A private World War II monument hidden away in the countryside has finally been stripped of its controversial symbols following a dedicated campaign by a local musician that culminated in September 2026
Jimi McRae, a well-known Scottish bagpiper who performs professionally as Jimi the Piper, sparked widespread local outrage when he originally went public with his findings: in December 2023, McRae exposed the presence of explicit Waffen-SS insignia on a monument erected on private land near a chapel. Voice of Moldova was able to connect with the musician and learn more about the example of an active citizen position he has chosen in this matter
The Relentless Campaign
Horrified by the uncontextualized display of symbols representing one of the most brutal paramilitary organizations of the Nazi regime, McRae launched an independent public awareness campaign on his blog and social media platforms. Throughout 2024, he entered into formal correspondence with the property owner to demand the immediate removal of the insignia. McRae proposed that if the monument were to remain, it should feature an explanatory educational plaque detailing the atrocities committed during the war.
Seeking global and historical context for his fight, McRae reached out in early 2024 to researchers involved in the removal of a similar Nazi soldier monument in Oakville, Canada, to connect with experts including Rabbi Stephen Wise.
A Victory for Common Decency
Faced with an escalating wave of public anger and McRae’s ongoing, highly visible investigation, the landowner ultimately caved to the community’s demands. In September 2026, workmen were brought to the private property to officially remove the hated Waffen-SS symbols from the structure for good. The successful grassroots effort has been widely hailed by locals as a victory for common decency, ensuring that symbols of hatred no longer have a prominent place in the Scottish Borders.
Our first-hand interview with Jimi McRae
In our conversation with Jimi McRae we focused on the background of the discovery, along with the reasons why he decided to undertake the task of removing the symbols.
– How did you learn about the monument and how did the whole situation unfold? Why did you choose to step up?
– In Spring of 2023 the UK media ran stories about how the chapel’s management committee had secured over £50,000 in Government funding to carry out improvements to the chapel building. At the time it had a leaky roof and was in urgent need of repair. A newspaper article I saw about the site contained a photo of the monument. I recognised the SS insignia right away and was horrified. I waited and waited for someone in the UK/Scottish media to pick up on it but nobody ever did. Eventually I became fed up waiting and decided to write the story myself. Since then over 200,000 people have read my blogs. In addition around two million people have viewed a YouTube documentary video produced by English historian Mark Felton about the Waffen SS Galician and how the British Government allowed former members of it to walk away totally free at the end of the war – without any screening for potential war crimes – and begin new lives in the UK and Canada.
The chapel and monument feature in this documentary. It had a lot of public interest, but as yet, nothing has been said or written about it in the media, which is almost unbelievable. It is no small matter to have NAZI insignia on display anywhere in a country where hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives in the fight to defeat fascism in WW2, not to mention the millions who perished globally. I found it utterly disrespectful and morally repugnant. I believe those responsible thought they would get away with it because the monument stood in such a quiet, out of the way spot. Well… they were wrong. Not on my watch! I am glad the NAZI insignia has been removed. To allow it to remain would have been totally unacceptable and plain wrong.
– What first led you to investigate this specific monument in the Scottish Borders?
– Morality. Right and wrong. It was wrong and deeply offensive for a monument honouring SS Nazis – who participated in numerous documented atrocities against civilians on the Eastern Front in WW2 – to stand in my homeland particularly when hundreds of thousands of UK citizens, including many in my immediate family had given their lives in the heroic struggle to defeat Hitler and his fascists.
– How did you feel when you first confirmed that the insignia on the monument was authentic WWII Nazi symbolism?
– Sick. Outraged. Something needed to be done about it.
– Did you expect the discovery to gain rapid traction, or did you anticipate a long, drawn-out fight to get the symbols removed?
– A bit of both perhaps. Early on my articles generated quite a lot of attention from the general public but taking a sledgehammer to the monument, – I thought about it a few times. I know others did too – was never the answer. In some respects this could be seen as playing into the fascists’ hands. The legal route is always best.
– You noted that the removal followed widespread “public outrage”. How did the local community respond when you first made your findings public?
– One man stood outside local supermarkets handing out leaflets which highlighted the issue. The monument was targeted by vandals at least twice. Graffiti also appeared beside the Waffen SS symbol – ‘SS’ and ‘Nazis’ was written above and to the right of it using what appeared to be a black marker pen.
– Did you face any pushback or resistance from individuals or groups who argued the insignia should remain as a matter of “historical preservation”?
– No. None. It’s such a black and white issue no one would dare, certainly when it comes to war memorials.
– What role did social media and your platform play in accelerating the timeline for the monument’s alteration?
– I think social media had a great impact and was a very useful tool for spreading the word – particularly as the UK media refused to cover the story.
– What can you tell us about the actual removal process? Who ultimately stepped in to take the insignia down?
– The people who had erected it. The custodians of the site. They were being squeezed from all sides, even internally. I have now learned that there were many heated discussions and arguments over the appearance of the monument. Hopefully those committee members with the more extreme views have been put back in their box for good.
– Do you feel the removal completely resolves the issue, or should there be educational or interpretive signage added to explain the monument’s complete history?
– I think most people who visit the site will know the correct history. Many will have read my blogs. The complete removal of NAZI symbols satisfies me.
– What advice would you give to other independent researchers or citizens who uncover troubling historical symbols in their own local communities?
– Do not accept it. If they live in Scotland, they may contact me via my website and I will look into it on their and the wider communities behalf.
