The sacrifice of foresters from the Commonwealth countries, who travelled thousands of miles to keep Scotland’s timber supplies flowing during World War 2, has been recognised in a living memorial in Pollok Country Park, Glasgow.

The Commonwealth Foresters’ Memorial has been landscaped into the Park, featuring a mix of 100 trees that are planted in widening circles, similar to the growth rings of a tree, marking the passage of time.

Planting the last tree in the Memorial grounds, a native Acer tree of Canada, Environment Minister Mairi McAllan said: “In the early 1940s, thousands of foresters from Belize, Australia, Poland, New Zealand and Canada answered the call for assistance and came to work in Scotland’s forests. They replaced many of our own foresters who were abroad fighting in the war.

“It is important that we remember their commitment and selfless service. We owe each and every one of them a debt of gratitude and the Scottish Government would like to thank them and their contribution during WW2.”

During WW2, timber was in great demand for a range of uses including pit props in the coal mining industry, which in turn produced the fuel for large scale manufacturing in the war.

As many supply routes overseas were being blocked during the war, it was vital that home grown timber supplies were kept open. It was the job of foresters from other Commonwealth countries to keep timber flowing.

Remarkably, 900 foresters from Belize (formerly British Honduras) sailed a perilous 5,000 mile trip across the North Atlantic to Scotland, dodging German U boats along the way. For these men, most had not encountered cold weather before, let alone seen snow. They were billeted in a number of camps, mainly in East Lothian, the Scottish Borders, Sutherland and in the western Highlands.