MY SON DIED BY
THE HAND OF FOES
A STRANGER'S HAND
HIS LIMBS REPOSED

PRIVATE JOHNSTONE MACPHERSON

THE BLACK WATCH

1ST NOVEMBER 1914 AGE 34

BURIED: YPRES TOWN CEMETERY EXTENSION, BELGIUM


In earlier days the laying out of a body carried great significance, not only for the dead but for their family too. Traditionally these offices were carried out by the women, with the body remaining in the family home, being watched over, until the funeral. All these customs brought a comfort that was denied to those bereaved by the war.