The Scottish Military Research Group - Commemorations Project

Mike Morley · Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 2:24 pm Post subject: James McCulloch

I'm just looking into the background of James McCulloch of the 1st Battalion, Gordon Highlanders. He died on 13 November 1916, aged 34.

His service number was S/8549. From his medal card he was posted to France on 18 January 1915. Looking at the army service numbers blogspot it says that, for the Gordons, service number 8671 joined on 27 May 1902. Can I assume that Private (later Lance Corporal) McCulloch joined a little earlier in 1902? Or have I missed a trick?

By way of background, he is commemorated on Wigtown's War Memorial and on the Thiepval memorial. He was married to Annie Malone (who lost two brothers in the war) and had a daughter, also called Annie.

anne park · Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 5:10 pm Post subject: died at Serre

The 1st bn went into action at Serre.
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Researching WWI info from Aberdeenshire, Banffshire, Kincardineshire & Morayshire.

DelBoy · Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 5:34 pm Post subject:

I understand the prefix of an S/ to mean enlisted during wartime for war service only.

kinnethmont · Joined: 19 Dec 2006 Posts: 1649 Location: Aberdeenshire

S/8549 was a wartime number. Had he been a Regular in the 1st Gordons from 1902 by November 1916 he would most likely have been dead or a POW.
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Jim

If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

www.kinnethmont.co.uk

Mike Morley · Posted: Wed Jul 03, 2013 10:52 am Post subject:

Thanks everyone. I thought I'd got my head around the service numbers!

James McCulloch was reported in August 1915 as having been wounded three times. Then in December 1916 it was reported that his wife had received notification that he had been wounded four times on 13 November 1916. In March 1917 it was reported that he had been missing four months and it was not until December 1917 that his death on 13-11-16 was confirmed. At some time during his service he had been promoted to Lance Corporal though when is a bit of a mystery to me as the press reports right up to March 1917 have him as Private and it was only when his death was confirmed that his rank was reported as Lance Corporal.

Mike Morley · Posted: Wed Jul 03, 2013 11:01 am Post subject:

PS I forgot to add that the medal card states "Died 13/11/16". Looking at the war diary that certainly was a date when the battalion was in action and suffered casualties.