William Soutar Quotes

William Soutar was born on 28 April 1898 in Perth, Scotland, the only child of John Soutar (1871–1958), master joiner, and his wife, Margaret Smith (1870–1954), who wrote poetry. His parents belonged to the United Free Church of Scotland. He was educated at Southern District School, Perth, and at Perth Academy, before joining the wartime navy in 1916. By the time he was demobilized in November 1918, he was already suffering from what was to be diagnosed in 1924 as ankylosing spondylitis, a form of chronic inflammatory arthritis.