicated to the Black Watch. St. Ninian’s Episcopal School war memorial. A further war memorial to World War I. A large brass plaque to the memory of the individual soldiers of the Black Watch who fell in the Boer War. The Boer War plaque is interesting as this was the first war in which the deaths of individual soldiers were recognised. Previously there were no memorials to named soldiers; the memorials were to the regiment as a whole.
On the eastern side of the main North Inch flood gates, close to the Garden of Remembrance are two war memorial plaques. The right hand one records those employees of Perth Co-operative who fell in the First World War, together with a second panel below remembering three more servicemen and women who died in the Second World War.. On the left hand is a plaque to remember those who volunteered to fight in the Spanish Civil War. (1936-1939) The plaque, designed by Paul Philipou, bears a poem by William Soutar and is a dedication to the people of Perthshire who served.
An obelisk near the south end of the North Inch is devoted to the Cameronians, previously the Scottish Rifles. It displays the origin of the regiment, its battle honours and records its final parade within the garden in 1968.
An interesting plaque is attached to the railings of Roslin House at Dewars Corner (the junction of Glasgow Road and Glover Street). It sets out the believed location for both the archery butts and the amphitheatre where James V watched plays in 1539. The actual site of the amphitheatre is believed to be in the area now occupied by the industrial park opposite. In 2023 the owners had the railings re-painted and the lettering was made much clearer.
The garden contains a number of memorials. Just outside the North Inch flood gate is a garden containing a statue and series of plaques devoted to the 51st Highland Division of which the Black Watch was an important part.
Robert Lorimer carried out a restoration to transform the Kirk into the War Memorial to the dead of Perth and Perthshire following the Great War 1914 – 1918. In addition to the concept of the whole building being a War Memorial, within the church are a series of individual plaques to specific regiments and groupings. The Parachute Regiment The Burma Star Association The Royal Army Service Corps. The Black Watch in the Boer War Members of the Congregation of St. John’s A shrine to all from Perth and County who fell in the two World Wars. The Scottish Area Women’s Royal Army Corps Association The Queen Mother’s window to the Black Watch. Masonic Brethren who fell in both World Wars. These two brass plaques are surrounded by interesting masonic symbols incised into the surrounding masonry.
Perth's most recent war memorial is in St John Street at the east end of St Johns Kirk. It was erected by the Association of Perth Veterans (APV) during 2020 and dedicated on June 26, 2021 after delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “The APV was formed in 2018 as a pressure group to ensure that those men and women who served in the forces from the Perth area, as well as those who gave their lives for our country – and the memorials erected to honour them – aren’t forgotten,” retired Colonel Bert Macrae, association secretary, explained to the local press in June 2021. “Our main aim from day one was to get a proper war memorial erected in the centre of Perth. The city has never had a proper war memorial and over the years wreaths were laid at the Mercat Cross, opposite Perth City Hall. This is not a war memorial – it was erected in 1913 to the memory of King Edward, Queen Victoria’s oldest son.” A bronze plaque accompanying the badges bears the inscription: “Erected in remembrance of all the men and women of HM armed forces who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the service of…