The Scottish Military Research Group - Commemorations Project

DelBoy · Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 1:41 pm Post subject: Our families in the Great War

On this day, being the anniversary of the outbreak of the first world war, i was wondering what, if any, family links members of the forum have to those dark days?

I have an interest in the first world war in spite of have next to no family connection to the soldiers who took part in it, which i think must be unusual.

My only uniformed ancestor was a brother of my g-grandmothers (who was a "non-com") and never left mainland UK dying in 1917.

All my great grandfathers stayed in their jobs, reserved occupations i assume, and carried on having children during the conflict.

Derek.

apanderson · Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 2:32 pm Post subject:

No direct connection for me either.

I had 2 great-uncles who served overseas in WW1, thankfully both survived.

Five second cousins, all possibly 'once removed'*:

Pte. Thomas Mack Guthrie, Cameron Highlanders, DOW, 28th September 1915
2nd Lt. Thomas Mack, Durham Light Infantry, KIA 26th January 1916
Pte. John Mack, Highland Light Infantry, KIA 15th July 1917
Cpt. John Mack Guthrie, M.C., Black Watch, KIA 28th July 1918
Pte. George Taylor Mack, age 25, Lanarkshire Yeomanry (Att'd R.S.F.) KIA 31st October 1918

*I'm not too sure about the relationships - I can never figure out how the second/once removed stuff works, but I think I've got it right!

Anne Smile

Mike Morley · Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 7:23 pm Post subject:

A "possible" for me. I have been researching my family tree and information has been sparse on my father's side but there's a possibility that my paternal great grandfather died in 1918 on the Somme. Unfortunately his name was very common and there's no family anecdotes to fall back on. I may never know but will keep trying. His name was George Coates and would have been in his late thirties when he died. I have no idea which Regiment but it's likely to be a Yorkshire one.

David McNay · Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 8:44 pm Post subject:

My mother did some research and discovered that her father had done some home service in the Army Service Corps, we think as a driver.

The only other connection I know of is a distant relative, John McNay, who died on the first day of the Battle of Loos while serving with the Gordon Highlanders.

At the service at Glasgow Cathedral we were all given a poppy, to place somewhere that had a connection to us - I will be placing mine at the memorial in Motherwell where John McNay is commemorated.

tanyagar · Joined: 01 Sep 2013 Posts: 121 Location: France

My Granddad on my dad's side was a sniper in the KOSB, then moved to the Labour Corps, I think when he was wounded (lost an eye). But he survived. He was William Gardiner. Also my mum's uncle John Smart was a POW in Wittenberg camp. He survived too. But his cousin, also John Smart didn't - I think he's named on the Polmont memorial.

columba · Joined: 19 Feb 2014 Posts: 404

Two of my granny's cousins died in the Great War (She had 68 cousins!!)
On 11th December 1916 Private James C Bruce of the 15th Battalion the Highland Light Infantry died of wounds received in battle. He is buried in Etaples Military Cemetery at the Pas de Calais. According to SNWM he was originally in the Black Watch.
James Scott of the Black Watch was killed in action at Etrun on 10th June 1918. He is buried in Duisans British Cemetery. He is commemorated on the Airlie war memorial.
My grandfather enlisted in the RNVR in March 1914 but a year later was discharged through ill-health (he had an undiagnosed heart condition from which he died in 1949.) I have his service papers and they were scanned at the WW1 event in Dundee on Friday so will be added to the Dundee archives.
My other grandfather was a ship's carpenter with the Caledon shipyard in Dundee so I guess that would have been a reserved occupation!!

mhomac · Joined: 15 May 2010 Posts: 779 Location: South Lanarkshire

John Murray Gray who died on 9 December 1916 at the battle of the Somme was my Grand Uncle.

He was a Private in the 7th Battalion The Cameron Highlanders and is commemorated on the Caterpillar Valley Cemetery, Longueval, France Memorial as well as several other memorials here in Scotland.

Remembered with pride today and every day.

Adam Brown · Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2014 3:59 pm Post subject:

One of my grandfathers was in the army on the Western Front in the 9th Scottish Division. The other was in the Royal Navy. Both survived the war, as did their siblings.

Adam