"I stand before this flag,
the white Saltire of St. Andrew in the blue summer's sky.

It represents the soil from which I sprang,
and to which, one day, I must return.

It represents Scotland.
As it was, as it is.
As it always will be."

Sir David R. Ross - Oktober 2009

Sir David R. Ross wurde am 28. Februar in Giffnock, Renfrewshire in der 42 Merryton Avenue geboren. Am 2. Januar 2010 musste er leider viel zu früh von uns gehen. Er verstarb zuhause in East Kilbride an einem Herzinfarkt.
"Robertson" war der Mädchenname seiner Mutter. 1987 erblickte seine einzige Tochter Kimberley das Licht der Welt. Sir David war geschieden.

Er war ein schottischer Autor und Patriot. Zusammen mit Duncan Fenton gründete er die "The William Wallace Society". Sir David war wohl der größte Wallace Forscher, den Schottland (die Welt?) je gesehen hatte.
Schon als Kind interessierte er sich sehr für die schottische Geschichte und besuchte historische Orte, las unermesslich viele Bücher.
Mit seinem ersten Motorrad - er war damals 17 Jahre jung - besuchte er dann die Orte, von denen er gelesen hatte, sie aber nur von den Abbildungen aus Büchern kannte.
Zurück von seiner Reise "auf den Spuren von William Wallace" verfasste er dann sein erstes Buch: "On the Trail of  William Wallace" (Luath Press). Sein großer Traum war es, den Geist von Sir William Wallace wieder nach Hause zu bringen/holen, zurück nach Schottland. Dies geschah dann auch im Jahre 2005 (zum 700sten Jahrestag) unter dem Namen "Walk for Wallace", an dem ich persönlich in London teilnahm (siehe auch "Walk for Wallace" auf  der HP). Big Davie, wie er liebevoll von seinen Freunden genannt wurde, beschritt den letzten Weg von Sir William Wallace zu Fuß, als die Engländer ihn von Robroyston nach London zur Hinrichtung brachten. Stolze 450 Meilen.

Mehrere Bücher folgen:  "On the Trail of Robert the Bruce", "On the Trail of Bonnie Price Charlie", "On the Trail of Scotlands History", "The Black Douglas", "A Passion for Scotland", "Desire Lines" und "For Freedom". Das letztere handelt von den letzten Tagen von Sir William Wallace und dem Walk for Wallace.

Schottland verlor einen weiteren, großartigen Sohn... Niemand wird die Lücke füllen können, die er hinterlassen hat.

Weitere Information über ihn findet Ihr auf seiner englischsprachigen HomePage: David Ross

"I wanted to bring one of my heroes, arguably the greatest soldier Scotland has ever produced, to a new generation. Known as James the Good in Scotland, and the Black Douglas in England, this book was a joy to write. His is an extra-ordinary story. His relationship with Robert the Bruce began at the Arrickstane at the head of Annandale in southern Scotland in 1306, and ended in Andulucia in southern Spain in 1330, and is a story writers of fiction would find hard to emulate.
This book boasts a colour picture section, and maps pinpointing where the major events of James' life took place. It tells of the battles he fought in, and how he almost captured two succesive kings of England. His name so terrified the invaders of Scotland that mothers would use his name to chide their children, threatening that "the Black Douglas would get them!"
The book also contains a route guide to visit places where James visited in England." 180 pages.

Desire Lines is a journey through the landscape of Scotland and her history. It tells stories, some old some new, some famous and some little known, on its journey. A guidebook that visitors to Scotland will appreciate, and a book for Scots too, to give an insight into what actually lies around them in the landscape. Stories from Roman times in Scotland, to modern murder mysteries. It takes us through each area and every type of terrain, unfolding the delight that is Scotland in a sometimes humorous way. 450 pages.

For Freedom tells the story of the last month of the life of Scotland's hero, William Wallace. We are taken through the horror of his last hours and his hideous murder. This is a book of two halfs. The second six chapters tell of how Wallace is perceived by the people of Scotland 700 years after the fact. It tells the story of David's own tribute to Wallace-his 450 mile walk to London to highlight the life of Wallace himself. We are also taken on the route that Wallace was dragged to his death, with details of what survives there today. Colour photographs. 168 pages.

A Passion for Scotland is a journey through some loose ends of Scottish history. It covers stories like the whereabouts of the sword, ring and dagger taken from the body of James IV of Scotland at the battle of Flodden in 1513. It concentrates on little tales of insurrection in Scotland against the British state. It also reveals the last resting places of all the royals of Scotland, scattered over the landscape as they are. 144 pages.

On the Trail of Bonnie Prince Charlie tells the story of his time in Scotland and England during 1745/46. We follow the route he took from Glenfinnan, south to Derby, north again to the terrible defeat at Culloden, and the book tells us what there is in the landscape today that Charles was familiar with . Many of the places he stayed in are still in existence. It contains maps, sketches and old prints. 158 pages.

On the Trail of Robert the Bruce tells the story of the hero-king of Scots, and visits the places associated with the life of this remarkable man. We visit Bannockburn, the scene of his great victory over the invading English in 1314, to the lesser known scenes of his great battles deep in English territory. The book also tells us the details of the "re-discovering" of Bruce's tomb in the 1800s. It contains maps, sketches and old prints depicting places associated with his life. 182 pages.

It contains fifty-one short chapters, each giving a site pertinent in Scotland where one can see traces of her history.
The chapters are in chronological order, and each chapter has details of a place to visit, giving the traveller a grounding on the fascinating past of Scotland. 133 pages.

On the Trail of William Wallace tells the historical story of Wallace, but it is interspersed with details of what there is to see today connected with the national hero of Scotland. For instance, the spot where Wallace slew the English sheriff of Lanark is now the town's bowling green! It contains maps, sketches, and old prints depicting places associated with the life of Wallace. 170 pages.

Seine Bücher könnt Ihr bei Amazon erwerben.

Beerdigung von Sir David. Video von Alex Calderhead.
Die Trauerfeier fand am 11. Januar um 15:30 Uhr (UK Time) im South Lanarkshire Crematorium, Sydes Brae, Blantyre, statt.

 

It is with great sadness that we have to inform you all that David R. Ross passed away on Saturday the 2nd of January 2010.
David was one of Scotland's favourite sons and will best be remembered for his Walk for Wallace in 2005 where he walked from Robroyston to London in order to bring the spirit of Wallace back home.
David was also a very successful author and historian who's left us with a wealth of books which no doubt will inspire future generations and hopefully instill in them the pride and passion for our country that David had running through his veins.

If there's a heaven David will be up there right now sitting with William Wallace, Robert the Bruce, the Douglas and all the other great Scottish patriots and he more than deserves his seat at that table!
David we will all miss you Sir and Scotland is a far poorer place without you! Our thoughts and prayers are with David's family at this time.

The Society of William Wallace

* * *

Today I have lost a true friend, Scotland has lost one of her finest sons. He was a giant of a man in so many more ways than his physical stature. No man loved his country more and he made sure everybody knew it with an incredible passion for both its history and its future. I feel humble and priveleged to have been a part of his life and to have been asked to be part of William Wallace's funeral service in 2005. I hope he knew just how much it meant to every one of us there that day. 
He had so much more he wanted to do, so many plans. We can never replace his presence, knowledge and friendship but through his books, words and actions he left a legacy that continues to inspire thousands of people to acknowledge who we are as a nation and to share in his dreams. It now falls on us to carry these dreams forward.
Sleep well Big Davie  - we will not let you down.

Ted Christopher

* * *

It is with great sadness that we have to announce that David R Ross died 02/01/2010. David was not only an Honorary member of the group but he was a close friend and true patriot of Scotland. David promoted Scotland relentlessly at home and abroad and was proud of the way Scotland is heading. David hoped he would see a free and independent Scotland in his lifetime, sadly he has passed on before he could see this happen.
He will be very sadly missed.

Crann Tara

* * *

On Saturday the 2nd of January 2010 Scotland lost one of her favourite sons, our great friend and brother David R. Ross was taken from us.

David's passion for his country, infectious sense of humour and loveable personality made him one life's good guys.  He achieved so much in his short time on this earth, some of his most memorable being the wealth of books he wrote and his incredible walk to London in 2005 to give Sir William Wallace a Christian burial and to bring his spirit home, home to Scotland. We will all miss him so much but will strive to carry on his relentless work for Scotland and in doing so we shall honour his name.

Rest in peace, dear friend - David R. Ross 28-02-58 to 02-01-2010.

We realise that David touched a great many of you in some way or another, so we wanted to give you a place to leave your thoughts and stories of how the big man made an impact on your lives.

Albannach

 


Update: 28. März 2010