Duncan MacDonald
Duncan was born at Kerrow, Kingussie in 1900, to
parents Hugh and Isabella MacDonald. He worked
briefly at a grocer’s and with the post office,
before joining the railways in 1916, where he
remained for the rest of his working life. He had
experience of the very busy Kingussie Station,
during both World Wars with all the troop
movements; also the busy summer letting and
sporting estate trade, the refreshment rooms and
bookstall and the large amount of goods that
arrived by train. He was the first to build a house
of railway sleeper construction in Kingussie.
Jean Fraser
Jean was born in 1915 at Invertromie. Her parents
were Elspbeth MacGillivray, Ballachroan, and
Donald Fraser, a farmer/joiner from Invertromie.
Her father’s first language was Gaelic and his was
the last generation of Gaelic speakers in the area.
Prior to the twenties it was important that local
ministers could speak the language, as could Dr
MacFarlane of the Parish Church and Mr Bain of
the Free Church, and some sermons were
conducted in the language.
Jessie Innes
Jessie was born at Ballachroan in 1903. Her father
was John Cattanach, sheep manager, and her
mother was Jemima Cattanach from Strone,
Newtonmore. At Gowanlea, then Ivy House,
Kingussie, Jemima was one of the local ladies who
provided board for pupils from the Islands who
were training for the ministry. She was also one of
the first to provide Bed and Breakfast
accommodation to cyclists and other tourists,
before World War I.
Cath Hunter
Cath was born in Kingussie in 1909. Her parents
were Catherine Macpherson of Strone,
Newtonmore and Donald Cumming, a
butcher/farmer from Dava. She married a dentist
in 1941 and spent most of her life in Kingussie. A
gifted musician, singer and story-teller, she wrote
verse and song in Gaelic, Scots and English to
commemorate local events or friends. She
attended, organised and performed at many
ceilidhs and concerts in the area.
Malcolm Fraser
Malcolm was born in Kingussie in
1910. His father was Malcolm
Fraser, joiner and ironmonger and
his mother was Martha Watt from
Aberdeenshire. He worked in his
father’s ironmonger’s business,
which got a lot of custom from the
summer letting and the sporting
estates. He also had an uncle, John
Fraser, who was the blacksmith
and was very skilled at fixing early
car engines.
Evan Fraser
Evan was born in 1909 to parents
Donald
Fraser,
Dalwhinnie
Distillery, and Mary MacKenzie.
His mother ran a laundry at
Fjeldheim, Newtonmore Road
which was the family house.
Much work was provided by the
busy summer letting and hotel
business at the time. Evan
helped there but later worked at
a BP oil depot, on the Hydro
scheme at Gaick and in forestry
operations below Creag Bheag.
Jessie and Doris Dallas
Jessie was born in Kingussie in 1902, the daughter of John
Cameron Dallas, miller, Kingussie and Elizabeth Ross,
Kingussie. Jessie was assisted in the interview by Doris
Dallas who was married to Ian, Jessie’s brother. They were
the parents of Jim Dallas, who was interviewed in 2013.
They shared many recollections of the mills on the Gynack,
the smiddy, the school, shops, sport and wartime.
Janet Cameron
Janet was born in 1896 in Kingussie.
Her father was Morris Cameron,
Comrie. Her mother, Annie Crerar,
died when Janet was young and she
was brought up by her grandmother.
Her Crerar grandfather was an
auctioneer who travelled round farms
and estates doing valuations. Her
uncle, Mr Gillies drove the stagecoach
to Fort William.
William Johnstone
William was born in Glasgow in 1901.
His father was James Johnstone who
set up the printing firm Jas
Johnstone and Son in Kingussie High
Street in 1902. His mother was Jessie
Beale from Banff. William worked in
the family business, which moved to
its final location in the old distillery
buildings after the fire of 1921
destroyed the High Street premises.
As well as producing the local newspaper the firm produced guidebooks and picture books
for visitors and a variety of stationery goods. William was the father of Hamish and the
uncle of John Johnstone, who kept the business going until the 1990s.
Demolition of distillery 1922 (Courtesy of Hamish Johnstone)