John Scoon - Link to Bonnybridge
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41199 Private, 2nd Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers, 90th Infantry Brigade, 30th Division
Age: 29
Date of death: 31.7.17
Buried: Menin Gate Memorial Panel 19
Family history: He was one of four sons and a daughter of the late Thomas and Ann Lillie Scoon. He was married to Elizabeth Marshall Scoon, and they lived at 13 Saunders Street, Edinburgh with their daughter Margaret born on 27 August 1915. Elizabeth resided in Bonnybridge were their marriage took place on the 28 August 1914. He was employed as a Brief Bag Carrier, a Messenger employed in the legal profession, when he was called up on 24 June 1916 and joined the King’s Own Scottish Borderers. He received a temporary exemption until 15 February 1917 under the Military Service Act 1916 due to serious hardship for his wife and child if he was called up immediately. He was then not called up for service until 18 February 1917 and was then transferred to the 2nd Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers by use of Army Order 204 on 3 June 1917. This order was introduced on 6 July 1916 primarily to authorize the distinctive Wound Stripe, a gold braid stripe worn on the left sleeve to mark soldiers wounded in action since 4 August 1914. AO 204 also contained provisions particularly AO 204 (b) and (c) which allowed for the compulsory transfer of men between units.
Action leading to his death
On 30 July 1917 the 30th Division moved up to the assembly trenches at Sanctuary Wood in preparation for the opening of the Third Battle of Ypres on 31 July 1917. The attack was to be made on the German positions on the Gheluvelt Plateau from Stirling Castle to Clapham Junction to Surbiton Villas and once these positions had been taken the 2nd Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers were to move through the British line in four waves to the next objective of Herenthage Chateau to the north edge of Glencorse Wood. The attack opened at 3.50am with a creeping barrage protecting the British attacking Battalions of the 16th and 18th Manchester Regiment as they went forward. The ground was a morass and the men struggled through the bog by pulling each other out and the barrage was lost by the Battalions at Jargon Trench however, the attacking Battalions reached to within 200 yards of the Blue Line at Stirling Castle but were held up by very heavy enemy resistance and had taken very heavy casualties. The 2nd Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers joined the attack which had stalled some 200 yards short of Stirling Castle and they met heavy fire from machine gun, rifle fire, and enemy artillery but managed to capture two machine guns and 50 prisoners. However, the British advance had been checked and had made little progress and the 18th Division came through the 30th division positions but also made no progress with heavy losses. At 5pm the remaining troops of 90th Brigade were ordered to withdraw to Zillebeke Promenade at Zillebeke Lake. John’s body was lost and he is listed on the Menin Gate Memorial.
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