A Perthshire soldier’s wallet which helped save his life from an enemy bullet during the First World War is one of the remarkable reminders of the conflict contained in a new exhibition.
Next of Kin, an exhibition created by National Museums Scotland, opened on Friday at Perth Museum and Art Gallery and The Black Watch Museum in Perth.
It presents a picture of Scotland during the First World War through treasured objects from official and private sources, passed to close relatives and down through generations.
The exhibition was previously shown at the National War Museum in Edinburgh Castle, and the display will be shared between the two Perth venues which have added material from their own collections to tell local stories which reflect the themes of the exhibition.
Perth Museum and Art Gallery tells the story of Private Alexander Malcolm of the 6th Battalion (Perthshire Division) Black Watch who fought and was wounded at the Second Battle of Passchendale in November 1917.
Alongside a selection of his personal effects is the wallet which was in his possession at the time he was wounded and shows clear bullet damage.
Although the bullet passed through the wallet, it provided enough protection to save Alexander Malcolm’s life.
The Black Watch Museum shares the legacy of Perth brothers David and William Reid who served with the 6th (Perthshire) Battalion Black Watch.
The pair enlisted to fight together and their army numbers were only one digit apart.
They never returned from the war however the Next of Kin exhibition shares the brothers’ remembrance cards and their service medals with visitors.
Helen Smout, chief executive of Culture Perth and Kinross said: “Hosting Next of Kin at Perth Museum and Art Gallery adds a new and poignant dimension to the memorialisation projects being carried out locally and is a key part of our season entitled Perth and Kinross Remembers.
“The exhibition highlights the personal, local and sometimes hidden stories around those who participated in the war both at home and abroad. Next of Kin provides an ideal platform to inspire more local research through sharing individual stories and experiences which have the greatest relevance to Perth.”
The loan material includes two autograph books in which Nurse Florence Mellor collected drawings, watercolours, verses, jokes and messages from the wounded soldiers in her care at Craiglockhart War Hospital and the pocket New Testament that Private James Scouller was carrying the day he died at Cambrai in 1917, returned to his family by a German soldier.
Richard Mackenzie, The Black Watch Castle and Museum archivist, said: “As we commemorate the men and women of the British Armed Forces who served in the First World War it is also important to remember the families that these people left behind. “
Next of Kin is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Scottish Government.
