Author: Leonie PatersonPage 3 of 3

In memory of Lieutenant Isaac Bayley Balfour [Jr.] (1889-1915)

During the initial few months of the First World War 56 men out of a total male staff of around 88 at RBGE enlisted, rising to 73 by…

In memory of Private William Gordon Dickson (1871-1915)

William G. Dickson joined the staff of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh as a Labourer on the 3rd August 1914, the day before Great Britain declared War on…

In memory of Private Duncan Smith (1884-1915)

Duncan Smith began work at RBGE as a probationer or trainee gardener on the 4th January 1909 at the age of 24, receiving training and work experience in…

In memory of Private Thomas Adam (1878-1915)

In researching this series of centenary blogs in which I research each of our former staff members who enlisted during the First World War and are named on our…

In memory of Private Walter Henry Morland (1881-1915)

Walter Henry Morland joined the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) on the 5th January 1910 as a rose specialist. He came to RBGE near the age of 30…

Private Allan Menzies (1894-1915) – photo found

5th Cameron Highlanders.  Reported missing, presumed killed, on the 25th September 1915 at the Battle of Loos. We were delighted to be sent this photograph recently of Private…

Sir Isaac Bayley Balfour (1853-1922)

Born on the 31st March 1853, the son of John Hutton Balfour who was Regius Keeper at RBGE between 1845 and 1879, Isaac Bayley Balfour grew up up in very close contact…

George Forrest’s camera work

The Scots plant collector George Forrest (1873-1932) is now known as a talented photographer, though he didn’t necessarily enjoy the process of using a cumbersome glass plate camera,…

Forrest’s Rhododendron Giant

Plant Collector George Forrest (1873-1932) introduced over 300 new rhododendron species to Britain but one in particular dwarfed all of these, Rhododendron protistum, which is represented in our…

Figure in Victorian photograph identified as James McNab

It was difficult to spot there even was a figure in a Victorian photo of the RBGE Rock Garden which was transferred to the Archives last week, and…

George Forrest (1873-1932)

Let me tell you about a hero of mine, and the focus of one of the most requested collections stored in the Archives of the Royal Botanic Garden…

Commemorating the First World War – our Stories

To mark the centenary of the First World War, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh has created a poppy meadow at our Edinburgh garden. The meadow, located on the…

The Botanics in WW1 – Display in Library Foyer

You may  be interested to know that there is a small display in the library foyer, just up the stairs from the garden’s memorial, covering our WW1 Roll…

In memory of Private David Hume (1888-1914)

In memory of Private David Hume, who was killed in action 100 years ago today, on the 26th August 1914, a few weeks short of his 26th birthday….

RBGE at War – Hume and Fallow’s stories

As a fan of eminent plant collector George Forrest (1873-1932), I’d long known that two of his plant introductions had been named after former RBGE gardeners killed in…