Private Duncan MacFarlane’s Return and Injuries
When Private Duncan MacFarlane finally returned home to Scotland following World War One, his family discovered numerous bullet wound scars covering his body.
He had been reported missing in action for six months before his wife located him in a military hospital in Edinburgh.
Despite his injuries, he still possessed the bible he carried in his breast pocket, which had saved him from a bullet that would have otherwise struck his heart on the front line.
More than a century later, that bible, which clearly shows evidence of a bullet hole, remains in the possession of Pte MacFarlane’s family.
His granddaughter, Jo Abbott, has expressed that it is time for the bible and other memorabilia from his military service to "be taken out of the drawer" and for his story to be shared publicly.
These items will be exhibited at the heritage centre in Dunscore, Dumfries and Galloway, where Jo resides, starting next weekend.
"This is the story of a very ordinary Gaelic-speaking man from Argyll who had his life saved by a bible, which basically stopped the bullet that would have hit his heart and killed him,"she said.
"His name and service number is in the bible so we know it was his and the provenance is beyond reproach. We know it was part of him when he was carried off the field of war."
Early Life and Military Service
Born in 1890, Pte MacFarlane worked as a postman in Skipness, located on the east coast of Kintyre, before enlisting in the military in 1915 at the age of 25.
He initially served with the 5th Argyll before transferring to the 4th Battalion, Gordon Highlanders.
Wounds Sustained at Passchendaele
Pte MacFarlane was seriously wounded on the front line during the Third Battle of Ypres, commonly known as Passchendaele, on 18 October 1917.
This battle is notorious not only for the heavy casualties suffered by both sides but also for the dreadful conditions endured by soldiers.
It is estimated that over 500,000 men were killed or injured during the three-month campaign.
Missing in Action and Recovery
Following his injury, Pte MacFarlane was missing in action for six months before returning to Scotland.
Abbott recounted that her grandmother had difficulty recognizing her husband when she eventually found him in a military hospital for servicemen in Edinburgh.
He had sustained severe injuries and suffered multiple strokes, which left the left side of his body numb.
"My grandmother only recognised him by his eyes when she finally found him in hospital."
"All I can remember as a child is seeing the bayonet scars on his face and neck, and also seeing the arc of the bullets that traced his body,"Abbott said.
Medical Discharge and Post-War Life
Pte MacFarlane was medically discharged from service in 1919.
After leaving the hospital, he moved into the family’s two-bedroom home in Glasgow, which was shared by five adults and two children.
Abbott vividly recalls her grandfather experiencing nightmares, which she believes would now be diagnosed as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
"By the time I knew him, he was a shadow of his former self,"she said.
"I can remember at night being wakened by him shouting and screaming in his sleep - dreadful, dreadful, dreadful things to have happened to any man."
Pte MacFarlane only spoke once about the horrors of war, during a visit from the son of one of his fallen comrades, but Abbott said he never disclosed the details of their conversation.
Family and Religious Connections
Although Abbott stated that the family is "in no way" religious, her grandfather was devout.
They felt it was appropriate for the memorabilia to be housed in a church, which is where the heritage centre is located.
Upcoming Exhibition and Legacy
Members of the Gordon Highlanders Regimental Association will join the family for a small ceremony at the heritage centre on 19 April, where the exhibition will remain for the season.
Following this, the collection will be donated to the Gordon Highlanders museum in Aberdeen for permanent display.
"To me, he was just my grampa but his story deserves to be told,"Abbott said.
