David Waterman

David Waterman is a historian, former soldier, and retired firefighter whose work focuses on the lived experience of ordinary individuals in extraordinary circumstances. He served in the British Army before completing a long career with the London Fire Brigade, experiences that have shaped his interest in service, identity, and institutional culture.

Following his retirement, he completed an MSc with Distinction in War Studies at the University of Glasgow, where his research focused on the social and operational history of the First World War. His work combines archival research with microhistorical methods, drawing on war diaries, correspondence, and regimental records to recover the stories of soldiers who have been overlooked by conventional narratives.

Whitechapel Highlanders is his first published historical monograph and reflects his ongoing interest in working-class history, Scottish regimental identity, and the human cost of industrial warfare.

David lives in Scotland and continues to research, write, and engage with local history and community projects.