43158 Private
13th Battalion Royal Scots, 45th Infantry Brigade, 15th (Scottish) Division
Age: 21
Date of Death: 22.8.17
Buried: Tyne Cot Memorial Panel 11 to 14
Family history: Son of Alexander and Jane Lourie, Miller Pit Cottage, Bo’ness. He had three brothers, Alex, John and Robert, and two sisters Margaret and Janet. Prior to enlisting he was employed as a miner by the Bridgeness Coal Company.
He joined the 10th Battalion Royal Scots Territorial Battalion on 24 January 1913 aged 17. Like all Territorials, he went to his two weeks annual training camp each July, his last being 19 July to 2 August 1914, returning two days before the declaration of war. He was called up on 5 August and served at Home until he was posted to the BEF in France on 29 July 1916, joining the 2nd Battalion Royal Scots. He was wounded at the Battle of Ancre, gun shot wound to the left hand, on 9 April 1917. On recovering from this wound he returned to France and was posted initially to the 12th Battalion Royal Scots and then transferred to the 13th Battalion joining them on 6 August 1917.
The action leading to his death
The 22 August found the division preparing for an attack on the German positions at Frezenberg Ridge. For five days prior to the attack, harassing fire was kept up every night by both the artillery and machine-guns and in addition all known strong points had been targeted by the Heavy and Field Artillery. The attack was launched on 22 August at 4.45am under the cover of a creeping barrage and fire from thirty-two machine guns. The Germans very quickly replied with counter fire and with heavy machine gun fire which met the assaulting battalions of the 45th Brigades. On the right of the attack the fate of the leading companies of both the 13th Royal Scots and 11th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders would never be known. Two hours after the attack had started the left front company of the Royal Scots had been reduced to nine men and one Lewis gun team.
(Linesman Map)
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.
Daniel was posted as missing and his family notified. It was not until 19 July 1918 that his death was officially confirmed to his family.
(National Archives)
Medals
The British War Medal, Victory Medal
Kommentare