Robert Souter born 23 March 1888 Glass, Aberdeenshire.

The following is an extract believed to be from the Press and Journal

Returned Glass Exile Mourns Passing of Country Tradesmen (August 1966)

“Wherever I go”, said Mr Robert Souter of Vancouver, BC, a native of Glass “ I find one of the most depressing things is the complete absence of country tradesmen.”  Mr Souter says he can recall when nearly every parish had its tailor, shoemaker, blacksmith and wright.  “Where have they all gone” he asked.  “Even the mill-wheels are silent now.”

On leaving school, Mr Souter became a farm servant and served on various farms in Glass, Huntly and Rothiemay and in 1908 at the age of twenty, he decided to emigrate.  “Prospects here were none too good” he said “and the best fee that I could command was £18 for the half-year.”

He engaged in farm work in Canada and came back to serve through the first world war with the Canadian forces.

On his return to Canada he took up farming on his own account and eventually owned 640 acres, most of which he had broken in from the wild.  He has still a small holding of five acres to take up his attention.  At 78 he is a tireless traveller, always wishing to view new scenes. This is the second time that he has visited this country in two years along with a trip to the Continent where he found time to look up the family with whom he had billeted when in France and also made a pilgrimage round the war cemeteries there.