Front || Letter sent by the battalion chaplain to Buchanan’s mother, confirming his death after weeks during which he had been posted missing in action. Families usually received official communication only when there was bad news. When a family member was killed in action or posted missing, military authorities tried to send and confirm information quickly. Where time and the circumstances of war allowed, personal correspondence from an officer, chaplain or comrade was sometimes received.

Front || Letter sent by Buchanan to his sister on 11 September 1915, 14 days before the Battle of Loos would begin. It concerns his health and cold weather on the front. With telephone and radio communication still in their infancy, letters and postcards were the main means of communication between individuals on active service and their families at home in Scotland. The delivery of letters and parcels from home was irregular. Telegrams were quicker but more expensive, and rarely available to those at the Front. Letters home were censored for sensitive information, and much communication between individuals and families was intended to comfort and reassure. This was to be Buchanan's last letter home.

Front || Letter from Corporal Stark informing Mrs Dick that William’s leg had been amputated.