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We provide detailed records, personal biographies, and cemetery information for soldiers from Falkirk District who served in the Ypres Salient during WWI. Explore our Roll of Honour and other dedicated sections for comprehensive insights.
Welcome to the Ypres Salient
This site presents the story of the First World War in the West Flanders region. The various categories provide a wealth of information about a range of subjects.
The Roll of Honour category is where you will find the details of all the men from Falkirk District who are buried or commemorated in the Immortal Salient.
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George Burnett Miller
Private George Burnett Miller, Royal Scots, Bo'ness, Falkirk, He was also a violinist in the Battalion band. He saw action in many of the early engagements and was wounded at First Ypres in November 1914, writing from hospital to his parents about how he came to be wounded: ‘… shells came tearing over. The first two or three went bang into our hospital, and others took bits out of the roof of the place I was in. Then one cannoned off the wall and burst in the centre of us.
Oct 9, 20223 min read
Eric Lieuellen Jamieson
Lieutenant Eric Lieuellen Jamieson, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, Bo'ness, Falkirk, At 4.45am the attack was launched under the cover of a creeping barrage and fire from thirty two machine guns and within thirty seconds the German counter barrage came down on the line Frezenberg to Square Farm and their machine guns began to take their toll of the 44th Brigade before they had even left their trenches. Eric was posted as missing in the War Diary
Oct 9, 20223 min read
John Middleton
Private John Middleton, Machine Gun Corps, Bo'ness, Falkirk, The South African Brigade was tasked with talking the strong points at Beck House and Borry Farm. The 4th Regiment had taken its objectives while the 3rd Regiment had sustained several casualties from the strong point known as Potsdam. The 1st and 2nd Regiments reached their objectives, the Yellow Line which included the Bremen Redoubt, and the Green Line from the Frezenberg - Zonnebeke Road to the Zonnebeke stream.
Oct 9, 20222 min read
William Melville
Private William Melville, Royal Scots, Bantam Battalion, Bo'ness, He was wounded, gun shot wound slight graze to the face and neck, on 17 May 1916 however, he rejoined his unit on 21 May. On the 26 January 1917, he was transferred to 176 Tunnelling Company, 3rd Canadian Division, and was with them until June 1917. The 176 Tunnelling Company were involved in creating the Factory Farm Mine, in the Ploegsteert Wood sector. This mine, along with 19 others, was blown at 3.10am on
Oct 8, 20223 min read
Robert Maines
Private Robert Maines, ‘B’ (Bo’ness) Company, 1/10th (Cyclists) Battalion, Royal Scots, The Company was holding the line near Shell Trap Farm. Robert was reported as wounded and missing on 7 July 1915, and then thought to be a Prisoner of War on 13 July 1915. He was reported as killed in action on 9 July 1915 by the Officer Commanding 4th Division Cyclist Company on 19 July 1915.
Oct 7, 20222 min read
Robert McNaught
Private Robert McNaught, Royal Scots, Bo'ness, Falkirk, They were to become involved in one of the last actions of the year of any importance on the northern front. The plan was for the attack to spread south with the ultimate aim of capturing Messines Ridge. The 8th Brigade, with 9th Brigade in support and 7th Brigade in reserve, attacked with 1st Gordons on the right attacking Maedelstede Farm and 2nd Royal Scots on their left attacking Petit Bois.
Oct 2, 20222 min read
Hugh Rose McIntosh
Private Hugh Rose McIntosh, Royal Scots, Bo'ness, Falkirk, The Battalion was moving forward to Frezenberg Ridge in preparation for the attack on 22 August, in what is known in the nomenclature as the Battle of Langemarck. The German artillery were continually shelling the rear areas which resulted in casualties amongst the attacking troops in the assembly areas. Hugh died of wounds he received at the Casualty Clearing Station at Brandhoek.
Oct 2, 20221 min read
Michael McGowan
L/Cpl Michael McGowan, King's Yorkshire Light Infantry, Bo'ness, Falkirk, On the morning of the 26 August the Germans attacked four posts the left flank of the British line using flamethrowers, they had used this weapon for the first time at Hooge on 30 July 1915, and with a supporting artillery barrage. They had forced back one of the posts. Michael was killed in this action.
Oct 2, 20222 min read
James McFarlane
Private James McFarlane, Royal Scots, Bo'ness, Falkirk, The plan was for the attack to spread south with the ultimate aim of capturing Messines Ridge. The 8th Brigade, with 9th Brigade in support and 7th Brigade in reserve, attacked with 1st Gordons on the right attacking Maedelstede Farm and 2nd Royal Scots on their left attacking Petit Bois.
Oct 1, 20223 min read
James McCarrol
Private James McCarrol, Royal Scots, Bo'ness, Falkirk, Due to the confined space in which the fighting took place, no quarter was asked or given, and after an hours fighting the Royal Scots had won back only 10 yards of trench. Following the death of the Company commander, Captain Stewart, the impetus of the attack dissipated into an exchange of bombs. The survivors of ‘C’ Company commenced to build new bombing posts to maintain the ground that they had won.....
Oct 1, 20222 min read
Thomas Cullen
Private Thomas Cullen, Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders, The Battalion was in the line at The Bluff with Battalion HQ located at Bedford House and forward HQ at Blauwepoort Farm. This was an area were the British had artillery gun pits. The Bluff was also an area were mining and trench raids, and sniping was a common hazard.
Oct 1, 20221 min read
Daniel Sneddon Lourie
Private Daniel Sneddon Lourie, Royal Scots, Bo'ness, Falkirk, The few remaining men of the Royal Scots and Argyll’s were rallied in a line north-west from Railway Dump along the road running to Beck House. The Royal Scots made repeated attempts throughout the day to get forward by jumping from shell-hope to shell-hole but without success. The battalion being relieved after dusk on 23 August.
Sep 30, 20222 min read
Thomas Lapsley
Private Thomas Lapsley, Royal Scots, Bo'ness, Falkirk, At 9am on 15 October, the 11th Battalion advanced under the cover of a smoke screen against Hill 40. The late hour of the attack and the heavy British barrage of artillery and machine gun fire took the enemy by surprise. Nevertheless, the Battalion suffered heavy casualties from German machine gun fire from the direction of Laaga Cappelle Wood. They managed to overcome this resistance and moved towards Hill 40.
Sep 30, 20222 min read
George Hendrie Kyles
Private George Henry Kyles, Labour Corps, Bo'ness, Falkirk, The 13th Labour Company was engaged in salvaging ammunition when they came under air attack on 9 January. A bomb struck a loaded truck and killed forty one men. George is buried in a mass grave with forty of his comrades. The headstones show a variety of cap badges, many from the Seaforth Highlanders. His headstone does not mention he was a member of the Labour Corps. In 1919 it was decided that the headstone of a
Sep 29, 20222 min read
James Strachan King
Private James Strachan King, Bo'ness, Falkirk, On 16 November 1917, the Battalion was engaged in the Battle of Passchendaele II and was in the line to the east of Poelcappelle near Goudberg. Their objectives were reached with the exception of Virile Farm which was strongly held by machine guns. An attack was organised to take the farm however, a German artillery barrage came down on the attacking party.
Sep 28, 20222 min read
James Wittet Imrie
Private James Wittet Imrie, Pioneer Battalion, Gordon Highlanders, Bo'ness, The Pioneers became the work horses of the BEF. Pioneer Battalions were created as an expedient in 1914, and were a new concept in the British Army. Intended to provide the Royal Engineers with skilled labour and to relieve the infantry from some of its non-combatant duties.
Sep 27, 20222 min read
Adam Hastie
Private Adam Hastie, Royal Scots, Bo'ness, He enlisted in the 2/5th Battalion Royal Scots, a Territorial Battalion, on 2 December 1914, and spent the period 28 December 1914 to 30 January 1915, in the 2nd Scottish General Hospital with tonsillitis. He volunteered for overseas service arriving in France on 7 May 1916, and joined the Battalion from the Base Depot on 28 May 1916. He enjoyed a leave at home from 12 to 22 September 1917 before returning to his battalion.
Sep 27, 20221 min read
Alexander Marquis Black Harley
Private Alexander Marquis Black Harley, Royal Scots Fusiliers, Bo'ness, The front of the 15th (Scottish) Division ran from Potijze Road to the Roulers Railway, immediately facing Frezenberg Ridge. The 46th Brigade was on the left of the assault, 44th Brigade on the right with the 45th Brigade ready in reserve to exploit the advance made. The first objective was the enemy front and support lines, the second, the second line, and the third the defensive system fifteen hundred y
Sep 25, 20223 min read
Richard Nisbet Hamilton
Private Richard Nisbet Hamilton, Royal Scots, Bo'ness The 13th Royal Scots, as part of 45 Infantry Brigade, 15th (Scottish) Division, were involved in the assault on the German lines at Frezenberg Ridge. The task of 15th (Scottish) Division was to seize the ridge near Frezenberg and then to push on to a rise to the north east of Frezenberg known as Hill 35. The main attack was undertaken by the 44th and 46th Infantry Brigades with the 45th held in reserve to go through the ot
Sep 20, 20223 min read
John Friars
Private John Friars, Scots Guards, Bo'ness, The eldest son of John and Helen Friars, Richmond Terrace, Bo’ness. He had two brothers William and David and sisters Jeanie, Elizabeth and Mary. Prior to enlisting on 27 August 1913, he was employed as a labourer working with this father at the chemical works of Thomas Ovens and Sons, Corbiehall. On the 26 October the 1st (Guards) Brigade were told to go up the Menin Road as far as Veldhoek, two kilometres west of Gheluvelt, as the
Sep 20, 20221 min read
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