We were just about to hold a cèilidh night to launch our latest book when lockdown shut down everything. As we’re still not able to host any sort of event we wanted to make Reflections of Rogart Parish During the Great War available now.

When we started the project back in 2018 we didn’t want to write a traditional narrative of the progress of the war or try to capture the full consequences of this epoch-ending period. Instead we wanted to show how the men, women and children of Rogart were affected and lived, or died, through the crucible of the Great War.

Our historian, John MacDonald, had collected material over the decades. He had studied the rolls of honour and asked questions of folk who had personally known those who had served. So our new book includes tributes to the men of the Rogart who fought in the war. Their family members have donated photographs and shared their ancestors’ stories.

We also draw on letters home. Written by soldiers at the Western Front they reveal the day-to-day concerns of the men. They also show how travel broadened their horizons. Astonishingly some of them managed to explore parts of France and southern England, almost as tourists.

The book also dips into contemporary Highland newspapers. The local press recorded celebrations of medal winners and the funerals of those men who were buried locally. The papers also reported on the shortage of manpower as a result of the men’s absence and the work of women and children to support their menfolk.

During the research we have also tracked down men whose names appear on the war memorial at Pittentrail but whose connection with Rogart had faded from general knowledge. We identified a number of these ‘unknown soldiers’.

The book is now for sale in the Post Office store at Pittentrail for £7.
Or we can post it out if you don’t live locally – additional cost of postage and packing in the UK is £2.40. The cost of sending outwith the UK will be publicised shortly.

If you would like to buy a copy please send us a private message using the Contact button at the top of the page and we will get back to you: