Sapper's adventures in Far East during Great War recalled by his Aviemore grand-daughter
An Aviemore writer has helped to provide an in-sight into life in the Far East for a sapper during World War I.
Wendy Grigor has brought the book together from memoirs kept by her grandfather James P McIntosh.
He was born in Aberdeen's Innes Street on August 17, 1887 and enlisted in 1916 just a short time after the arrival of his first child.
After his weeks of training, he sailed to fight on the front with the Royal Engineers in Mesopotamia – an ancient region now home to parts of modern-day Iraq, Kuwait, Turkey and Syria – on October 8 of that year.
Mrs Grigor said she was inspired to compile her grandfather's notes to keep a regular soldier's account alive of life and travels during the Great War.
She said: "His memoirs and notes give short accounts of some of the characters he met during this time and descriptions of places that he visited along the way.
"His experiences when travelling and on active service have all come from a diary that he had kept at this time which gives a glimpse of what life would have been like in the era.
"During his service he went on furlough – this being leave that soldiers were entitled to if they had completed over 18 months service abroad.
"He took the chance to visit a close friend at Cawnpore in India and took notes of this visit. He was also granted a weekend leave when he visited the ruins of Babylon.
"Babylon today has changed considerably as Saddam Hussein built over this area."
Subjects covered by the sapper include temperance and rum of which he writes: "Although I am practically tea-total, I never refused my rum ration...
"I remember when lying at Hit, we had no tents and very little bed clothing and as it came on very heavy rain for hours, I was bitterly cold and we had every prospect of contracting some disease.
"An issue of rum was given and I took mine and got down to sleep and although everything was wet , and I lay in the mud, I slept quite all right till morning and was none the worse."
The Code of Khummurabi, the Tower of Babel and The Unexpected all come in for his observations.
Mrs Grigor said: "The last chapter in my book gives a brief description about my grandfather's eldest son Stanley, who was awarded the MBE for distinguished service whilst in the fire and rescue service.
"Sadly, he later lost his life in the line of duty."
Sapper McIntosh did survive the Great War
• Mrs Grigor will be at Caberfeidh Horizons in Kingussie on Saturday November 12 from 10.30am to 1pm for an informal meet, greet and chat about 'Chronicles from the East during the Great War'.
The book is available to buy at Caberfeidh Horizons Bookshop Kingussie; The Bookmark in Grantown, Logie Steading Bookshop and Picaresque Books & Galerie in Dingwall and can also be ordered online through Mrs Grigor at wendygrigor867@gmail.com
