NEW plaques have been unveiled at the war memorial in Tullibody, paying tribute to those who lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars.

They have been placed on the Haer Stone in the town and bear the names of the 27 who died between 1914-1918, and 16 from 1939-1945.

The memorial was paid for by the Tullibody History Group, which applied for a Community Futures Grant from the Coalfields Regeneration Trust.

The work was carried out by local business, J&G Mossman Ltd, and the finished product serves as a testament to those who fought during the conflict.

Chris Calder, chair of the history group, said: “These people, they gave their lives for us, so I think it’s very important that they are remembered, they are part of the families of Tullibody and Cambus.”

When it was first constructed, the war memorial was in the centre of a small body of water and was situated in delightful gardens.

It was originally created for people in Tullibody and Cambus in 1921, with the intention of marking the lives of locals who died in the Great War.

Chris said: “The land was gifted by Major Tullis Sr and money was raised by subscription. The grounds were beautifully laid out with a pond around the Haer Stone, rose gardens, benches made from battleships in that war and a gardener was employed to tend it.

“The Lychgate was also added. A brass plaque was attached to the large stone, originally part of a Pagan stone circle, with the names of the men on it.”

The original plaque is believed to have been stolen.

Mrs Tullis died in 1965 and she had gifted the grounds to the council for maintenance.

In recent years, locals have been motivated to improve the area when trees became overgrown and bushes took over.

The history group applied for a Civic Pride Award in 2002 to manage the shrubs and help improve the paths.

And, having been gifted funding in February from the Community Futures Grant, it was able to place the detailed memorial.

Chris, who would also like to see the gardens brought back to their best, said: “We now have two plaques with the names inscribed and silver lettering and the feedback from people that have seen it is that they are very impressed.”

The Haer Stone dates back more than a thousand years and its existence was referenced in an early edition of the Advertiser.

In December 1851, it spoke of a “large block of whinstone of an irregular figure” surrounded by a number of rough, upright stones.