Harkness – MacGillivray Stories

This is a PDF version of my mother Rhoda’s family photo albums from the entirety of 1900-1962. This is downloadable.

This video book is a personal journey through my mother’s family album, which holds photographs and documents that span over a century, primarily focusing on the twentieth century.

Throughout the presentation, I’ve woven in historical context to bring the images to life, offering a deeper understanding of the moments captured. A significant point in the story occurs in 1940, when my parents met at the Highlander’s Institute in Glasgow where my mother worked, and which at the time housed soldiers.

My father, a lieutenant in the Navy, enlisted during the Dunkirk evacuation. It’s possible that Churchill’s famous “We Will Never Surrender” speech in Parliament, which resonated through the newspapers of the day, inspired his decision to join. Though it wasn’t broadcast on the radio, its impact was widely felt.

Of course, the intricacies of family dynamics before one’s birth are largely unknowable. However, it is clear that my father became estranged from his cousins in Edinburgh – possibly because one of them was a pacifist. There might also have been lingering guilt on my father’s part, as his own father did not enlist during World War I.

What remains undeniable is that the war profoundly shaped my parents’ lives, and, indirectly, my own.

Lessons from History

Can you appease a madman or an aggressor? The lessons of World War II provide a clear answer: no, you cannot. This insight is particularly relevant today as we witness aggressors invading weaker neighbouring countries, while some voices still advocate for appeasement. The harsh truth is: “You can’t reason with a mad dog.”

In addition to these historical reflections, the video book also highlights a series of personal letters – love letters exchanged between my parents during the war. Over the course of the conflict, they sent about 100 letters to each other, which were largely concerned with everyday matters rather than politics or the war itself.

These letters form the heart of a separate project I’ve undertaken called “SWALK”, which you can explore here: SWALK Love Letters

Watch the Youtube version in our channel: Harkness-MacGillivray Stories.