Boys’ Engraving initials in tree

[mb0521]

Does anybody know exactly where this is and if the boys’ initials are stillvisi Le today?

[mb0521]

that should read ‘still visible’

[Brutus]

I don't recall the story of the boys engraving their initials on a tree, although I suspect this was very common among boys of that time. Where did you read about this?

[mb0521]

It was mentioned in the biography about Michael but can’t seem to find it now!

[Dani1923]

This story of the engraving sounded familiar and I knew I had read it before, so I looked on the database and I found the evidence!
It comes from page 1 of a letter from Nico to Mary Hodgson on the 15th of August 1915. Nico writes:
“We went to Dhivach last Monday. We saw the fall in the burn and the place where Uncle Jim and George and Jack played cricket, and also of course the house. We did not see Togo and Dewet. Mr. Macdonald is now staying there. He was the proprietor of the hotel. It was through him we got Dhivach. In the arbour we found the initials of all our names still there.”

[andrew]

Thanks for jogging our collective memories re those carved initials. I visited Dhivach Lodge in 1976, but the then owners, although very welcoming, knew nothing about the Barrie connection, nor alas any arbour. Perhaps the present inhabitants are more knowledgeable?  btw, what's all this about a Michael biography?

[mb0521]

It’s mentioned in Piers Dudgeon’s book. He says that the initials can still be found today but doesn’t say where.

[Brutus]

I would take anything said by Piers Dudgeon with a very large pinch of salt. His first book on Barrie and the du Mauriers, Captivated was full of weird conspiracy theories, plagiarisms, misquotes, citations out of context and complete fabrications. I haven't bothered reading his book on Michael LD as I suspected it was full of the same, trying to fit events around his own theories. If he doesn't say where he saw the initials on the tree, I doubt he's actually seen them.

[mb0521]

Thanks Brutus! It would be interesting if the boys’ initials were still visible today.

[andrew]

Thank you dear Brutus for articulating my opinion, which might have been taken for sour grapes if I'd voiced it first. Valuing my blood pressure above and beyond a cover-to-cover reading of Dudgeon's book, I threw it in the fire after a couple of chapters. I dimly remember hearing that he'd written a biography of Michael, but have never even glimpsed it - should I?  Unless it takes into account Nicholas McAulay's invaluable findings about Michael and Rupert Buxton, I would think it fairly worthless since the rest must be based on stuff he's garnered either from the database on this website or my book. Am I being unfair? All opinions welcome ... 

[mb0521]

I thought it was reasonably interesting but I don’t think you are being unfair!

[mb0521]

Did Nico ever go into details about where the initials were?

[Dani1923]

No he didn’t go into detail. Not in the letter that I read anyway. Not sure if he ever mentions it again. I think the exact location will always remain a mystery unless somebody found the tree, if it even still exists!

[andrew]

Nico had no clear memories of Dhivach, other than the two donkeys, Togo and Dewet. Don't forget he was not yet 3! Mackail tells a good story (on p399) about the burn rising so high that Luath - JMB's huge Newfoundland - was swept away and would have drowned had not Sylvia, with great presence of mind, rushed along the bank and grabbed him as he whirled past ...