1883 Private
11th Battalion Royal Scots, 27th Infantry Brigade, 9th (Scottish) Division
Age: 26
Date of Death: 23.5.16
Buried: Rifle House Cemetery I.A.9
Family history: Husband of Annie they lived at 174 Orchard Street, Camelon with their two children Annie and William. Prior to enlisting he was employed as a Furnaceman.
The action that lead to his death
The battalion was in the Ploegsteert sector at Le Gheer on the southern tip of the Salient. This was seen as a quiet sector.
The battalion were in the line The War Diary records:
It would seem that William was another trench wastage casualty. Average wastage was fifty-eight men per day. Even when there was no actual fighting casualties still occurred it could be as a result of smoke from a cooking fire bringing artillery fire down on the trench or a working party clearing an area of the trench during the day and their shovels appeared over the top of the trench which could bring either trench mortar or artillery fire down on them and resulting in dead or wounded men.
Medals Awarded:
British War Medal, Victory Medal
