Angus & Margaret's family

Angus was born 1889 in Bolseskine in the Highlands of Scotland, beside Loch Ness.  He was one of 11 children.  He was badly injured in WW1 and carried the physical and mental horror of that throughout his life.  In 1919 he married Margaret Hay Anderson who was 10 years his junior.  Margaret was one of 7 children.  The Anderson family lived in the Head Foresters' house at Inverfarigaig.  Angus and Margaret set up home in Foyers and Angus worked in the British Aluminium factory where he was the Union Shop Steward   They would have 5 children and  are seen above with their eldest daughter, Rachael, and her children.

Margaret stayed and worked in the Highlands. When she was in her late 30’s she married John McEachern the brother of Mary Anderson (nee McEachern) who was married to Margaret’s Uncle Bill.  Mary Anderson was therefore Margaret’s aunt and sister-in-law. Upon her marriage Margaret took on the care of John’s niece and nephew, Cathie and Alan, and her father-in-law, Shen, who was bed-ridden. After their marriage they lived in the McEachern croft a wreck of a house with no running water or power. Margaret was very soon pregnant with her son, John Angus. Sadly, before they had been married a full year John McEachern died of a brain tumour. Margaret was left in a ramshackle house at Kinsaddle with new family responsibilities and a baby on the way. She was given a council house in the coastal village of Morar. She lived there for a number of years but struggled to survive on her meagre income. After Shen had died, she was offered a job back with the health authority in inverness where she was a wages clerk and moved her family to Loch End where she was nearer her mother and overlooked Loch Ness. Margaret lived a very challenging but generous-hearted life.  Her beloved Cathie became like a daughter.  Alan suffered from mental ill-health and despite all Margaret’s best efforts took his own life. Her own son, John, became estranged from her and the whole family after his marriage. She looked after her mother when she became ill.  Her  brother Peter went to live with when he became ill with MS and was unable to cope on his own and she cared for him until his death. Nevertheless throughout she never lost her sense of fun.

Served in the Merchant Navy during WW2 and little is known of his service. He was at Crete during the battle to liberate it from the Germans and had been in Sicily. He had also been to India. When he left the Merchant Navy he returned to Foyers and worked in the British Aluminium factory.  Peter stayed living in the cottage at Glenlia with his mother and working at the Alumium factory until it ceased production in 1967. He was very much a Highland man and enjoyed fishing in Loch Ness and his prize catch was displayed above the bar in the Foyers Hotel for many years.   He was nicknamed  The Diver  by his fishing pals because he couldn't swim.  Visiting Camerons Tearooms in Foyers in 2019 there was a picture of Peter with the rest of  his Shinty Team.  The  owner did not remember Peter Grant but when pointed out said "Oh you mean The Diver".

During WW2 joined the RAF and trained as a nursing assistant. On arriving at her new posting on her birthday she was told there was a dance in the NAAFI. Feeling a bit lost and alone she decided to go and a young man asked her to dance, That young man was Ted Unsworth whom she married.  They had two daughters, Heather and Catherine.  They started married life in Warrington where Ted had grown up. He worked for Crown Wallpapers and in 1959 they moved down to North London. Ted lived with Rachael and her family for some months whilst he looked for a house, They moved to Coulsdon about 10 miles from Rachael where they stayed for about 10 years. Crown then moved again and Marjory reluctantly moved to Christchurch. Whilst there she became an active member of the local spiritualist community. Marjory outlived all her siblings and although she died in the south of England her heart always remained in her beloved Highlands.