Jock's Jocks

Description

Jock's Jocks is the most comprehensive collection of personal accounts of rural Scottish First World War veterans.

Jock Duncan interviewed 59 First World War veterans, from 14 regiments, from Aberdeenshire, Angus and Perthshire.

He transcribed his interviews in the rich variations of Scots dialect in which they were spoken (with some in standard English), retaining the character and authenticity of the speakers.

The result is a unique and illuminating collection of first-hand witness testimony to the horror, and humour, of the Great War.

An Introduction explains the background to the interview collecting and includes a detailed timeline of key battles and events. There is also a full glossary of Scots words and phrases.

Jock’s Jocks, the book and the play of the same name, were nominated in the Scots Language Awards in 2019, in the Project o the Year category.

Jock Duncan, a retired engineer now in his nineties, is an entertainer and singer, particularly of North East of Scotland traditional ballads.

Gary West, academic, musician, broadcaster and Jock’s long-time family friend has edited these testimonies. 

Co-published by NMS Enterprises – Publishing and the European Ethnological Research Centre

296 pages

235 x 156 mm

paperback

50 b/w photographs + 8pp colour