Iain Choinnich Dhòmhnuill Aonghais

John “Johnny Angus” MacAskill was from Grand River, Richmond County, and was descended from settlers who arrived from Scalpay, Isle of Harris, in 1817. He was the son of Kenneth D. MacAskill and Mary Belle (née Morrison).

Johnny Angus married Lola MacAulay (1928–2020), and together they raised three children.

During the Second World War, he served in the Governor General’s Horse Guards, part of the 3rd Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment within the 5th Canadian Division, where he drove a tank.

After returning home, he held a wide variety of jobs. He worked as a lobster fisherman, at the heavy water plants in Port Hawkesbury and Glace Bay, as a miner at Tilt Cove in Newfoundland, and at the Gulf Oil Refinery in Point Tupper. He also worked for the Nova Scotia Department of Highways and spent a period working in Hamilton, Ontario.

Johnny Angus was known for his strong and steady singing voice, and was always happy to share a song—whether at home gatherings, milling frolics or in church. He was also a proud member of the Masons, actively involved in the local lodge.

He passed away in 1996 and is laid to rest in Grand River Presbyterian Cemetery.