Troops from the Heraldry Society of Scotland under the command of Mark Dennis invaded Flanders in September 2004. Their objective was the establishment of a marketing bridgehead for the 27^th International Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences being held in St Andrews in 2006.

The task force - chairman Romilly Squire, members Dr Alastair Ross and Dr James Floyd and honorary member Gordon Casely - successfully spearheaded a marketing initiative among some 200 attendees and supporters of the 26th congress being held in Bruges.

The attack was constantly pressed home on all sides to persuade the attendees and their friends to come to St Andrews in two years’ time.

Every device in the Scots armoury was deployed including an exhaustive round of meetings, greetings, openings, drinks parties and gatherings. Back-up propaganda efforts centred on the wearing of the kilt and tunes of glory from two sets of pipes.  

At the conclusion of the week-long campaign, the chairman of the congress paid tribute at the farewell banquet: “We make special mention of the Scots, whom we have seen and heard all week”. 

One member of Scotland’s special forces later recalled: “It was hard, difficult and dangerous work, but someone had to do it”.

Mark Dennis, secretary-general of the 2006 congress in St Andrews, co-ordinated the careful zeroing in of key decision makers, foreign heralds, academics and leading players. Weapons transported to Bruges includes four hundredweight of marketing literature, heraldic books, pamphlets and souvenir novelties.

Several Society members were at Bruges in their own right, including Rhoda and Chris Green, Ralph Brocklebank, Peter Sergeant and Paul Sutherland. Carrick Pursuivant Elizabeth Roads, Chris Green and Mark Dennis also presented papers.

Heralds present included representatives from Norway, Sweden, Canada, Ireland, South Africa, Scotland and Flanders.

Pictures courtesy of Annti Matikkala, Finland, and Christina Anderson, Scotland

Larger Images can be found in the 2004 Image Gallery