The Scottish Military Research Group - Commemorations Project

ferrydigger · Joined: 15 Nov 2014 Posts: 31

Memorial is a granite plaque 30cm square, fixed to a wall adjacent to the Fife Coastal Path at Port Laing beach, North Queensferry. It commemorates the death of Lt. Paton, 9Bn RSF on 20 June 1916. He was in charge of a group of men practising grenade throwing at this location, when a grenade was badly thrown, landing near some of the men. Seeing the danger, he called out a warning and himself ran forward in an effort to throw the grenade into a safe area. He reached it, but it exploded and he was killed - but he saved his men. He is buried in Hope Street Cemetery, Inverkeithing. The memorial was unveiled on 20 June 2016 by Mrs V. Darnell (a 2nd cousin of Lt. Paton) in the presence of members of 2SCOTS, the Regimental Association, North Queensferry Primary School and interested locals.
George Paton was born on 13 September 1894 at Belgrano, Buenos Aires, Argentina, son of a Scots emigrant Robert Paton and Rose (nee Olguin). He was one of over 5,000 men (over 500 of whom lost their lives), who during the First World War, made there own way to the UK to enlist.
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Researching North Queensferry War Memorial

moriaty · Joined: 10 Dec 2014 Posts: 38 Location: Fife and London

From the website of
http://www.northqueensferrylighttower.com/memorial/43-paton.html

His family background was both diverse and colourful.

He was a great-grandson of John Trelawny, (friend of the poets Byron and Shelley).

His maternal grandmother was Zella Trelawny, the only surviving child of Trelawny's third wife Tersitza, who was the sister of the Greek warlord Odysseus, with whom Trelawny served during the Greek war of independence (Byron died on the way).

George was baptised in St Johns Anglican Cathedral in Buenos Aires.

His Scottish father worked for an insurance company in that city and had married a local lady in 1890.

They are noted in the 1895 census of Argentina, but in 1901 George and his mother, older sister and younger brother were living at 34 Hove Villas, Hove, Sussex

It is unclear where his father was at the time, but the family subsequently went back to Argentina.

At the centenary of his death, on 20 June 2016, a memorial plaque was unveiled at Port Laing by Vesta Darnell (2nd Cousin of Paton) in the presence of representatives of 2SCOTS, Regimental Association, North Queensferry School and local people.

stuartn · Joined: 13 Dec 2016 Posts: 2551

WMR 70806