Although initially ill-prepared, Ian and Elizabeth were well liked locally and he was respected as a competent farmer who could turn his hand to anything. During the war, sheep did not provide a good turnover, so Ian concentrated on dairy cattle and arable farming. There is no doubt that Ian proved he could be a successful farmer in very difficult conditions, both of time and place. He continued to do some broadcasting, and fairly regular journalism, but there were no more novels. This may well have been due to the sheer pressure of farm work but also possibly a question of relevance of writing stories in a time of war. He had made this point in 1936 in Wild Harbour when he wrote "Write!" I exclaimed. "Good God, is that what you'd like me to do? Didn't you hear the guns last night; don't you know the world's in a flame? What'll I write, now; fairy-tales maybe for cities drowned in gas, or shall I scribe moralities on the rock with a nail for future generations to wonder my wisdom?" His own feelings mirrored those of his fictional creation. "When war began I was like multitudes of people in that my income fell with a bang. There wasn't much to be made writing, and to tell the truth I didn't feel much like writing in days when action was so obvious a need."

      On the 15 July 1944 Ian Macpherson was tragically killed in a road accident. He had just acquired a motorbike from his brother-in-law and had gone off to a neighbouring farm to collect bread. The farmer's wife offered him a game-bag to carry it, but he insisted in putting it into the pillowcase that he had with him. He was carrying the pillowcase on the fuel tank in front of him when he hit a lorry at the terrible corner at Glenerney, just two miles north of Tombain. The lorry was carrying trees to be shipped at Burghead and was in a hurry to meet a deadline. Ian suffered a fracture to the base of his skull and died instantly. The funeral took place two days later. The service was held outside the farmhouse and was well attended by local people. The burial was at Cladh Brighde, Newtonmore, where his parents were buried.

      Elizabeth was left with two young daughters; Elizabeth aged two and an infant Jane. Elizabeth and åa smithie' remained at Tombain and later Elizabeth remarried but continued to work the farm. She also continued with her regular journalism, until she retired to Nethy Bridge where she died in 1989.