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By Loch Fyne, 19 miles north of Dunoon. Note the inscribed year of Private Crawford's death.


The above is on the small stone which is below the right-hand corner of the plaque.


Castle Lachlan, the seat of the Clan Maclachlan - www.castlelachlan.com/

Leachd is a small settlement a couple of miles southwest of Strachur.

I looked up the Dunoon Herald from December 1899 through to the end of March 1900, and found no mention of either man. Also checked Strachur churchyard for any possible inscriptions on family gravestones, but nothing there either.

The photo of the inscription has been edited to help make the wording more readable.

In the last photo there's snow on the mountain tops in the right-distance.

That must have taken some tracking down!?

The driver (who was American) of the bus from Dunoon to Strachur told me where the memorial was sited (he knew of the Boer War), and I'd only walked 100 yards from the bus stop when someone I'd arranged to meet came along and took me the remaining mile in his car.

The bus driver had stayed on in the area after the Submarine Base at Holy Loch closed in 1992. www.aboutsubs.com/holy-loch.htm

Nice day out, and I got to meet some interesting people.

My thanks to Strachur and District Local History Society for the following information and photographs.
www.facebook.com/Strachurdlhs/

Neil Crawford, born 1877 at Leatters, Strathlachlan, was the son of Archibald Crawford, fisherman and Elizabeth McIntosh. The family had moved to Leachd by the time of the 1881 Census, and on the 1891 Census Neil was a 13 year-old scholar.

Donald Maclachlan, born 1866, was son of George MacLachlan 21st of MacLachlan and Mary Throw. He enlisted, in 1877, in the 1st Dragoon Guards, from the 2nd Brigade, Scottish Division, Royal Artillery (Militia). He was transferred to the 21st Hussars the following month, being promoted Lieutenant, April 1890, and Captain of the 5th Dragoon Guards, November 1898, from which he exchanged into the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers in February 1899. He went to South Africa, October 1899. Captain Maclachlan was buried at Spearman's Camp. His grave was marked by a marble tombstone erected by his comrades of the 1st Battalion.

The cost of the monument was met by public subscription and was unveiled on 18th July, 1905.

Nice set of postcards Berenice, a fine day out!

I love a really cold, fresh day, and two ferry trips were a bonus.

Anyone know if Captain Maclachlan's gravestone is extant?