Donald Macfarlane, Melbost

Stornoway Gazette, 11 September 1942
The wise old Chinese proverb says: "In peace sons bury their fathers, in war, fathers bury their sons". This is as strue today as in the past, except that the extension of the modern battlefield to the bowels fo the deep and the clouds of the sky makes it less likely that fathers shall have even the consolation of burying their sons. We regret to have to add another young Lewisman's name to the list of those who have made the supreme sacrifice, Sergeant Pilot Donald Macfarlane, formerly of Winnipeg, Canada, and late of Glasgow. Sergeant Pilot Macfarlane was the son of Mr Murdo Macfarlane, formerly of 18 Melbost, and the late Mrs Macfarlane of Swainbost, Ness. He was reported missing in April. Hope which at its best only flickered gradually faded away with the passing of weeks, which brought no news of his safety, until finally official intimation was received of his death. Donald was 24 years of age and joined the RAF at the end of 1940. His quick promotion did not surprise those who knew him and, had he been spared, no doubt further promotion would not have been far off. Hving seen him growing up, one can hardly realise that these schoolboys of yesterday are the heroes of today. It seems so short a time since they were trudging to school, so innocent, so unaware that the finger of fat was, as it were, marking them down as victims of the next European slaughter. To know Donald was to like him. His ways were as straight as his six feet athletic figure. He had been married only three months. Now he lies buried in Cologne, while our bombers roar and soar over his grave to avenge his death. We extend our heartfelt sympathy to his sorrowing young widow, his father, brothers and sisters.

'Tis a far cry from the prairie
Where the coyotes howl so eerie
To grey steepled old Cologne
Where they buried you, dear Don