Poems 1

Aboyne in Wartime
Our Sodger Loons
Our Loons Again
For the Shirker

Poems 2

The British Cavalry
An Appeal
Verses on Mr J. Ramsay
Verses on Mr A. Fowler

'Tae Sister Jean'

This poem has appended notes. On this page also can be found the footnotes for the other poems.

Charleston Road c 1900

ALEXANDER BUCHAN

Alexander Buchan (Sandy) was born in Marnoch, Banffshire on 22 April 1860. He started as a blacksmith in Skellmafilly then moved to Aboyne where he had his smiddy next to Carnferg, on Bridgeview Road, which was the family home. It is possible that there may have been a building on this site since 1800 and was probably called the Boatman's Cottage.

He had a family of ten children, seven sons and three daughters. Four sons served in the First War, of which two were killed. Family letters show the grief and sadness that this war had brought on families.

Sandy was in business for over 20 years in Aboyne and according to one of his poems nine of his children went to the Aboyne School.

He and his wife then went to live in Aberdeen at Claremont Street where he would have been employed as a blacksmith with Kennerty Dairies or had been in business for himself. He retired to 41 Balmoral Place, Aberdeen where he died in 1943, his wife predeceasing him.

Sandy raised £20 from the sale of his Verses on "Oor Soldier Loons" and used the money to send eighty parcels to the Aboyne boys serving in France. He sent a copy of his booklet to Queen Mary and received a letter in reply thanking him for the copy.

The front of the building, in my early days, was a shop owned by daughter Maggie Buchan who had a kitchen to the left of the building. (The building then became a Mace grocer and finally ceased trading as a shop in the year 2000).

Bridgend Smiddy, now an office