Presentation of the ELIZABETH CROSS
Borderers,
Sixty five years after Private Archibald Buchanan Clark was killed in the Korean War, his brother Roy Clark has been presented with the Elizabeth Cross during a ceremony at the City Chambers of Edinburgh.
Archie Clark, a Jock in 1 KOSB, was 20 years old when he was killed in action at Kumgong, Korea on the 22nd of May 1951.
His relatives were presented with the Queen’s honour by Edinburgh’s Lord Lieutenant Donald Wilson. He said: “It is an honour to bestow Archie’s brother and extended family with a tangible recognition of his bravery. The Elizabeth Cross provides a lasting recognition of his National Service and the loss felt by those he left behind. The contribution of Scottish troops during the Korean War is all too often overlooked, which makes honouring soldiers like Archie and remembering their sacrifice even more important.”
Archie’s family said: “The Clark family would like to thank the Ministry of Defence for arranging this special day. Archie, who died in Korea aged 20, is, and will always be, missed. This medal and scroll will be passed down through the family, who will always have a reminder of the sacrifice Archie and all his comrades made.”
The King’s Own Scottish Borderers Association was represented at the ceremony by Brigadier Allan Alstead.
The Elizabeth Cross award was created in 2009 to provide national recognition for the families of Armed Forces personnel who have died on operations or as a result of an act of terrorism. It is granted to the families of those who died in conflicts dating back to 1948, from the Korean War, the Falklands conflict, operations in Northern Ireland and recent operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In a message to her Armed Forces, Her Majesty the Queen said: “This seems to me a right and proper way of showing our enduring debt to those who are killed while actively protecting what is most dear to us all. The solemn dignity which we attach to the names of those who have fallen is deeply engrained in our national character. As a people, we accord this ultimate sacrifice the highest honour and respect.”
“Always a Borderer”