The Scottish Military Research Group - Commemorations Project

Adam Brown · Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2007 10:43 am Post subject:

The names on the main memorial:

1914-1919

ELDER , John
INGLIS , A W
JAMIESON , D
McEWAN , J R D
McLEISH , A
McLEISH , A
SCOTT , Thomas
SCOTT , C C

And the plaque

WATT, Charles Cecil, 2nd Lieut, King's Own Scottish Borderers

and his CWGC entry:

Name: WATT, CHARLES CECIL
Initials: C C
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Second Lieutenant
Regiment/Service: King's Own Scottish Borderers
Unit Text: 4th Bn. attd. 2nd Bn.
Age: 22
Date of Death: 08/05/1917
Additional information: Son of The Rev. Charles James Watt and Mrs. Watt, of Polwarth, Berwickshire.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: IX. A. 27.
Cemetery: ORCHARD DUMP CEMETERY, ARLEUX-EN-GOHELLE

Adam

IanA · Joined: 19 Dec 2006 Posts: 949

Note that J.S. Pringle, RSF, buried in the kirkyard doesn't make it to the memorial.

Adam Brown · Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2007 10:58 am Post subject:

ian

I think his death in 1920 although recognised by the CWGC must have excluded him. Perhaps with it being a small memorial it was completed before he died?

Adam

DerekR · Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2007 12:08 pm Post subject:

UKNIWM Ref: 54124
A lecturn of CANDLISH PARISHIONERS - WW2 from Candlish Parish Church in Lothian is said to be in this church also.
_________________

Time but th' impression stronger makes, As streams their channels deeper wear.

IanA · Joined: 19 Dec 2006 Posts: 949

Derek,

I did not notice a lectern. Polwarth Kirk has apparently been sold to a private purchaser who wants to preserve it as a kirk but it is no longer used for services and I suspect anything moveable and valuable has been removed.

Ian

DerekR · Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 7:02 pm Post subject:

One of the listed A. McLeish will be:

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p238/voomonster/Wellogate/McLeishA.jpg
Name: McLEISH, ADAM
Initials: A
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Private
Regiment/Service: King's Own Scottish Borderers
Unit Text: 4th Bn.
Age: 19
Date of Death: 13/12/1915
Service No: 8094
Additional information: Son of Andrew and Isabella McLeish, of Cothill, Duns, Berwickshire. Born at Polwarth, Duns.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Parochial. 3464.
Cemetery: HAWICK (WELLOGATE) CEMETERY
_________________

Time but th' impression stronger makes, As streams their channels deeper wear.

ADP · Joined: 13 Jun 2008 Posts: 467 Location: Edinburgh

Merseman · Joined: 07 Aug 2013 Posts: 336 Location: Duns, Berwickshire

Inside is this typewritten Roll of Honour - titled "European War 1914":

Merseman · Joined: 07 Aug 2013 Posts: 336 Location: Duns, Berwickshire

Note there are 2 "A McLeish" on the tablet, but only 1 shown on the roll.

CWGC only has 12 "A McLeish" and SWMN only has 10.

Neither has any John McLeish of the Argylls listed as a casualty.

My conclusion is the second A McLeish must therefore be this man:
http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/803623/McLEISH,%20ADAM
http://www.snwm.org/cgi-bin/db_w1.pl?function=view&id=47015

Gavinton is the parish beside Polwarth and he isn't on its civic memorial.

Also observe Charles Cecil Watt appears on the roll as with the Argylls.

EDIT: Something else of interest...

It's a confusing roll in this notable respect... when does it date from? With the title of "European War 1914" you might think it is a contemporary roll; but the population of Polwarth in 1911 was only 197, so there's no way 39 men were in the forces in that first year. Infact 39 is a fairly high figure at all... if you take the 'fighting manhood' as 1/5 of the population that would represent the entire fighting manhood of the parish; take it as 1/4 and the roll represents 39 of the 49 fighting manhood of the parish.

It's a fairly small parish, all one estate, just agriculture and the big house.

On the otherhand the title is unusual and there's various men listed under old (or wrong?) units. I have already noted CC Watt and another casualty Andrew Inglis had left the Argylls and died with the Machine Gun Corps.

And its very basic. Homemade. Unlike the ornate rolls you usually find.

IanA · Joined: 19 Dec 2006 Posts: 949

I'm sure it wasn't there when I visited. The kirk is privately owned now and this must be an attempt, by the owner, to add something of interest to visitors.

Merseman · Joined: 07 Aug 2013 Posts: 336 Location: Duns, Berwickshire

It's quite small (between A4 and A5 sort of size) on the lefthand wall of the entrance porch as you come in through the outer door... I think it's obscured by the inner door when it's open possibly.

Myself and a couple of family members were shown around by the kirk's owner yesterday, she had never realised what it was until I spotted it and they definetely have not produced it.

There are a variety of photos, newspaper cuttings, and pencil drawings connected to churchlife mounted in the porch, the tower and in a couple of places in the sanctuary itself, all of which they inherited with the building: all those with dates added on by hand were from 1920-1940s and from what I remember there was a degree of similarity in the style of framing and mounting. They're the usual sort of thing - ministers at their jubilees, members of the royal family visiting, and so on.

My impression was it was long-in-situ, but that could be 30 years not 90!!

I know of an elderly ex-parishioner who was interested in history matters as she wrote a booklet about the kirk many years ago. I'll try to ask her.

Polwarth had a village hall, but it was abandoned decades ago.

This is my family church, on my father's side - several of my relations are on the roll including my great grandfather and my great great grandfather.

stuartn · Joined: 13 Dec 2016 Posts: 2551

I have now moved the lectern back to Edinburgh on the WMR.

The Charles Cecil Watt Plaque is WMR 81033