Royal visit to Veterans Housing in Trinity
His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester visited a Veterans Housing Scotland community in Trinity on Wednesday where he met two of its longest serving beneficiaries.
Earl Haig Gardens is described as “First World War Ex-Servicemen’s Settlement for disabled ex-servicemen and their families, built on part of the garden ground of Mayfield House, which belonged to the Salvesen family”.
During his visit, HRH visited the site of a tree planted by his grandfather King George V in 1923 (which has regrettably been destroyed by the weather) before visiting the home of beneficiaries Davy and Kathleen Adamson. The couple welcomed their royal visitor into the home they have lived in for 25 years, making them among the longest beneficiaries of the charity.
Davy (68) served with the Royal Highland Fusiliers for 23 years before a further 18 years with Lothian & Borders Police. He suffers from a variety of service-related disabilities and is now Head Tour Guide and wreath maker at Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory where he has worked for 13 years.
He said: “Kathleen and I were thrilled to be invited to host His Royal Highness and to let him see our forever home. The most important thing to us is security and peace of mind which we get in abundance from Veterans Housing Scotland. They take responsibility for everything and are always at the end of a phone. The support is excellent. We love our home.”
Veterans Housing Scotland is the leading provider of homes for disabled veterans in Scotland. Kevin Gray, Chief Executive of the charity, said: ‘We were delighted to host HRH The Duke of Gloucester on his visit to Veterans Housing Scotland. HRH took a very keen interest in the architecture and make up of Earl Haig Gardens in Edinburgh which was the second settlement developed by the charity in 1919 to support disabled veterans. We were pleased Davv Adamson, and his wife Kathleen, invited HRH into their home and were able to chat with him about their positive experience as part of the Veterans Housing Scotland family.
‘VHS has evolved greatly since the beginning and it is always a pleasure to share our story. We know His Royal Highness has a strong affiliation with veterans and was very interested to learn of the work we do. Our beneficiaries were excited to meet him. Definitely a moment never to be forgotten.’
The foundation stone at Earl Haig Gardens was laid on 25th October 1919 by Lord Salvesen, then Chairman of Scottish Veterans Garden City Association (now known as Veterans Housing Scotland). It was opened on 1st October 1921 by Field Marshall Earl Haig. Carved tablets commemorate the sons of local families, including the Salvesens, who died in action.
