Ian,
Now then I have a question for all you smart folks out there,
Show me a copy of Alister MacKenzies war record, can you smart folks out there find it?
If you want to compare the availability of independently verifiable information about Alistair MacKenzie with the independently verifiable information supporting your story about your grandfather, then by all means, let's do it.
1.
On MacKenzie's side of the Ledger, see the terrific timeline put together by the MacKenzie Research Group:
http://www.alistermackenzie.co.uk/Media/Default/Images/MackenzieChronology.pdf The timeline documents MacKenzie's entire life, from before his birth until after his death. It includes detailed information about his family (including detailed vital information about his parents, his siblings, his immediate family(s) and his step-children, and his extended family), his school records starting with grade school, military service (including his ranks, years of service, his commissions, his regiments, this stations, his movements, his responsibilities, his lectures, and much more), his places of residence, his club memberships, his board memberships, his committee memberships, his golf handicap(s), his meetings, details of his attendance at various matches, events and clubs, a detailed work history, his published articles and papers, his golf scores, his competition results, his travel itineraries, his telegrams, letters, his hotel stays, and a whole lot more. (And his is just off the top of my head from previous reads, I am sure there would be much more than this if I looked.)
The above information isn't from some mystery diary (like the that you won't even show your partner, Phil Young.) Much of the information has been independently verified by public records, newspaper articles, club records, correspondence files, passenger lists, receipts, club records, tournament records, and a host of other sources.
2.
On the other side of the ledger, let us list out all of the independently verifiable information backing up your stories about your grandfather:
We have virtually nothing.
- No information identifying his first family, or extended first family, because you can't or wont even identify them.
- No verifiable information on your version of his military service (no names of the ships on which he served, his stations, the dates of his commissions, etc.) because you haven't told us that.
- No verifiable information on his childhood,
except that Phil has indicated he was from Alyth.
- Almost no verifiable information about his schooling except that David Scott Taylor of Alyth passed his first exam at Edinburgh in 1894.
- Nothing about his golf club memberships (if we don't count his supposed "informal membership to the R&A.")
- Nothing about his places of residence, nothing about his medical practice, nothing about anything. Or at least nothing that checks out.
- Nothing about his board memberships or committee memberships, nothing about his golf scores, handicaps, or golf competitions, nothing about his rugby club or other clubs, nothing about his rugby matches, nothing about his travel, nothing about his church.
In short, you have refused to tell us anything that could be independently confirmed. And what you have told us hasn't checked out.
Above you made the snide comment that I must think I know your grandfather's history better than you do. I won't touch that one, but I will say that my version has one big advantage over your story: My version of your grandfather's history check out, and your version of your grandfather's history does not.