The story of Ian Hamilton, a dedicated nationalist who reignited Scottish national pride in the 1950s with his daring raid on the heart of England to bring the Stone of Scone back to Scotland.
The Stone of Destiny retells the fascinating and true story of four young Glaswegian students who, in 1951, outwitted the British authorities in their successful attempt to take back the Stone of Scone - a beloved symbol of Scottish pride, back to its country of origin.—Anonymous
In 1950, Ian is a university student and ardent Scottish nationalist in Glasgow. He wants to take back the legendary Stone of Scone, a 300-plus-pound sandstone block upon which kings of Scotland sat for their coronation before it was taken to Westminster Abbey in 1296 as a spoil of war. He confides in his friend Billy, gets 50 quid from a local politician, and goes to London to reconnoiter. He hatches a plan with two conspirators (hide in the abbey after closing, let in the burly Gavin while Kay watches the car, and carry out the stone). They set it for Christmas Eve, add Alan, a shy spindly teen who has a reliable car, and leave for England. What awaits them: gaol or acclaim?—<[email protected]>
It's 1950, and most Scots, while not liking it, quietly accept the fact of being part of Britain, Scotland often being called North England. Such is not the case with college student Ian Hamilton, a Glaswegian who, easily sidetracked from his studies much to his father's dismay, is often directed toward thoughts of Scottish nationalism. After a rally by leading nationalist John MacCormick and the latest setback in Scottish independence, Ian wants to do something if only symbolic to demonstrate that nationalism. Although many in the movement had talked about it largely in jest or having England officially return it to Scotland, what Ian decides he wants to do is steal the Stone of Scone currently on display at Westminster Abbey in London, it being housed in England that symbol of the English oppression of Scotland. After coming up with a low tech but what he thinks is an effective plan, he has to get some support. One person he wants to finance the operation is MacCormick himself, his support or not which can nonetheless only be off the record, and the request by Ian which gets a mixed reaction from MacCormick who supports the thought of the theft but sees the actual plan as a joke. He also has to amass a team to carry out the actual heist, the largest obstacle in this low tech plan arguably having sufficient people-power actually to move the heavy stone without mechanical assistance. One person he hopes will be part of the team is his best friend Bill Craig, who Ian's father always points to as the model as almost having completed his studies unlike Ian and who is on the verge of being married. The disparate group he is able to pull together have as that common factor the task at hand at almost any cost, which may only be in theory as they may not have that mentality if things start to fall apart. One other item Ian did not even consider in the plan, which may be an important factor, is what to do with the stone if they are able to steal it.—Huggo
Ian Hamilton a lawyer and the protagonist, is very angry at what he sees as the political and economic subjugation of Scotland by England, and sad that Scots are somewhat ashamed to be Scottish (symbolised by the description of Scotland as "North Britain" in much material of the time) so he decides to perform a symbolic act to put heart into the marginalised Scottish nationalist movement. He creates a daring scheme with a friend to liberate the Stone of Scone (a.k.a. the Stone of Scone) back from Westminister Abbey in London, where it had resided for centuries following English military victories over the Scots in the Middle Ages. They both research the Abbey and create their scheme, but once his friend realized that Ian was actually serious about liberating the stone, he backed out. So Ian decided he would liberate the stone by himself, but before he left, he went to see the head of the university (a prominent campaigner for Scottish Nationalism, played by Robert Carlyle) to ask for funds for basic necessities. He provided, and later, at a party, referred Ian to Kay Matheson, a girl with strong Nationalist ideas, would help him retrieve the stone.After a variety of rather comic mischances, the group retrieve the stone from Westminster Abbey and return it to Scotland. After repairing damage, they return it to the authorities (having achieved their political aims) and are arrested and charged, but not prosecuted, on charges relating to the case.The final narration on screen points out that though the Stone is now in Scotland, it is only 'on loan' and will return to Westminster for the next Coronation of a British monarch. [D-Man2010]
