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The MacDonald Family, England and Chile, 1937-1945

Updated: May 7, 2022

Two incredible videos uploaded by Ian Ruxton to his YouTube channel and where you will be able to see part of his grandparents' life in Chile. Below each video there is a timeline description to follow when watching them.


0:00 Start

0:14 Music and Title

0:30 Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (12 May 1937)

3:32 Wedding (Wreyford and Pen Durlac, who played tennis as Miss Penelope Weekes at Wimbledon in 1936, and from 1934-1950. Her best Wimbledon result was 3rd round in 1939. They married c. September 1937.)

3:55 Family holiday at Seahouses, Northumberland

6:53 Hotel at Chislehurst (Ian, Margaret, Dougal the dog)

7:05 On the "Queen Mary" returning to Chile.

8:48 Santiago: horse (Peter Pan) and Margaret

9:20 Villaseca 595 front garden (Susan and Margaret)

9:47 Margaret riding Peter Pan

10:05 Alexander and Margaret on train

10:17 Alexander and Margaret on a horse

10:25 Susan and Margaret

10:32 Susan, Margaret, Joe and Marion Robinson (Joe 1931-1989), Marion (1933 - )

10:46 Margaret, Alexander, Susan and Dougal (front garden)

12:25 Golf course, Pucon (Norman Chambers and others)

14:10 Susan fishing

14:24 Los Leones: pool, club 'terraza' and golf course

14:48 Cricket (at Prince of Wales Country Club?)


The description above is based on notes provided by Margaret Ruxton (nee MacDonald) to accompany the video in 1997. Margaret features often in the video, which was originally in VHS format. Ian Ruxton had the VHS tape converted to a DVD in April 2022, and then extracted ('ripped') the digital files to make two YouTube videos of about 15 minutes each. The music was added during the original dubbing from three 16mm(14mm?) video camera reels to VHS.


It seems likely that Alexander MacDonald, a great British patriot, lover of his adopted country Chile and enthusiast for new gadgets, bought the video camera to film the Coronation in 1937. (He was awarded the CBE in 1943 for his contribution in Chile to the British war effort).


For more about him see https://youtu.be/UYixQEQ64Ks


See also this playlist for his book about trout fishing in Chile: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1...



0:00 Cricket

0:07 Deloitte office party at home (Villaseca 595)

0:45 Pucon

0:58 Zapallar with the Arteaga family

1:22 Balfours and Ethel's mother (Mrs Wilson) in black

1:48 Pucon again

2:39 Lago Villarica, Volcan Villarica

2:44 Classic car crosses river on ferry

3:19 Alexander MacDonald fishing

3:35 Hotel Pucon

3:45 Fishing

4:04 Pucon golf course again

5:04 San Francisco church, Santiago

5:07 A gathering in the mountains somewhere!

5:14 Christmas 1944 at Quinchamali, home of Helen Wessel 30 minutes drive from Santiago towards the mountains. Party for all villagers and 'asado al palo' (barbecue) for Helen's friends. Margaret in red and white striped dress.

6:43 Margaret in red bathing suit diving (rather well!)

6:50 Helen Wessel in white dress

8:29 Santo Domingo, beach with Stella, Buxie and Mary Bush

8:48 De Havilland Dragon "Condor de los Andes" owned by Embassy Air Attache Sandy MacDougal.

9:28 Alexander fishing near Catrico fishing lodge(?) owned by Helen Wessel

10:00 Plane landing

10:22 Flight over the Andes to meet Susan in Buenos Aires (March 1945).

11:06 Santo Domingo

11:11 Foursome on Santo Domingo course "the jewel in the crown" of Alexander's courses.

12:25 Margaret playing golf with her father Alexander (July 1945?)

13:50 Santo Domingo beach

14: 24 Santo Domingo grey sand and dunes

14:30 Olympic size pool under construction

14:41 Moved house from Vilaseca 595 to Isidora Goyenechea (Dougal barking at door). Neither house exists now.

14:57 Picnic on rocks at Santo Domingo (with Janneys, Pococks, Sandy and the Masons)

15:15 The End!

The description above is based on notes provided by Margaret Ruxton (nee MacDonald) to accompany the video in 1997. Margaret features often in the video, which was originally in VHS format. Ian Ruxton had the VHS tape converted to a DVD in April 2022, and then extracted ('ripped') the digital files to make two YouTube videos of about 15 minutes each. The music was added during the original dubbing from three 16mm(14mm?) video camera reels to VHS.


It seems likely that Alexander MacDonald, a great British patriot, lover of his adopted country Chile and enthusiast for new gadgets, bought the video camera to film the Coronation in 1937. (He was awarded the CBE in 1943 for his contribution in Chile to the British war effort).


For more about him see https://youtu.be/UYixQEQ64Ks


See also this playlist for his book about trout fishing in Chile: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1...


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