Tragic story of a war-torn Alloa couple

Peter and Kate Wardlaw penned a series of personal letters to one another while they were apart from 1912 to all through the Great War.

The duo swore to remain true to one another but decided to explore the world before settling down.

In their correspondence, they share their hopes and dreams – before the war broke out and dismantled their hopes of a happy ending.

Their letters were uncovered in 2006 by grandson Mark who, after hearing all about his lost relatives, vowed to share their struggles with the world.

And this year, after painstaking work on his part, he released Broken by Messines in WW1 – The Grandparents I Never Knew.

He said: "It's quite a poignant insight into what people in Alloa went through during the war.

"Just like others living their lives and making plans, Peter and Kate would never have thought there would be a world war.

"They swore to be true," he added. "Both had dreams they wished to fulfil before settling down.

"But Peter came back a changed man. He was amongst the savagery at Somme and he couldn't connect with Kate anymore."

In 1912, Kate left for New Zealand to work as an assistant matron at The Girls' High School in Napier, while Peter, an engineer, went into business to manufacture his seed sowing machine by building a factory in Lutterworth.

They would likely have reunited at some point in 1914, before hostilities broke out in Europe.

Peter joined the Royal Field Artillery and trained as a gunner. He saw action across the world and witnessed the horror of Gallipoli.

Kate did experience some of violence herself as she witnessed the return of wounded soldiers; part of the ANZAC contribution and sacrifice in Gallipoli.

As the letters detail, Peter then went to other theatres of war, while the brutal reality of the conflict largely passed Kate by.

Mark said: "Peter's brigade was transferred to Egypt to guard the Suez Canal. Before leaving for The Somme in July 1916 he was promoted to lieutenant.

"Kate continued to travel in her holidays visiting the volcanic wonders in Rotorua and the majestic caves at Waitomo. They were experiencing such different things."

He added: "Peter's brigade was involved in many of the bloody battles that took place on The Somme as his guns supported the infantry. What he witnessed and the consequences of his actions in command were grinding his spirit down.

"He was finding it increasingly difficult to write to Kate; to connect with humanity when death and destruction were all around him. He yearned for home leave and Kate's company."

In December 1916, after almost five years abroad, Kate risked the arduous sea voyage and the constant threat from U-boat menace as she returned home to Clacks.

A few months later, in April 2917, Peter was granted leave to attend his younger brother Jimmie's wedding and was reunited with his fiancé.

Mark added: "Kate had returned to fulfil her promise to Peter. He had shown his love for her by sending her an engagement ring 11,000 miles to New Zealand.

"They had kept their love alive through numerous letters. The re-union was passionate, but brief, and Peter had to return to Flanders to prepare for the Battle of Messines."

It was then, at Messines in June 1917, that Peter became a casualty.

He was buried alive, lost his leg and, after initial treatment at the front, was transferred to Roehampton Hospital in London and fitted with a prosthetic limb.

Shortly afterwards he learned of his youngest brother's death in the Navy at 21, before being informed that Kate was expecting their first child.

And though the couple were married in September 1917, Peter later deserted his pregnant wife and son.

"He could not fulfil his promise to Kate," Mark said. "The war had changed him; in particular after being buried alive and losing his leg.

"He played no part in his child's upbringing. Kate was the only parent their son ever knew.

"She died in 1938, leaving her son with no parents at 20.

"Peter did attend the cemetery, observing the burial from a black cab. He did not have the courage to embrace his son even at this late stage.

"Messines had broken him physically and emotionally."

Though ultimately a sombre tale of a family life during the Great War, Mark was determined to share their lives once he found their letters.

"When I found their box of letters, my family history suddenly came alive and took on an entirely new meaning," he added.

"Hundreds of gaps were filled and, at the same time, I came to understand that the atrocities of war stretched far beyond the battlefield itself. I didn't want such an important story to get lost to time, so decided to turn the letters into a book.

"I wish I'd known my grandparents but, through this book, I'm now closer to them than I could have ever imagined."