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The Davidson family were friendly with the Soutars; Dorothy, John and their siblings visited the bedridden Soutar in Wilson Street.
William Soutar’s father John was the brother of Janette's grandfather, so Janette is a second cousin of Soutar.
Anne is the daughter of Molly Soutar who was a full cousin of William Soutar.
Jennifer's mother was a cousin of Evelyn Soutar. Evelyn was adopted into the Soutar family after the deaths of her parents in Australia.
Gracie Rae (Kiddie) went to school in Perth at the same time as Evelyn Soutar in the 1930s.
Dave Dykes, a retired teacher from Perth Academy, is helping a group of pupils at the school with their project "The Flowers of the Forest". The project aims to honour the 168 former pupils and staff who fell in WW1. The pupils are arranging short memorial services, as close as possible to the hundredth anniversary of the deaths of the fallen, from March 2015 until March 2019. The school is also producing a memorial book, as a permanent reminder of its contribution to the Great War. You can see a record of progress up to April 2016 by downloading this pdf document: Perth Academy Flowers of the Forest
At 93, speaking from a Muthill nursing home, Flora is our oldest interviewee. As Flora Leslie, she was a schoolfriend of Evelyn Soutar and visited Willie at Evelyn’s invitation. Flora’s son Brian also features in the interview.
Christine’s father was W R Aitken who published collections of Soutar’s work after his death.
Norma’s family moved from North Italy to Scotland during 1896-1906, and settled in Wilson Street (opposite the Soutar House) when Norma was aged 6. She visited Soutar during his confinement.
Dian’s father was William Montgomerie, a contemporary of Soutar. William was a scholarly folklorist and bibliographer of the ballads of Scotland, whose own poetic output covered half a century of publication.
Ron’s father was the Reverend John Kitchen, minister of Perth North Church where the Soutars worshipped latterly. Ron is father of Tom, the noted chef.
Dorothy McLaughlin is the niece of E Adamson - William Soutar’s school friend, whose mother was a friend of William Soutar’s mother. Evelyn Scott’s family were also friends with the Soutar family. (See also the Gracie Rae section above for more on Perth Academy.)
Carl was writer-in-residence in the Soutar House for four years from 1996-2000, and co-authored Into a Room with Douglas Gifford.
Ajay was writer-in-residence in the Soutar House for four years from 2005-09.
Membership of FoWSS is free, and you have the opportunity to organise or participate in projects designed to promote Soutar and his works. In addition, members receive an annual newsletter, notification of all FoWSS events and publications, and are invited to an annual Soutar Tea held at the Soutar House. Please use the Contact page if you would like to find out more about FoWSS.