Rev David Rutherford was the minister of St Fillan’s from 1949 to 1975, we remember him as he wrote the church guide book but he also been an Army Chaplain.
He obviously had to officiate at many burials of his comrades, and I chanced upon this letter sent to a bereaved wife to tell her where her dear husband was laid to rest.
This was a very touching as the man did not belong to the battalion and this caring act of compassion showed he was prepared to “go the extra mile”. I’m sure it helped that poor lady.
20/4/43
Dear Mrs Tallack
I am just writing a short note giving an account of you husbands burial. I was down from the line at the battle of Aleaith to bury some of my own lads, when I was asked to bury your husband along with two of his comrades. The cemetery stood by the roadside, about twenty miles from Gabes on the main Sfax road. There before the open graves we held a simple service, reading Psalm 23 and Chapter 7 from the Book of Revelations, and then committed their bodies to the graves, we marked the graves with small wooden crosses, inscribed with name, number and unit.
I have not heard the details of your husbands death, but you will hear in due course from his own battalion, who are also attending to the forwarding of his private belongings.
May I express my own sympathy with you in your loss. This is one of many deaths which have been the necessary price of the victory in North Africa. They are all heroes – everyone of them and their comrades won’t forget.
Yours sincerely
David W Rutherford