207239 Col. Alexander Cattanach British Army 5th Battalion The Queens Own Cameron Highlanders from:Kingussie, Invernessshire I have recently been reading through letters written by my grandfather, Colonel Alexander Cattanach to his wife. The letters are fascinating and mainly cover two periods of service.
Firstly, August to September 1941 when his Battalion was highly honoured to be chosen to guard the Royal Family at Balmoral Castle. His letters include vivid memories of a very happy time (apart from his tummy troubles - I believe he had a stomach ulcer) when he was in sole command of the defences at Balmoral. They were made incredibly welcome by the King, Queen and Princesses and he seemed to be almost part of the family.
Secondly, letters to his wife written in the Spring of 1945, describing the horrendous conditions in the P.O.W camps and concentration camps. His Battalion went in immediately after the defeat of the Nazis. There are also some letters from grateful Germans whom he rescued from a terrible fate.
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