James Comrie

Menin Gate Memorial. Authors image

4064 Private

1/7th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, 149th Brigade, 50th Division

Age: 33

Date of Death: 9.8.16

Buried: Menin Gate Memorial Panel 8 & 12

Family history: Partner of Elizabeth Busby, 107 Stirling Street, Dunipace, Denny. One of seven sons and two daughters of Andrew and Mary Comrie, Denny. He was a miner at age 18 and went on to play professional footballer for Third Lanark, Reading, Glossop, Bradford City and Lincoln. He enlisted in the Territorial battalion in Lincoln.

The action leading to his death

The Battalion War Diary records that they had been in the line on the 4 and 5 August in the trenches north of the Wulverghem - Messines Road with battalion HQ in St Quentin Cabaret. On the 4 August the Germans shelled the Battalion trenches with trench mortars. They were relieved by the 9th Royal Irish Rifles on 5 August and went to Neuve Eglise and then moved to Meteren on 6 August. The War Diary recorded on the 5 August that for the two days in the line that one officer was killed and one other rank killed and three wounded.

Trench map showing the trench positions

Medals Awarded:

The British War Medal, Victory Medal

Private James Comrie, 1/7th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, 149th Brigade, 50th Division, Medal Index Card