The family of a mystery Fife soldier who received a royal letter for having nine sons and a son-in-law serving in the British Army during the First World War have been traced.
Cardenden historian David Blane enlisted the help of The Courierlast month to track down descendents of David Stewart, who lived in Rosewell Cottages in Lochore in 1915.
Mr Blane was keen to find out more about Mr Stewart after receiving a copy of a letter written to him by King George V expressing his appreciation 10 members of his family were in service at the same time.
The letter, dated January 13 2015, was sent from Buckingham Palace by Frederick Ponsonby, the Keeper of the Privy Purse on behalf of the King.
It reads: “I am commanded to express to you The King’s congratulations and to assure you that His Majesty much appreciates the spirit of patriotism which prompted this example, in one family, of loyalty and devotion to their Sovereign and Empire.”
Mr Blane, a military researcher for the Benarty Heritage Preservation Group, has spent the last 18 months gathering information on local soldiers like Mr Stewart ahead of a commemorative exhibition he has organised for September 26.
Mr Blane’s research revealed that Mr Stewart had been in the 3rd Hussars for 15 years.
His sons were: David, Highland Light Infantry; Alexander, Black Watch; William, Black Watch; James, Black Watch; John, Black Watch; Charles, Argyle & Sutherland Highlanders; Joseph, Argyle & Sutherland Highlanders; Robert, Cameron Highlanders; George, Army Service Corps.
Mr Stewart’s son-in-law was Alexander Linton and served in the Royal Scots.
As a result of The Courier appeal, Mr Stewart’s great-great-granddaughter Maureen Stewart got in touch with Mr Blane.
Maureen, who lives in Dunfermline, said: “It was actually my dad who saw the article as he gets The Courier every day and he just passed it to me with a smile and said: ‘There’s somebody looking for you’.
“I didn’t realise what he meant until I read the story and realised it was about my great-great-grandad.
“The letter was a well known fact within the family and it’s funny because we were just talking about it just before we saw the article.”
Maureen’s dad, William Stewart, 81, said: “I lived with my grandad, William Stewart, for a while and he often told me about the letter but we never knew what happened to it. Mr Stewart, who has lived in Dunfermline since 1954, served in the navy as a leading mechanical engineer.
“Like my grandad, I also served in The Black Watch when I was younger, as a cadet. After he lived in Lochore my grandad moved to Leslie.”
Mr Blane, who served with the Royal Engineers and Royal Scots, said: “I’m very pleased members of the Stewart family have come forward and I am looking forward to meeting them in the near future.”
As a result of his research, Mr Blane has uncovered the names of 226 other local soldiers and is hoping sometime in the near future their names will be added to the village’s war memorial.
The Great War exhibition will take place at Benarty Centre in Ballingry on September 26 from 10am until 8pm.