Ronnie Macdonald who lived at Elmbank Foyers was born in 1922, and was educated at Foyers School. On leaving school was taken on as an apprenticed joiner with an Inverness firm, Munro & Cameron . Following the tragic death of his father during the bombing of the factory 1941, Ronnie returned to Foyers and continued his apprenticeship with the British Alumillium Company, enabling his mother and sister to stay in the company’s tied house at Elmbank . Ronnie was called up in 1942 and served for 5 years in the British army, latterly repairing bridges in Germany. On his return to civilian life, Ronnie resumed work with the BA and stayed at Elmbank till very recently, when old age infirmities reluctantly meant he went to stay in the Telford Centre care home. Ronnie was a great gardener winning the Morrison Cup for the best kept garden (Vegetable and Flowers) in Foyers four times, with his plant sale in aid of church funds which was always looked forward to and well attended. Ronnie’s father Archibauld Macdonald (Archie)who was born in Inverness came to Foyers to work in the BA Factory after the First World War. He was a regular soldier before WW1, serving in various postings including South Africa just before war broke out. Archie was a avid collector of postcards, and his sisters Peggy and Maggie/Meg used to send him local area postcards, whilst he collected postcards of where he was posted with the army. On Ronnie’s death in January 2015 his fathers postcard scrapbook the came to light and we include a selection of the local town of Inverness pre World War One . Though just out with our area, as the main big town locally, past generations of the district visited Inverness for commerce and perhaps recreational purposes, using various transport to get there . Steamers from Foyers, Inverfarigaig and Dores , Mail stagecoach or horse and cart from Stratherrick till early motor bus vehicles appeared around 1910 just prior to the period of the postcards . We thought it would be of local interest to remember Inverness town as it was 100 years ago courtesy of Ronnie’s family postcards . The date after description is when the postcard was sent so the scene is prior to that .
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