This formal studio oil portrait shows a confident and youthful sitter on a leather-backed chair wearing full Officer’s Regimental Highland Dress. The portrait appears to be painted by an accomplished artist however the artist is unknown. A similar black and white photograph of the young Officer in the same pose position without medals exists. The three WW1 Campaign Medals have been added posthumously.

Lieutenant MacAndrew was born at East Haugh, Dalshian, Perthshire on 30th October 1891, the only son of Major and Mrs John Lewis Maclean Macandrew of Delniesmuir, Nairn. He was a grandson of Major General W Lambert Yonge R A and a great grandson of Lieutenant General W Jervois KH (Commander and General Hong Kong 1846).

He was educated at Winchester College (1905-1910) where he was awarded a scholarship and King’s Silver Medal for Latin Speech. He was in the College Football XV and won numerous cups for running. He went to New College Oxford 1910-1913, graduating in June 1913 with a B.A. in Modern History (second class honours). He passed into the Army in the same year and joined the 1st Battalion Seaforth Highlanders. He was gazetted (promotion Mentioned in Dispatches published in the London Gazette) with the rank of Second Lieutenant and posted to Agra, India.

He was in India with his regiment when war broke out. In September 1914 he was promoted to Lieutenant and as part of the Indian Expeditionary Force was ordered to France with other Indian troops arriving in October. His older cousin and fellow Wykehamist (a former pupil of Winchester College) Robert Horn served in the same Battalion.

He was wounded at Neuve Chapelle on 7th November 1914 during heavy shelling and was later killed in action at Festubert Flanders on 23rd December 1914 while rallying men from other units holding position against enormous odds. He fell on his way to obtain reinforcements. His cousin Lieutenant Colonel Horn wrote home the following day “Ian was killed last night doing splendidly gallant work Can you do anything to prepare them (his parents) for the terrible news?”. His body was never located. He is commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial in Calais, France.

During the earlier part of the war he had attracted attention by his ability, courage, and resource and was mentioned in Sir John French’s Dispatch of 11th January 1915 for gallant and distinguished service in the field. In a letter written in 1915 by command of H.M. King George it was stated that had MacAndrew survived, he would have been recommended for a special distinction for his gallant services.

His father was also killed in action on 11th October 1917. His mother Elsie Mabel MacAndrew applied for the 1914 Star in respect of her late son on 28th November 1917 and lost clasp on 15th April 1920. His cousin Robert also was killed in action on 17th May 1918 in Flanders. Both his mother and father are buried locally in Nairn Cemetery and mention of their son is made on the headstone.

Research by Marianne Smith