Your Scots' stories

[ctbuchanan]

My grandfather David Watt Torrance M.D.,O.B.E. was a medical missionary for the Church of Scotland and built a hospital and church in the Holy Land in Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee in 1892.

He was there from 1884 until his death in 1923 with the exception of WWI when the Ottomans occupied Palestine. He enlisted in the British Army and served as a surgeon at an Army Hospital in Glasgow which is when my mother was born. After the war the entire family returned to Palestine and my mother remained there until 1947 after meeting and marrying my father there.

This is a photo of my grandfather in Arab dress and, yes, he did know Lawrence of Arabia and my mother actually remembered having tea with T.E. Lawrence on the veranda of the hospital in the early 1920's.
http://freepages.history.rootsweb.an...com/~torrance/
This website which I created about my grandfather gives you more information on this remarkable man.

[Steve Barclay]

My grandfather John Glauchan Barclay (a.k.a. Jack Barr,) was born in the mining town of Cleland just outside Motherwell in 1913. There apparently was a history of music in the Barclay family (which I'm glad to say has followed on with my dad and me,) and Grandad was a very fine singer, as were his three brothers, but grandad's main claim to fame was that he once beat the subsequently rather famous Principle Tenor of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Society and "Voice Of Scotland" Robert Wilson in a talent contest, I presume some time in the 1930's. Here is a clip of Mr. Wilson at the height of his fame in the 1940's. (Note:- I started a thread in "Kilts In The Media" about the film "Carry On Up The Khyber" and I can't get over how much the announcer on this clip reminds me of Charles Hawtrey- "Private Widdle" in the film!! )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q4BNkugkYM

[Meggers]

This is a photo of my grandfather in Arab dress and, yes, he did know Lawrence of Arabia and my mother actually remembered having tea with T.E. Lawrence on the veranda of the hospital in the early 1920's.
http://freepages.history.rootsweb.an...com/~torrance/
This website which I created about my grandfather gives you more information on this remarkable man.

Totally awesome.

[madmacs]

Well not a family member, but Tartan Day , St Louis, and the water industry did lead to James P Kirkwood last year... Along with all the other usual suspects of course.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_P._Kirkwood

http://www.websterkirkwoodtimes.com/..._Kirkwood.html

And I'd also throw this one out there...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/histori...kpatrick.shtml

[saxandpipes]

Thanks for sharing people!

Cheers,

Michael