Talk:William Ivison Macadam

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I would like to edit the William Ivison Macadam Wikepedia page. I am the grandson of the subject William Ivison Macadam and his namesake (also William Ivison Macadam). I control of the archives of my late father Sir Ivison Macadam.

I very much appreciate the contribution and work of the creators of this page on my grandfather, who are not known to me so all the more appreciated.

I would like to include a photo and name, dates, and description of the subject in a box at top right as is the norm in these entries and move the gravestone photos, acting as illustration obviously owing to the lack of an available photo to the poster, to the right foot of the page with permission of the poster and Wikipedia. I have uploaded a photograph of William Ivison Macadam b.27th January 1856 d. 24th June 1902 to Wikipedia.

I would also like to include, below the title photo of him, possibly some other photos: his wife and possibly other relevant ones.

I would like to add further information to the page encompassing Early Life, Education, Academic Career, Research, Publications, Military, Funeral, Family etc.

While he was shot and killed by a disturbed individual in rather tragic circumstances, it is perhaps not strictly correct to say he was murdered as the post later rightly points out the assailant was not found guilty of murder but culpable homicide. He was very tragically mentally disturbed and was sadly not being taken to the Coronation and this may have been a contributing factor in setting him off. He may have descendants as the family helped look after his wife and children afterwards. While it is a matter of editorial judgement, The Scotsman newspaper on 25 June, 1902 reported it this way: "A painful tragedy occurred in Edinburg yesterday. Mr Ivison Macadam, the well known lecturer in chemistry and prominent Volunteer officer, was shot and instaneously killed in the laboratory of Surgeons' Hall by a porter employed there, while a student was mortally wounded and died a few hours later. The news, spreading with great rapidity, caused the most profound regret. At first, indeed it was hardly credited, forth those who had seen Colonel Macadam only a few hours previously the picture of health and energy, it seemed impossible to believe that one who was so general a favourite had been laid low by a murderous hand. To his military friends especially his death was a painful shock. He had been prominently before them in connection with the detachment going to London in connection with the Coronation, having been appointed commander of the Second Scottish Volunteer Coronation Battalion, and he was to have sailed with his men in the afternoon...."

Macadam was Brigade Major, with the rank of Colonel, in the Fourth Volunteer Brigade of the Royal Scots (although the papers refer to as the Fifth so I will have to further check). The day he was killed he had been planning to embark on a ship he had chartered for his battalion for the Coronation of Edward VII planned for June 26, 1902 (he had also led his regiment on his charger during Queen Victoria’s Jubilee celebrations and had the ship moored on the London Embankment for the duration as was again planned for the Coronation) as Commander of the Second Scottish Volunteer Battalion (additional to his regiment of Scots Guards). The Coronation was postponed the day he was killed, 24 June, on account the King’s appendicitis emergency operation. It is not clear if he yet knew of the postponement when he was shot.

There are various obituaries (Scotsman etc) and the Scotsman and all the Edinburgh papers also covered the shooting, then the large military funeral at length, and later the trial of his assailant over a number of days. Normally a funeral is not of note but in this case I believe it should be referenced.

The Scotsman and the Edinburgh Evening Dispatch covered the funeral extensively and describe it as one of the largest Edinburgh had witnessed in recent years with over 1000 troops, many carriages etc and tens of thousands of people turning out. The Scotsman reported it under" "The Late Colonel Ivison Macadam: Imposing Public Funeral" wrote in part: "With military honours befitting his rank .. the funeral was an extraordinary demonstration of public sympathy…From the house the coffin was carried by eight sergeants to a gun carriage provided by the Edinburgh City Artillery and drawn by six horses with riders. On the coffin placed the deceased hat and sword: behind his charger was led.” It was a four mile procession from his house at Lady Road to Portobello "to the solemn strains of the Dead March from “Saul” herd swelling in the distance. Again and again the band played the march as the escort … proceeded in slow step...”

The Edinburgh Evening Dispatch headed it "Edinburgh Tragedy: Funeral of Colonel Macadam: Thousands of Spectators". It begins “Only for the great ones of the earth do the public turn out in such numbers as they did today to witness the last tribute of respect to the remains of Lieutenant-Colonel Macadam. The crowd could be counted not by the thousands but by the tens of thousands ...”

“Marching in came a big representation of ... the colonel’s own regiment - carrying their rifles reversed …the band ... played the sorrowful and wailing music … the coffin saluted everywhere with respectful homage by the crowds waiting for its passing. Behind the gun carriage, which was drawn by six horses, was led the officer’s charger, which he rode only a few days ago at the inspection in Holyrood Park, while behind it again came several mourning coaches with the chief mourners including Mr. Barkly Macadam (son), Mr Stevenson Macadam (brother), Dr Boyd (brother-in-law) … Thousands of people - men women and children, many in working dress, some in holiday attire, a considerable number in mourning, followed the procession all the way to the Portebello Cemetery. Through the entire [four mile] route, crowds by the wayside allowed the cortege to pass and then fell in and swelled the procession….”

The Coronation of Edward VII, which had been postponed the day he was shot owing to the Kings emergency appendicitis, when Colonel Macadam was about to embark on the ship he had chartered for the battalion for London two days prior to the coronations schedule, meant the Coronation decorations were up along most of the funeral route: “All sort and conditions of people were there and it seemed the sad nature of the ceremony fell in with their mood on a day when the Coronation festivities and the intercessory services [for the king] were strangely intermingled."

I would also like to correct a few minor errors and delete some errors. For instance the reference to fertilisers and the claim he held the Royal Warrant from Queen Victoria refers to his uncle Charles Thomas Macadam, not him. He was commonly known as Ivison, his middle name (not Willie). He was born in a Georgian townhouse at 11 Brandon Street (not on the commercial street of Brandon Terrace nearby). His children that are listed are in fact his grandchildren other than his second son Ivison Stevenson Macadam, my father, (two of my sisters and younger brother, who was Elliott - not Eliot, a different spelling) and I will list his actual two sons and three sisters.

I am a bit rusty on doing Wikipedia entries, especially inserting photos (or for the matter moving existing ones, which I have never done), although I mastered inserting photographs when I did the Wikipedia entry for Henry Winslow Corbett and corrected and added to my father's Ivison Stevenson Macadam entry so it may take me a little time but I wanted to be sure that the individuals who were kind enough to put up this entry for my grandfather would not mind the gravestone and photo detail from it above it being moved down the page towards the foot and his photograph replacing the top entry being inserted. I very much appreciate all the work, research and scholorship done by those involved in getting this page up.

I hope that my edit will be in order, enhance what has been done and be acceptable to all.

Kind regards, William Macadam (talk) 21:49, 3 May 2016 (UTC)