A Soldier

I got this picture of my Grandpa restored, as it was quite badly damaged.  It was sent away to Fuji in Japan by my local photographic shop, and I think they made a good job of it.    This picture was taken around 1915/16 but there was no date on it.  My grandpa was in the Black Watch, and I think this was what he wore when fighting in the trenches in France in WW1.  He told my mum that the kilt had to get all the lice removed from the folds of the kilt. YUK! 

He was wounded when in the trenches by shrapnel that killed one of his comrades.  Post had arrived from home and his friend got a letter, and as it was dark he moved up to the light further up to read it properly.  Unfortunately for him, choosing that moment to read the letter caused his death as he got hit by artillery fire  with shrapnel  from that penetrating my Grandpa's arm.  Because of the damage to the arm two fingers of his hand were always curled in and he couldn't use them property.  But hey, he came back from the War, got a job, met a young lady and got married and had my mum..  Unfortunately his brother wasn't as lucky and died in the hell of Passchendaele.

He would be around 25 in this picture.   What a handsome and brave man.  .