Ferdinand Snow seeks information on George Nicol Reid Caird his Scottish great-grandfather.

Can Celtic Music Radio listeners help?.

That’s the question being posed by musician Ferdinand Snow – a Scot raised in Sweden by his Scottish father and Swedish mother – who has just brought out a single, titled ‘My Heart Belongs To Scotland.’

Ferdinand is on a mission to get more information on his Scottish great-grandfather, George Nicol Reid Caird, as he only discovered recently that his relative, like Ferdinand, was a musician.

“In many ways, ‘My Heart Belongs To Scotland’ has become a tribute very much to George, a relative I have never met but with whom I feel a close bond,” said Ferdinand, who is well-respected in the Swedish music scene, writing music in various styles and arranging for every type of setting from small bands to symphony orchestras, for theatre, television and records. 

”I really do want to unlock the mystery of my talented Scottish ancestor and if any listeners to Celtic Music Radio can help me, that would be marvellous.”

So far he’s discovered that George Caird, who died aged 60 in 1963 and was born in 1903 in Banchory, had been a violinist for the BBC Scottish Variety Orchestra in Glasgow and played alongside star names like Forces’ sweetheart, Dame Vera Lynn and inspirational Scots accordionist, Jimmy Shand on the popular 50s television show, Jigtime.

Ferdinand has spoken with family in Glasgow including his 91-year-old uncle and visited graveyards in the north-east of Scotland as well as in the Stonehaven area to find links to George Caird’s past.

“I would love to find out more about his life, pictures of him and records of where he participated and when,” said Ferdinand.  

“If anyone remembers him and has information to share, especially people in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Stonehaven and thereabouts, I´d be eternally grateful.”

The song dedicated to his great-grandfather is on Ferdinand’s new EP, Live at a Funeral.

By Mike Ritchie