Calum Smith 29th May 1912 – 12th November 2003

Calum Smith, author of  Around the Peat-fire, (Edinburgh, Birlinn, 2001 and 2010) and, as “M.S.”, of the  “As I See It:” column in the Stornoway Gazette, 1955-56 (see previous posts on this blog), died ten years ago today.

An obituary appeared in the West Highland Free Press (pdf here).  It was produced very quickly in response to the sad news and includes a couple of minor inaccuracies: Calum and Peggy had been married for 61 years (minus one week), not 51, and had at that time only one great-grandchild, although there are now four.

A longer obituary, with photographs, was later published in the Stornoway Gazette, 27 Nov. 2003:

 

7-year-old great-grandson of Calum with his model of a "tigh dubh" (black house) such as the one where Calum was born 

Peggy and Calum walking towards the Callanish stones. Isle of Lewis, 1989