Lachlan was the son of Norman and Harriett MacDonald of 17 Grenitote, one of their seven sons and two daughters. He married Kate MacLean (Catriona Dhomhnaill Eachainn), making him brother-in-law of Angus John MacLean, also a Patrol member. Three of his children were born during the war, Donald Roderick (1941), Norman (1942), Marion (1944), wirth another, Dolina (1947) afterwards.
His brother Donald, a Merchant seaman on SS Gloucester Castle, would die of beri beri in Singapore on 16 Sep 1945, after the war had ended. The ship had been sunk by a German commerce raider and the survivors taken to Japan for internment. he was one of two survivors to die as a result of their captivity.
He and his wife are buried in the Dunskellar cemetery alongside the location of the Patrol OB.
| Unit or location | Role | Posted from | until |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Uist (Uibhist A Tuathis) Patrol | Patrol Corporal | Unknown | 03 Dec 1944 |
Crofter
Like many crofters in the Hebrides, he was a member of the Territorial Army, having joined the Lovat Scouts in the early 1930s. It ensured a two week paid annual camp each year allowing the men a chance of break from the croft they otherwise likely could not afford. When war came, many crofts were dependent on the men, so their call up was therefore deferred. His military experience meant he was suited to become an NCO in the Patrol.
TNA ref WO199/3388
Ancestry UK family tree
The History of Grenitote through the Ages: The year of promise 1899, Grenitote Township Committee, 2004
Stornoway Gazette, 19 July 1980, 11 Aug 1994