Lest We Forget
Written by John Macpherson
William flies his small plane around the Commando Memorial, Spean Bridge © John MacPherson
I stopped with my wee boy William at the Commando Memorial near my home town as we went to visit my mum. He knows what the memorial is about “It’s for the people who died in the war daddy!”
I told him how my own dad, his grandfather, had his birthday on 11th November and always teased me that the memorial celebrations were for him, and William laughed at this.
William had a great time flying his small plane round and round the monument. Until he was whacked and had to sit down. Pensive.
William has landed © John MacPherson
During our summer holidays to visit his great-grandmother in England, she told William the story of how during WW2 a Lancaster bomber had crashed into a field near where she’d lived, coming to rest in a hedge in flames, and how they’d had to go and help rescue the pilots. William was totally fascinated:
“A real bomber nan?”
“Yes William.”
“WOW!”
And they talked together about it, he 5 years old, she 89 years old. Living history, passed down in the best way possible.
A few months later it was great grandnan’s 90th birthday. William decided to make her a special card.
William and his card © John MacPherson
William will not forget.
Author — John Macpherson
John MacPherson was born and lives in the Scottish Highlands. He trained as a welder in the Glasgow shipyards, before completing an apprenticeship as a carpenter, and then qualified as a Social Worker in Disability Services. Along the way he has cooked on canal barges, trained as an Alpine Ski Leader & worked as an Instructor for Skiers with disabilities, been a canoe instructor, and tutor of night classes in carpentry, stained glass design and manufacture, and archery. He has travelled extensively on various continents, undertaking solo trips by bicycle, or motorcycle. He has had narrow escapes from an ambush by terrorists, been hit by lightning, caught in an erupting volcano, trapped in a mobile home by a tornado, kidnapped by a dog's hairdresser, rammed by a basking shark and was once bitten by a wild otter. He has combined all this with professional photography, which he has practised for over 35 years. He teaches photography and acts as a photography guide & tutor in the UK and abroad. His biggest challenge is keeping his 30 year old Land Rover 110 on the road. He loves telling and hearing stories.