The death of a Scottish soldier: a tale of remembrance

摘要

On the evening of 28 March 1916, a middle-aged pharmacist practising in Montrose, Scotland, died of a heart attack. His grieving widow, with four of her children still at school and nobody to run the family business, sent an urgent cable to the War Office enquiring whether or not her eldest son, a serving officer with the Royal Scots on the Western Front could be granted compassionate leave. To her surprise a telegram arrived the following day stating in stark terms, "The War Office regrets...".