'Somewhere in Blood Soaked France' : The Diary of Corporal Angus Mackay, Royal Scots, Machine Gun Corps, 1914-1917

From the heat and dust of the Dardanelles to the mud of the Western Front, Corporal Angus Mackay had one constant companion, his diary. He wrote of the battles and campaigns he fought in, names that would go down in history: Gallipoli, the Somme, Ypres and Arras. Serving in the 1st/5th Battalion (Queens Edinburgh Rifles) Royal Scots and later the 88th Brigade Machine Gun Corps, he left a record of one man’s extraordinary and tragic war. In ‘Somewhere in Blood Soaked France, Alasdair Sutherland reveals this previously unpublished account of the First World War, complete with historical context, orders of battle and extracts from official war diaries. This rare source – it was an offence to keep a record in case of capture – offers a stirring insight into the bravery of Mackay and his companions, who were not afraid to die for their country. ‘If I go under it will be in a good cause, so roll on the adventure.’