During the brutal combat of World War One, a single inch could mean the difference between life and death. For Private, survival came down to a small book kept in his breast pocket. Hit by enemy fire on the muddy battlefields of Passchendaele, he narrowly escaped a fatal strike to the heart.
Six months later, his wife found him severely wounded in an Edinburgh military hospital, recognizing him only by his eyes. Now, the bullet-pierced book that saved him is stepping out of the shadows.
From Scottish Postman to the Front Line of Passchendaele
Born in 1890, Duncan MacFarlane worked as a postman in Skipness on the east coast of Kintyre. In 1915, at the age of 25, he enlisted in the military. He initially served with the 5th Argyll before transferring to the 4th Battalion, Gordon Highlanders.
On October 18, 1917, he found himself fighting in the Third Battle of Ypres, commonly known as Passchendaele. The three-month campaign saw horrendous combat conditions and resulted in over 500,000 men killed or injured. It was here that MacFarlane sustained severe injuries and went missing in action for half a year.
The Bible That Blocked a Fatal Gunshot
As he was carried off the field of war, MacFarlane had a bible tucked into his breast pocket. The religious text absorbed the full force of a gunshot aimed directly at his chest. Today, the book still bears a distinct bullet hole alongside his written name and service number.
He also suffered bayonet wounds to his face and neck, and an arc of bullets struck his body. The physical trauma led to multiple strokes that left the entire left side of his body numb. When his wife finally located him in a military hospital for servicemen in Edinburgh, he was so badly injured that she could only identify him by his eyes.
Returning Home to Glasgow
Medically discharged in 1919, MacFarlane returned to civilian life. He moved into a two-bedroom home in Glasgow, sharing the cramped space with four other adults and two children. The aftermath of the war haunted him.
His granddaughter, Jo Abbott, vividly recalls waking up in the night to the sound of him shouting and screaming in his sleep due to severe nightmares. He kept his experiences to himself, speaking about the war only once when the son of a fallen comrade came to visit. MacFarlane lived until 1962, passing away at the age of 72.
Historic Artifacts Go on Public Display
Decades after the war, Abbott is taking her grandfather’s items out of a drawer to share his story. Beginning April 19, the bullet-damaged bible, dog tags, medal collection, and medical discharge certificate will go on display at a church-based heritage centre in Dunscore, Dumfries and Galloway. After a ceremony with the Gordon Highlanders Regimental Association, the items will permanently move to the Gordon Highlanders museum in Aberdeen.