Henry's history of the Borders
A Borders historian has released a second collection of memories local stories gathered together over decades.
Author Henry Bothwick’s new book, ‘A Journey from Oxton to Fala’, documents a social history of his beloved Scottish Borders through telling tales and sharing some of his own recollections.
A sequel of sorts from his first book ‘Channelkirk Talks’, his journey as an author began when Henry says despite his family roots in the Channelkirk and Fala area tracing back to the 15th century, he felt embarrassed about how little he knew of its history when he moved there after living in South Africa and decided to do something about it.
“It wasn’t really research because that is an awfully posh word,” he says, “but I began by trying to find out a bit more about the church and was able to start telling people a little bit.
“I've got this great big five year diary where I wrote everything down, and over 40 years you get quite a collection of stories.”
Henry said that the most surprising part was finding out people’s stories.
“You just never know who you are going to meet, or if they are going to tell you a story of someone who is long gone.
"There was one chap in the book who was the last to receive the Victoria Cross in the last war, he died just a couple of months ago at the age of 105. So I've told his story of how he came to get the medal.”
There are also stories of a Hollywood star and a plane crash among many others, but Henry said it was the simple stories that he like best.
"The stories about Oxton village are particular favourites of mine and the things that used to take place there.
“Even when I moved there in the late 1970s, there was a Sunday School, a children's Christmas party, a nativity play and all those things have gone now. So I'm also partly recording things that used to happen in the villages in days past.
“There's also a few of my family stories in there too.”
Along with the stories the book is richly illustrated with over 80 pictures, illustrations and maps in the book, which is already selling well with over 200 copies gone.
Henry said: “ I sort of look at it and think, did I really write that?!”
"All the stories are there. I'm just like a sheepdog rounding them up. So it's not actually research, it's just kind of collecting.”
For more on the book and where to buy it click here. Henry will also be speaking about the book at Lauderdale Historical Society on February 18, Fala Historical Society on February 26 and Lauderdale Probus Club on May 12.