Scrimgeour's Scribbling Diary

'Rape, Ravage and Rant are the German watchwords in this war. Right, Revenge & Retrenchment shall be ours.' Alexander Scrimgeour, 17th September 1914.

When nineteen year old Alexander Scrimgeour lost his life at the Battle of Jutland in 1916, he had already left a legacy - complete diaries spanning the previous six years, chronicling first his life as the son of a wealthy stock broker, then his time as a young sea cadet and finally as a Sub-Lieutenant in His Majesty's Navy. Like all good midshipmen were required to do, Scrimgeour took pride in writing his journals and was careful to recount every event with marked sincerity. Appalled by some of the actions of the British Admiralty and the Germans alike, Scrimgeour risked court-martial to record some of the more notorious incidents during World War I, and what really happened.

His candid way of writing coupled with an articulate and imaginative turn of phrase has left us with first-hand evidence shedding light on some extraordinary moments of the Great War. Among his revelations, Scrimgeour reveals the real reason behind the sinking of the HMS Hawke, the events preceding the capture of the infamous Baron Von Wedel - head of the German Spy Bureau and Privy Councilor to the Kaiser - and what he learnt from dining with his Naval Commanders as the ship's interpreter. A great deal of attention is devoted to his personal life, including his numerous love affairs and his anguish at the loss of close friends killed during the war. Up until now, the few existing war diaries have generally been written by those who fought in the trenches.

With thousands of British sailors losing their lives at sea during World War I, it is important to draw on all remaining first hand evidence so that we remember, and never forget the heroic actions of our ancestors during one of our country's darkest episodes.through the diaries of Alexander Scrimgeour, we can do just that.