A GROUP set up to promote and protect a historic battle site near Pitlochry has said it has “no confidence” in a Scottish Government inquiry set up to review the arguments over the A9 roadworks encroaching on it.
The inquiry, to be headed by a Scottish Government-appointed reporter, will start later this month, but Soldiers of Killiecrankie have described it as “one-sided”.
It formed in 2014 to tell the story of the historically important Battle of Killiecrankie and mark the 1689 clash between Jacobite and Scottish Government soldiers. It holds annual events there over its anniversary weekend, with people taking part in re-enactments from across the UK and Europe.
READ MORE: Fight looms over road plan for Battle of Killiecrankie site
James Rattray, who chairs Soldiers of Killiecrankie, said “This is a totally one-sided enquiry. It is not about what is best for the Killiecrankie battlefield and preserving our nation’s history.
“It is all about Transport Scotland amassing all its resources to defend its badly-chosen, destructive route through our battlefield.
“This is typified by Transport Scotland’s initial objection to the participation of Rulzion Rattray’s contribution via video link to the enquiry, because he is unable to attend in person. Rulzion Rattray is a founding member of Soldiers of Killiecrankie who has specialised in the Battle of Killiecrankie. Transport Scotland have access to limitless funds, choosing to appoint a barrage of lawyers to argue for them, against those of us who live and work here. We have no access to public funding to support our case.
“We are the people who tell the story of this very important Scottish Jacobite battlefield.”
Soldiers of Killiecrankie have produced a video showing what they say is the encroachment of a proposed new dualled section of the A9 on to a part of the battle site where it’s thought the remains of hundreds of soldiers may be buried.
Rattray said they were not against the improvements to the A9, and added: “We discovered in April 2017 that Transport Scotland had chosen to ignore the history and had chosen a route that goes straight through the very heart of the battlefield, where the majority of the 2000 men died that day in 1689.
“Ironically this is a repeat of the battle 330 years ago, where a much larger and better equipped Scottish Government army took on the Jacobites.
“We cannot do this on our own, we are calling on everyone ... who cares about Scottish and Jacobite history to contact Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister, asking her to step in and stop the destruction of our nation’s Jacobite history.”
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