The Scottish Military Research Group - Commemorations Project

Kenneth Morrison · Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2021 12:49 pm Post subject:

F/O./PILOT GEORGE LOUGH, R.A.F.V.R.
George Lough – age 20 – Flying Officer (135439) 228 Squadron, Coastal Command, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
George was educated at Berwickshire High School in Duns before attending Edinburgh University. He enlisted from there in 1941 and was commissioned from Leading Aircraftman (1554375) in November 1942. He was promoted in May 1943 when the squadron began to fly its Sunderland Flying Boats on anti-submarine patrols from Pembroke Dock in South Wales. On one such patrol George's aircraft attacked a “wolf-pack” of five German submarines on the surface in the Bay of Biscay but the boats were able to shoot down the Sunderland.
Born 1922 in Eyemouth. Son of James Dougal Lough and Margaret Waddell (Borthwick) Lough of Caledonia House. Albert Road, Eyemouth,
Killed in Action/Lost at Sea on 13 June 1943 and named on the Runnymede Memorial, Surrey.
Also named on the Eyemouth Congregational Church memorial and on the Berwickshire High School memorial.

WRITER HARRY N. LOUGH, R.N.
Harry Nelson Lough – age 22 – Writer (C/MX 69586) H.M.S. Dragon, Royal Navy.
Harry was educated at the Berwickshire High School in Duns. He died of chronic bronchitis in the Edenhall Hospital in Inveresk, Musselburgh, Midothian. His death was registered by his uncle James Johnston of Cockenzie, so Harry may have been visiting when he became ill.
The light cruiser “Dragon” spent the second half of 1942 under repair and refit at Chatham and then at Liverpool.
Born 1920 in Eyemouth. Son of the late Henry Nelson Lough (died 1929) and Margaret Swanston (Stewart) Lough of 27 Albert Road, Eyemouth.
Died on Service on 3 November 1942 and buried in Eyemouth Cemetery. (CWG)
Also named on the St. John's Church memorial in Eyemouth and on the Berwickshire High School memorial.

and his brother

F/LT/PLT. WILLIAM LOUGH, R.A.F.V.R.
William Stewart Lough – age 27 – Flight Lieutenant (128494) 265 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
William was educated at the Berwickshire High School in Duns and had been a member of the West Lothian Constabulary at Linlithgow and at Bo'Ness. He moved to the Paisley Force in 1939 and joined the RAF from there. He was commissioned from Leading Aircraftman (1361146) in August 1942, promoted in February 1943 and made Flt Lt. in August 1944. William was the pilot of a Catalina Flying Boat based at Diego Saurez, Madagascar when the aircraft was shot down by return fire when attacking the German submarine U-862 off Great Comoro Island in the Mozambique Channel.
Born 1917 in Eyemouth. Son of the late Henry Nelson Lough (died 1929) and Margaret Swanston (Stewart) Lough of 27 Albert Road, Eyemouth. Husband of Janet Gow (McPherson) Lough, late of 60 High Street, Linlithgow who he married in November 1941 as Leading Aircraftman Untrained Pilot.
Killed in Action/ Lost at Sea on 20 August 1944 and named on the Alamein Memorial, Egypt.
Also named on the St. John's Church memorial and on the Berwickshire High School memorial.

Kenneth Morrison · Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2021 12:53 pm Post subject:

A.B. WILLIAM A. MEEK, MERCHANT NAVY.
William Alexander Meek – age 27 – Able Seaman, S.S. Benalbanach (Leith) Merchant Navy.
The “Benalbanach” was conveying troops and equipment on her second trip to the Allied landing area in North Africa when the convoy was attacked by a single enemy aircraft. She was hit by two torpedoes, caught fire, blew up and sank almost immediately taking the lives of 57 crew members and 353 service personnel.
Born 1915 in Eyemouth. Son of the late William Meek (died 1925) and of Gulielma (Cowe) Meek of Priory House, Eyemouth.
Killed by Enemy Action/Lost at Sea on 7 January 1943 and named on the Tower Hill Memorial, London.
Also named on the Eyemouth Congregational Church memorial.

CADET JOSEPH PURVES, MERCHANT NAVY.
Joseph Purves – age 18 – Cadet, S.S. Benvorlich (Leith) Merchant Navy.
The cargo ship “ Benvorlich” was sunk off Malin Head, County Donegal in the north of Ireland in an air attack by a German Condor long range aircraft. She was in convoy and on passage from Middlesbrough to the Far East. 20 of her crew were lost.
Born 1922 in Eyemouth. Son of Robert and Catherine (Cormack) Purves of 18 Church Street, Eyemouth.
Killed by Enemy Action/Lost at Sea on 19 March 1941 and named on the Tower Hill Memorial, London.

L.A.C. JAMES O. RAMSAY, R.A.F.V.R.
James Owen Ramsay – age 35 – Leading Aircraftman (1050595) Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
James was a tailor in Berwick-on-Tweed and a part-time agent for the Prudential Assurance Company in Eyemouth when he enlisted. A keen billiards player he was secretary at the local club. He was captured by the Japanese at Batavia in the Dutch East Indies in February 1942. James died in the Sandakan Prisoner of War camp in North Borneo and was re-interred in Labuan in June 1949.
Born 1909 in Edinburgh. Son of Janet Bishop Ramsay of 2 Dodd's Court, Eyemouth. Husband of Margaret Rae (Gillie) Ramsay, of 2 Tod's Court, Eyemouth who he married in 1940 in Eyemouth.
Died on Service on 29 January 1945 and buried in Labuan War Cemetery, Malaysia.
Also named on the Eyemouth Parish Church memorial.

Kenneth Morrison · Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2021 12:54 pm Post subject:

L/CPL. ARCHIBALD STEBBING, K.O.S.B.
Archibald Chisholm Stebbing – age 27 – Lance Corporal (3189993) 4th Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers.
The 4th KOSB had landed in Belgium in the autumn of 1944 and fought through Holland into Germany, taking part in the capture of Bremen. Archibald was killed near the village of Birgte to the south of Bremen and was re-interred in April 1947.
Born 1917 in Ayton< Berwickshire. Son of John Scott Stebbing and Jane Ann (Chisholm) Stebbing of Gunsgreen Gardens, Ayton.
Killed in Action on 4 April 1945 and buried in Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany.
Also named on the Eyemouth Parish Church memorial and on the Ayton Parish War Memorial.

FISHERMAN ROBERT THOMPSON.

On Friday 21 September 1945 the Eyemouth fishing boat “Maisie” blew up while fishing 9 miles off Eyemouth. It was believed that she had struck a mine. Three Eyemouth men were onboard - the Skipper Robert Swanston, aged 44, of Bridgend, William Collin, age 60 of High Street and Robert Thomson, age 43, of Sea Wynd. Only Robert is named on the memorial.

Robert Thompson – age 43 – Deck Hand, Fishing Vessel Maisie (Berwick) Fishing Fleet.
Born c.1902 in Eyemouth. Son of John and Elizabeth Young Thompson.
Died on 21 September 1945 and named on the Tower Hill Memorial, London.

Robert Dougal Swanston – age 44 – Skipper, Fishing Vessel Maisie (Berwick) Fishing Fleet.
Born 1901 in Eyemouth. Son of Hugh and Mary Dougal Swanston. Husband of Margaret D. C. Swanston, of Eyemouth,
Died on 21 September 1945 and named on the Tower Hill Memorial, London.

William Collin – age 59 – Deck Hand, Fishing Vessel Maisie (Berwick) Fishing Fleet.
Born 1885 in Eyemouth. Son of James and Maggie Collin
Died on 21 September 1945 and named on the Tower Hill Memorial, London.

Kenneth Morrison · Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2021 4:55 pm Post subject:

F/SGT. GEORGE S. WISHART, R.A.F.V.R.
George Sinclair Wishart – age 22 – Sergeant (1551786) 218 Squadron, Bomber Command, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
George was educated at Eyemouth High School and at Berwickshire High School at Duns before he joined the Eyemouth Branch of the Commercial Bank of Scotland. He enlisted in 1941 and was the navigator on his Stirling bomber which had taken off from RAF Downham Market in Norfolk for a raid on Dortmund. The aircraft was hit by ground-fire and crashed on the target. George was buried in Dortmund Main Cemetery and was re-interred in December 1946.
Born 1921 in Eyemouth. Son of Sinclair John Wishart and of Augustina (Elliot) Wishart of Westlands, Coldingham Road, Eyemouth.
Killed in Action on 23 May 1943 and buried in Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany
Also named on the St. John's Church memorial in Eyemouth, on the Berwickshire High School memorial and on the Commercial Bank of Scotland memorial at Gogarburn near Edinburgh.

ORD. SIG. JAMES YOUNG, R.N..
James Tait Young – age 18 – Ordinary Signalman (D/JX 153335) H.M.S. Glorious, Royal Navy.
In April and May 1940 the aircraft carriers “Ark Royal”, “Furious” and “Glorious” had been providing air cover to military operations in Norway. On 8 June “Glorious” and two escorting destroyers were returning to Scapa Flow when they were attacked and sunk by the German battleships “Gneisenau” and “Scharnhorst”.
Born 1921 in Eyemouth. Possibly the son of Christopher Young who married Dora Tait in 1918 in Eyemouth.
Killed in Action/Lost at Sea on 8 June 1940 and named on the Plymouth Naval Memorial, Devon.

Kenneth Morrison · Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2021 5:01 pm Post subject:

EGYPT 1952

L.A.C. JAMES CRAIG, R.A.F.
James Craig – age 19 – Leading Aircraftman (3131799) RAF Fayid, Royal Air Force
James was educated a Eyemouth High School and worked in his father's bakery business before he was called up for National Service. He had been serving for two months with the RAF Regiment at RAF Fayid in Egypt, the main transport staging post in the Canal Zone, when he was killed in an accident near Ismailia.
Born 1932 in Eyemouth. Son of Mr. & Mrs. James Craig of Church Street, Eyemouth.
Died on Active Service on 29 January 1952 and buried in Fayid Military Cemetry, Egypt.
Also named on the Armed Forces Memorial and Roll of Honour.

IRAQ 2005

C.P.L. DAVID WILLIAMS, R.A.F.
David Edward Williams – age 37 – Corporal (R8250127) RAF Lyneham, Royal Air Force.
David was brought up in Eyemouth after his family moved from Dumfriesshire and he joined the RAF in 1987. He was a Survival Equipment Fitter serving with the Engineering Wing at RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire, the home-base for all RAF Hercules transport aircraft. David was onboard a Hercules of 47 Squadron on a flight between Baghdad International Airport and Balad airbase when the aircraft was brought down by ground-fire. All 10 personnel onboard were killed.
Born 1967 in Ruthwell, Dumfriesshire. Son of David Henry Williams and Evelyn (Butcher) Williams of Eyemouth. Husband of Kathryne Williams of Parliament Street, Chippenham Wiltshire.
Killed in Action on 30 January 2005.
Also named on a memorial bench in Eyemouth, on the Armed Forces Memorial and Roll of Honour, and on a memorial plaque from the Basra Memorial and now in the National Arboretum.
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Ken