The Scottish Military Research Group - Commemorations Project

[jamiemcginlay]

Muirkirk - Cumnock & Doon Valley District
The Muirkirk war memorial is a rough cairn with a simple stone tablet set into it at the summit of the hill overlooking the village. I visited the cairn years ago and remember it was almost an hour climb with some bog-trotting involved, not very convenient for older veterans. I don't know if anything has been done about a memorial at ground level. The tablet bears no names and the inscription has almost eroded away, I think it reads
IN MEMORY
OF THE MEN
OF MUIRKIRK PARISH
WHO FELL
ALSO TO THE HONOUR
OF THE MEN
AND WOMEN
WHO RETURNED FROM
THE GREAT WAR
1914 - 1918

[Richard Bain]

Hello Jamie,
Looks like you had a good day up on Cairn Table. The cairn was erected by local men after the Great War and a scroll with the names of the fallen was placed inside it. The village memorial is a sandstone arch leading to the Victory Park. When the village of Glenbuck was eradicated, its memorial was placed beside the arch.

Richard

[jamiemcginlay]

Thanks Richard, much appreciated! I think the Cairn Table memorial is the only one listed in the British Legion Directory, didn't know there was another one, I remember asking some locals but they didn't know either. Great to hear from you, nothing beats a bit of local knowledge

[Richard Bain]

[Richard Bain]

The red sandstone gateway above is the Muirkirk War Memorial. To the left of the photo you can see the Glenbuck one tucked in the corner. This is a close up



The memorials are in the centre of the village beside the primary school

Richard

[Adam Brown]

You can find a list of the names on both memorials here:

http://www.muirkirk.org.uk/heritage/muirkirk-war-memorial.htm

It is the Muirkirk Community Wesite

Adam

*Edit/Anne

The above link appears either to be broken or is no longer in use.

See: Cumnock & Doon Valley
http://www.cdvmonumental.co.uk/muirkirkwm.htm

[spoons]

The Muirkirk (gate) memorial is at OS Ref: NS 696 273, UKNIWM Ref No. 5974

The Glenbuck memorial is at the same location and is UKNIWM Ref No. 5975

[DelBoy]

WW2
Pte. William Templeton R.A.O.C.

(Glasgow Herald 27th August 1945)
"Officially reported missing, presumed drowned, Private Wm. G. Templeton, son of Mr & Mrs Templeton, Wellwood Street, Muirkirk."

Pte. Templeton died whilst a POW of the Japanese. The transport ship he was aboard, the 'Hofuku Maru' was sunk by American aircraft, which resulted in the 1047 of the allied POW's out of a total of 1289 to perish.

CWGC
Name: TEMPLETON, WILLIAM GIBSON
Initials: W G
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Private
Regiment/Service: Royal Army Ordnance Corps
Age: 23
Date of Death: 21/09/1944
Service No: 10550180
Additional information: Son of Alex S. and Catherine B. Templeton.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Column 110.
Memorial: SINGAPORE MEMORIAL

SNWM
Surname: TEMPLETON
Firstname: William G
Service number: 10550180
Date of death: 21/09/1944
Place of birth: Ayrshire
Other: Royal Army Ordnance Corps
SNWM roll: SCOTSMEN IN VARIOUS UNITS
Rank: Pte

[DelBoy]

WW1
Pte. John Y. Laing, Black Watch

(Glasgow Herald 23rd November 1914)
"Private John Laing of the Black Watch, who belongs to Creetown, Kirkudbritgh, ha succumbed to injuries in Cardiff hospital. He was in several engagements, and received dangerous bayonet wounds."



CWGC
Name: LAING
Initials: J Y
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Private
Regiment/Service: Black Watch (Royal Highlanders)
Unit Text: 1st Bn.
Age: 21
Date of Death: 19/11/1914
Service No: 2472
Additional information: Only son of William L. Young, of 20, Portland Place, Stevenston, Ayrshire.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: EB. 1A.
Cemetery: CARDIFF (CATHAYS) CEMETERY

SNWM
Surname: LAING
Firstname: John Young
Service Number: 2472
Date Death: 19/11/1914
Place of birth: Edinburgh
Other: 1st Bn.
SNWM roll: THE BLACK WATCH (ROYAL HIGHLANDERS)
Rank: Pte

[DelBoy]

Unveiled on Sunday 27th of August 1922.



Cheers,
Derek.

[Kenneth Morrison]

[Kenneth Morrison]

[Kenneth Morrison]

Odder and odder.

The Stewartry (of Kirkcudbright) Roll of Honour has
LAING, Private John Young, Creetown. Enlisted August 1914, Black Watch.
Died of wounds in Cardiff Hospital - but the Kirkmabreck WM has YOUNG, John Laing, Pte. Black Watch.

CWGC has LAING, J.Y. Pte.2472 1st BW died 19/11/1914 buried Cardiff (Cathays) Cemetery but "only son of William L. Young"

SDGW has LAING, J. Y. Pte 2472 1st BW born Edinburgh. enlisted Muirkirk. resident.x

Stuart has turned up two items from the Kirkcudbrightshire Advertiser

KA, 13/11/1914, 4D
Private G. (sic) Laing, Black Watch, is in hospital at Cardiff, dangerously wounded, and his father, Mr William Laing, Creetown, has gone to see him. He was in several engagements.

KA, 27/11/1914, 4C
Private John Laing, of the Black Watch, who belongs to Creetown, has succumbed to injuries in Cardiff Hospital. He was in several engagements, and received fatal wounds.
_________________
Ken

[dhubthaigh]

From De Ruvigny's Roll of Honour (hoped I'd get a bit more);

Laing, J. Y., Private, No. 2472, 1st Battn. The Black Watch; Served with the Expeditionary Force in France, died of wounds 19 Nov. 1914

[Kenneth Morrison]

JOHN YOUNG/LAING the story so far:
CWGC shows him as J Y Laing, Pte. 2472. 1st Black Watch. Died 19 November 1914 and buried in Cardiff.
Father is William L Young of Stevenston, Ayrshire.

William Laing Young, a retired Railway Worker, Widower of Margaret Inglis, aged 81, died in Stevenston, Ayrshire on 23/1/1946.
He was born in 1865 in Ratho, Midlothian and in 1891 at Lasswade, Midlothian he married Margaret Inglis.

On 3 December 1892 John Inglis Young was born at Morrison Street, Edinburgh to William Young (Railway Porter) and Margaret Young (m.s.Inglis)
Two weeks later, on 17 December 1892 Margaret died of Typhoid fever at the City Hospital, usual residence 105 Morrison Street and married to William Young (Railway Porter)

The Death Cert for John shows him "of Muirkirk Ayrshire - a Private in first Black Watch Regiment"
The cause of death 1. Gunshot wound in neck 16 days. 2. double pneumonia. There is no parental information.

Still no idea what the Creetown/Kirkmabreck connection is.
_________________
Ken