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59 - RECORDS OF THE MEN OF LOCHBROOM
1917
300049. GUNNER EWEN M'RAE,
Ross Mountain Battery,
4th Heavy Mortar Bde. Royal Garrisson Artillery.
Aged 32
Son of Mr. Kenneth M'Rae, Letters, Lochbroom.
| Joined the Ross Mountain Battery |
July, 1915. |
| Served in Salonika |
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| Died in No. 43 General Hospital, Salonika |
22nd Sept. 1917. |
Had three brothers serving -
- William M'Rae, Seaforths. Wounded.
- Simon M'Rae, 8th A. & S. Highlanders. Twice Wounded.
- Donald M'Rae, 1st Seaforths.
“For the whole earth is a sepulchre of famous men – and their story is not graven only on one stone over their native earth, but lives on far away, without visible symbol; woven into the stuff of other men’s lives.“
- Pericles.
Official records state his date of death as being the 20th of September 1917, not the 22nd, and that he was 35 years of age, not 22. |
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Information kindly provided by Peter Newling:
Ewan/Evan Macrae lived at no. 7 Loggie, the house being now a ruin beside the track over to Newton. The house is known by many as “the explosion house”*.
Ewan who before the war was a fencer (no doubt he did many other things but fencing is what the census enumerator was told in 1911) was one of several children of Kenneth and Kate Macrae who crofted and fished. Having joined up in July 1915 Ewan served with the Royal Garrison Artillery, 4th Heavy Mortar Brigade – the Ross-shire Mountain Battery – in Salonika.
He died on 22nd September 1917 aged 35 at no.43 General Hospital there and is buried at Mikra British Cemetery, Kalamaria. Brothers Donald and William (wounded) were in the Seaforths, Simon (twice wounded) in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.
*No. 7 Loggie was destroyed by fire following an explosion in February 1926. Some gelignite intended for blasting rock was placed too near the fire and blew up, killing Kate Macrae and injuring her son Donald and granddaughter Annabella.
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