Duncan Laing - Link to Grangemouth

Private Duncan Laing. Authors image

4979 Private, 1st/10th Battalion The King’s (Liverpool Scottish Regiment), 166th Infantry Brigade, 55th Division

Age: 34

Date of death: 16.12.16

Buried: Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery X.C.31

Family history: Son of John and Jean Laing, 132 Lumley Street, Grangemouth, they also had two other sons and five daughters. Duncan was married to Elizabeth, and they lived at 65 Derby Road, Bootle, Liverpool. They did not have any children. He was an Engine Fireman to trade however, he listed his trade as ‘Labourer’ when he enlisted in Liverpool on 6 July 1915 and this employment status seems at odds with the pension awarded to Elizabeth. He landed in France from Southampton on 25 December 1915 and joined the Battalion in the field on 10 January 1916.

Summary of the findings of the Court of Enquiry. Duncan's death was the result of negligence

Action leading to his death

Duncan died of his wounds, a gun shot to the back, at the Casualty Clearing Station at Lijssenthoek on 16 December. His death was as a result of an accident that occurred on 11 December during a Lewis Gun demonstration. A Court of Enquiry was convened on 11 December into how Duncan was accidentally wounded. The Court of Enquiry concluded that it was the result of the negligence of an instructor NCO during a Lewis Gun course that resulted in Duncan being

wounded.

Minutes of the Court of Enquiry

Pension Award

Elizabeth was awarded a pension based not on her husband’s rank but on her demonstrating her financial loss. This was known as an ‘attentive pension’ but which was misinterpreted and was actually correctly an Alternative Pension available under Article 13 of the Royal Pension Warrant 1917, and subsequent warrants, for First World War widows. This pension was an earnings related pension offered under special circumstances, rather than the standard flat rate widow’s pension.  The standard WW1 widow's pension (under Article 11) was a fixed weekly rate based on her deceased husband's rank. The Alternative Pension (AP) under Article 13 was introduced to provide a potentially higher income for widows who could demonstrate their financial loss. The key features being:

Eligibility Criteria: A widow had to be entitled to the 'normal' widow's pension and prove that her husband's pre-war earnings were higher than the standard pension rate.

Calculation: The pension amount could be up to two-thirds of the husband's verified average pre-war weekly earnings, with a maximum total payment specified at the time (e.g., up to 66 shillings 8 pence a week).

Application Process: Widows had to substantiate their claims for pre-war earnings (PWE). If they could not substantiate their earnings, the application was deemed ineligible.

Purpose: It offered a form of selective support, allowing those who had a higher standard of living before the war to maintain it, rather than being restricted to the basic flat rate