I add my congratulations to Murdo Fraser on having secured this debate on an important subject. He talked about the nature of the battle of Passchendaele and how it saw the greatest loss of life. He also mentioned the significant contribution that Scots soldiers made to the battle and I noted that the King's Own Scottish Borderers, from my part of the world, took part. The commander-in-chief, Earl Haig of Bemersyde, is buried at Dryburgh Abbey, just inside my Constituency.

Passchendaele was an ill-starred campaign, as has been said. It began at the end of July—it was supposed to have started slightly earlier, if I remember correctly—and it ended in November, after an unusually wet summer. The profound memory of those who survived was perhaps less of enemy fire than it was of mud. Many men lost their lives simply by falling into large mud pools and were never seen again. As Donald Gorrie said, the conditions were beyond belief. I hope that no one has to experience them ever again.

Some years ago, when I was conducting research on a different subject, I read in a Glasgow newspaper from 1918 a report about parents who had had four sons when the war started in 1914: one son was lost in 1915; one was lost on the Somme in 1916; another was lost at Passchendaele in 1917; and the last was lost in November 1918. The story is terribly sad, but I am sure that its events were reflected not only in many households throughout Scotland, but in households throughout other Commonwealth countries and in the households of those who were then described as "the enemy".

It is right and proper that we remember these things and that we tell our children what happened. We need to understand the mistakes of the past because, as the famous saying goes, those who forget the lessons of history are condemned to repeat it. As a result, it is particularly appropriate for us to join the commemorations that are associated with the memorial either directly by helping to buy the stone and erect it, or by taking part in the ceremonials that will mark its unveiling.

Although uncovering such memorials is immensely important, we must also, through education, remind future generations of earlier generations' mistakes, triumphs and sacrifices. If it is possible, even at this late stage, for the Scottish Executive—and, indeed, Parliament—to make a contribution, such a move will be immensely appropriate.