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A
personal reflection on my grandfather,
Written by Ron L. Roberts,
c.2014
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of him
enlisting for World War 1.
FOREWARD:
In 1993 Pauline and I had finished a trip to Svalbard to see
our son Jason for the first time in four years. Meandering
slowly home we hired a car in London with the aim of driving
to Scotland and visiting the Isle of Skye, home of Pauline’s
maternal family, the Finlayson’s.
Slowly making our way back towards London we stopped at a
B&B near Kilmarnock (We remember vividly the Quiz Night in
the local Pub) and perusing our map for possible routes
south I came across the wee village of Maybole. “That’s the
home of my ancestors on Bette’s side, the Wilsons,” I
enthused.
Next morning as the mist was rising above the valley we
entered Maybole. With a few memories but too little research
beforehand, we found ourselves in the library and the
cemetery. As we drove out of the village that evening,
through the Scottish drizzle, there was a growing desire to
know more of my forebears.
This little booklet
is a result of that trip which stayed in the background
until 2013. |
