The Scottish Military Research Group - Commemorations Project

apanderson

Memorial sits on the B825 between Avonbridge & Linlithgow Bridge. Easy to miss because of the trees surrounding it.

Adam Brown · Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 2:16 pm Post subject:

I notice the inscription says it is memory of the men employed at Muiravonside & Redford Collieries so I would say this is a company rather than a civic memorial.

Adam

apanderson · Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 4:30 pm Post subject:

You might be right Adam - I didn't actually think about that.

Standburn is such a wee place, it might have been the case all the men in the villages were employed in the mines!

If this turns out to be in the wrong place, hopefully someone it can be moved to the proper section?

Anne

clarkc_bpo · Joined: 19 Apr 2007 Posts: 25

Hi all,

It's a moot point as to whether to move this to a 'Company Memorials' thread. The village has no other memorial and this memorial remains a focal point for the village Remembrances on Armistice Day when local school-children of the Drumbowie Primary lay a wreath.

The village of Standburn sprung up as a miners' village for the workers of Jas Nimmo and Co of Glasgow, who operated the linked pits of Muiravonside and Redford Collieries. There's a publication called Pits, Pints and Poverty which describes life in the village. My copy is on it's way to me through the inter-library system but I suspect it'll confirm that the village men worked exclusively at the pit. That being the case, I'm pretty sure it is indeed a Company memorial, although it is now in the care of Falkirk and district Council.

At the outbreak of the Great War, Standburn was a one-street row of houses of pretty poor quality. Basically, it was a single Miner's Row. The pits are long gone (they both shut in the mid to late 1920's) and the housing has changed into a unflattering mix of styles but the place remains largely just that one street.

My personal interest in this memorial is that my Great-Grandfather appears fourth on the memorial - David Christie. He worked at Muiravonside breifly having moved from Fife and lived at no 27, Standburn. He enlisted in the Argylls at Falkirk after the call-up was extended to married men with familes in 1916, and transferred shortly after to the Machine Gun Corps, serving in the 24th Coy. He was killed on the 31st July 1917 at the start of 'Third Ypres' as his sub-section provided support for an assault on the Westhoeck Ridge, and his body was never recovered. I found the Standburn memorial after much sifting through family records and online-archives and visited it on a suitably dreich day in December last.

Thought I'd just chip in my tuppence !

regards
Clark

dhubthaigh · Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2007 9:53 am Post subject:

Clark,

Thanks for the post & info., very interesting. This is what the forum is all about and adds a wee bit of flesh to the bones.

Do any pictyres of your g-grandfather exist, newspaper reports etc?

Adam Brown · Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2007 11:54 am Post subject:

Clark

clarkc_bpo · Joined: 19 Apr 2007 Posts: 25

Hi again guys,

I'm hoping that when I get a copy of that "Pits, Pints and Poverty" book I'll be able to add some more info on Standburn. For now, all I can really add is that the memorial was unveiled and dedicated by a Major Ralph Glynn MC on November the 19th 1922. It would be interesting to know this man's connection to the village.

As for photos, it's a common tale but unfortunately a box of photos, letters etc has been discarded in error sometime around the 2nd World War. My Gt-Grandfathers medals remain in the family (Star and British) but little else which is why I started to look into it. We knew absolutely nothing about the man. We presumed our family had roots in the Standburn/Falkirk area but in fact I found that my Gt'Granfathers dad was born in a house a stones' throw from the one my own father (so his gt-grandson) was born in, in Burntisland - a town where I now run a business. Finding that 'circle' was a great pleasure I can tell you.

As for newspaper reports, I found the following one regarding the death of David Christie. It's from the Fife Free Press but hope to find something from he Falkirk 'papers too in time. Note that no mention is made of the pit he then worked in, just his work in Kirkcaldy which he actually left in 1901.

Fife Free Press 25th August 1917

One Brother Killed, Another Wounded

Intimation has been received by Mrs. J. Christie, 83 Victoria Road, Kirkcaldy, that her son Pte. David Christie, Machine Gun Corps, has been killed in action in France. Private Christie was before the war a printer in the linoleum works of Messrs Barry, Ostlere & Shepherd. His father was the late Mr. John Christie, Victoria Road. One of his brothers, Private Thomas Christie, Black Watch, is now in a base hospital in France, and another, Stoker A. Christie, is in the navy. It is a melancholy coincidence that the two brothers in France, who had not seen each other all the time they were there, but looked forward to meeting, were both wounded the same day- Thomas severely and David killed. Private D. Christie was aged 35, and was a married man. His wife lives in Polmont and his two sisters, Mrs. Nicol and Mrs. Scarborough, live in Victoria Road, Kirkcaldy.

regards
Clark

clarkc_bpo · Joined: 19 Apr 2007 Posts: 25

..further to that last post....

Major Ralph Glynn MC who unveiled the Standburn War Memorial has his award of the Military Cross noted in the London Gazette of 5th March 1918 as Capt. (A./Maj.) Rupert Trevor Wallace Glynn. That's the only 'Glynn' who won the MC between 1870 and 1923 so we can safely assume thats our man. It also might seem that he later became an MP as there is a mention of a Major Sir Ralph Glynn MP in the papers of Ramsay McDonald. From that, we can guess that this chap was MP for the Standburn area at the time of the unveiling......seems more likely than ol' Rupert working doon the pit !

regards
Clark

Adam Brown · Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 11:06 am Post subject:

Standburn and Redford men are also listed on the Muiravonside Parish War memorial.

There is a different list of names on both memorials so perhaps this is a colliery rather than a civic memorial. I will leave it in this section just now though.

Regards

Adam

clarkc_bpo · Joined: 19 Apr 2007 Posts: 25

Further to my last post, I hope this will be of interest to you all :

My last post contained the snippet from a Fife Free Press cutting reporting the death of my Gt-Gt-Grandfather. The report 'headlined' the fact that he was killed on the same day that his brother Thomas was severely injured.

Would you beleive that I spoke to Thomas's daughter today and we plan to sit down and chat about family in a fortnight or so? Amd to think that I've been serving her in my Post Office for over ten years withiout making the link. Incredible.

just thought I'd share the news cos I'm pretty chuffed to met her. I know it's off topic and to be honest miles 'off-forum' but, hey !

regards all,
Clark

apanderson · Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 11:28 am Post subject:

Hi Clark,

No wonder you're chuffed to bits - that's fantastic news. I bet you can't wait for your blether.

Personally, whether you thought your post was 'off-topic' or not, I think this is a really positive story and will maybe encourage other people browsing through this forum to join in or add their tuppenceworth when they come across one of their relations on a war memorial.

As Adam said, every bit of information, no matter how small makes a difference!

Anne

clarkc_bpo · Joined: 19 Apr 2007 Posts: 25

Thanks Anne. I'm trying not to hope too much for a photo of the brothers, but if I do get one, I'll post it up to add colour to my original postings.

regards
Clark

jamiemcginlay · Joined: 20 Dec 2006 Posts: 930 Location: Glasgow

WWI ROLL OF HONOUR:
ANDERSON ROBERT MURIAVONSIDE & REDFORD COLLIERIES
BROWN MATTHEW MURIAVONSIDE & REDFORD COLLIERIES
BROWN ROBERT MURIAVONSIDE & REDFORD COLLIERIES
CHRISTIE DAVID MURIAVONSIDE & REDFORD COLLIERIES
CLARK LEWIS MURIAVONSIDE & REDFORD COLLIERIES
DAVIES JAMES MURIAVONSIDE & REDFORD COLLIERIES
FERGUSON PETER MURIAVONSIDE & REDFORD COLLIERIES
GARDNER JAMES MURIAVONSIDE & REDFORD COLLIERIES
GARDNER JAMES MURIAVONSIDE & REDFORD COLLIERIES
GEDDES WILLIAM MURIAVONSIDE & REDFORD COLLIERIES
JAMIESON THOMAS MURIAVONSIDE & REDFORD COLLIERIES
JOHNSTON WILLIAM MURIAVONSIDE & REDFORD COLLIERIES
LAMOND DAVID MURIAVONSIDE & REDFORD COLLIERIES
LAMOND JOHN MURIAVONSIDE & REDFORD COLLIERIES
LIDDLE JAMES MURIAVONSIDE & REDFORD COLLIERIES
MAIN CHARLES MURIAVONSIDE & REDFORD COLLIERIES
MCNEIL ROBERT MURIAVONSIDE & REDFORD COLLIERIES
MCPHAIL MALCOLM MURIAVONSIDE & REDFORD COLLIERIES
MILLS GEORGE MILITARY MEDAL MURIAVONSIDE & REDFORD COLLIERIES
PARK DAVID MURIAVONSIDE & REDFORD COLLIERIES
ROBERTSON JOE ROBERTSON JOSEPH MURIAVONSIDE & REDFORD COLLIERIES
ROBERTSON ROBERT MURIAVONSIDE & REDFORD COLLIERIES
RODGER ALEX RODGER ALEXANDER MURIAVONSIDE & REDFORD COLLIERIES
RODGER DAVID MURIAVONSIDE & REDFORD COLLIERIES
ROLLO WALTER MILITARY MEDAL MURIAVONSIDE & REDFORD COLLIERIES
STEVENSON WILLIAM MILITARY MEDAL MURIAVONSIDE & REDFORD COLLIERIES
STEWART J.C. STEWART J. MURIAVONSIDE & REDFORD COLLIERIES
WALKER THOMAS MURIAVONSIDE & REDFORD COLLIERIES

Charlie Walker · Joined: 14 Nov 2007 Posts: 3 Location: Edinburgh

My Great Uncle, Thomas Walker, is remembered here (and on the Muiravonside memorial). He died of wounds (aged 22) and is buried in the French village of Aubigny (near Arras). I visited there recently and have photos. He was in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.
_________________
Charlie

clarkc_bpo · Joined: 19 Apr 2007 Posts: 25

Hi Charlie,

Do you know which pit he worked at, and/or where he lived in (presumably) Standburn?

regards
Clark