First posting: Swan brothers, Black Watch

[bigduke]

Hello all. This is my first post.

I have just started to research my great uncle's who were killed in the Great war.

One of them, George Swan died of wounds Aubigny, France, 19th March 1916 and he was a piper in the 1/7th Black Watch.

Can anyone shed any light on the regiments involvement in that area.

My gran told me years ago that he was killed by a sniper whils't he was riding a despatch motorbike but I don't know how accurate this is.

His brother Peter Swan ,Machine Gun Section, killed in action, Zeebouche, France, 22nd September 1917. He has no known grave. Can someone tell me if the Black Watch had their own machine gun sections and any idea where Zeebouche is?

I seem to remember that I was told that he was in Yepre.

Cheers

[Orson]

Hello Bigduke

Welcome to the Forum.

I've searched for Zeebouche and the only entry I can find is the Auchterderran Roll of Honour, where Peter is mentioned. I assume that is where you obtained your information, as George is mentioned there as well?

Looking at Peter's Commonwealth War Graves information he was in 122nd Machine Gun Company which was part of the 41st Division and he is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, near Ypres. During 1917 the Division was in Belgium and they were engaged in the Battle of the Menin Road, 20th - 25th September. so it seems likely he was killed in Belgium, not France.

I'll try and see if I can find somewhere in the vicinity that sounds like Zeebouche.

Orson

[dundeesown]

Hi Bigduke

Welcome to the Forum I think this is your man Pte 204 George Swan Born Auchterderran,Fifeshire.Enlisted Lochgelly,Fifeshire,D.O.W. 21/03/1916 F & F

from soldiers Died In THe Great War B/W. This is from History of the Black Watch " The move began on March 6th,and proceeding by road and halting at Lonuevillette,Doullens,Ivergny and Maroeuil,the Battalion moved into the line at Neuville-st.Vaast on the 13th,relieving French troops in the Labyrinth.The move was rather trying,the latter part of the march being carried out in a blizzard."

All the best Gary.

[dundeesown]

This is his MIC for you

Gary.F

[9th Black Watch]

Here's the panel from the Lochgelly War Memorial including George and Peter Swan.

There are a further three Swans on the Memorial.

All the best,

Derek

[9th Black Watch]

The Memorial.

George and Peter appear on the panel third from left.

Derek

[Tom A McCluskey]

Big Duke,

Piper Swan was in A Company of the 7th. He is mentioned in the Bn Diary.

Aye

Tom McC

[Bardess]

All this sharing of info is heartwarming in the extreme.

Diane

*proud member of this forum*

[Black Watch]

Zeebouche - Zonnebeke or Zillebeke?

Neil

[bigduke]

Wow!

Many thanks for the info chaps.

Tom McC, I'm truly amazed by the attachements that you sent.

I can't make out the date of the report on the rescue of the men in the sap. Looks like March 21? and George was wounded on the 19th.

Incidentally another brother David was also a piper in the same regiment. He survived the war to be killed later on in an accident in a coal mine.

I spoke with my dad this morning and the story with Peter was that he was bringing ammo to the front in Ypres when he and a horse carrying the ammo were blown up by a shell. Zeebouche is a red herring I think.

There is a photograph of him on horseback wearing a sheepskin sleeveless jacket although the horse doesn't look like a pack horse and does have a saddle. More like a police type of horse.

He was in the Black Watch territorials before the war, so, he must have been transferred to the Machine Gun corps later on.

Thanks again

BD

[bigduke]

This is his MIC for you

Gary.F

Many thanks Gary for this card. I've just found out that this is a medal card. Would you be able to tell me what each section that is filled in by hand is and does this mean that he was awarded a medal?

Cheers

BD

[9th Black Watch]

BD,

The Medal Index Card shows that George landed at Boulogne with the 7th Battalion, Royal Highlanders, on 2 May 1915.

He received three medals - 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal (the numbers are references to the Medal Rolls held at the National Archives).

Below is a photograph of the medals awarded to another 7th Battalion solidier.

George's family would have received an equivalent group - impressed with his number, rank, name and regiment (R.HIGHRS.) along with a memorial plaque and scroll.

3105 Cpl. John FALCONER, 7th Royal Highlanders

Born Dalgetty, Fifeshire. Enlisted Cowdenbeath, Fifeshire. Disembarked, Boulogne, 2 May 1915.

Died of wounds, France and Flanders, Friday, 28 July 1916, aged 41. Buried in Dartmoor Cemetery, Bercordel-Becourt, Somme, France, I. B. 55.

Son of William and Janet Falconer, and husband of Elspeth Beveridge Falconer, 10 Arthur Place, Cowdenbeath.

A FEARLESS N.C.O.

Corpl. John Falconer, Trench Mortar Battery, who resided at Arthur Place, accidently met with his death while performing his duties at the front on July 27. He joined the Black Watch at the beginning of the war, and recently was transferred to the above mentioned Battery. His officers had all a good word to say for him, and his Captain, in a letter to his wife writes: - ‘May I convey to you the sympathy of all the members of the Battery, officers and men, at the loss of so fearless an N.C.O. as your husband was. The message we send is that God may bless you and your five children, and that yours may be a fond memory of one who has done his duty’. Corporal Falconer was a son of the late Mr. William Falconer, 79th Cameron Highlanders, who took part in the Crimean War. He was connected with the Fife Militia for three years. His age was 41 years. Dunfermline Press, 5 August 1916, 3.

[mac2090]

BD,

The Medal Index Card shows that George landed at Boulogne with the 7th Battalion, Royal Highlanders, on 2 May 1915.

He received three medals - 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal (the numbers are references to the Medal Rolls held at the National Archives).

Below is a photograph of the medals awarded to another 7th Battalion solidier.

George's family would have received an equivalent group - impressed with his number, rank, name and regiment (R.HIGHRS.) along with a memorial plaque and scroll.

<b><u>3105 Cpl. John FALCONER, 7th Royal Highlanders </u></b>

Born Dalgetty, Fifeshire. Enlisted Cowdenbeath, Fifeshire. Disembarked, Boulogne, 2 May 1915.

Died of wounds, France and Flanders, Friday, 28 July 1916, aged 41. Buried in Dartmoor Cemetery, Bercordel-Becourt, Somme, France, I. B. 55.

Son of William and Janet Falconer, and husband of Elspeth Beveridge Falconer, 10 Arthur Place, Cowdenbeath.

<b>A FEARLESS N.C.O.</b>

Corpl. John Falconer, Trench Mortar Battery, who resided at Arthur Place, accidently met with his death while performing his duties at the front on July 27. He joined the Black Watch at the beginning of the war, and recently was transferred to the above mentioned Battery. His officers had all a good word to say for him, and his Captain, in a letter to his wife writes: - ‘May I convey to you the sympathy of all the members of the Battery, officers and men, at the loss of so fearless an N.C.O. as your husband was. The message we send is that God may bless you and your five children, and that yours may be a fond memory of one who has done his duty’. Corporal Falconer was a son of the late Mr. William Falconer, 79th Cameron Highlanders, who took part in the Crimean War. He was connected with the Fife Militia for three years. His age was 41 years. <i>Dunfermline Press</i>, 5 August 1916, 3.

[mac2090]

Hi I was wondering if you could contact me reference John Falconer as I am related to him on my mothers side. Thank you

[JOVE23]

Might Zeebouche be Zeebrugge?

[mac2090]

Hi I was wondering if you could contact me reference John Falconer as I am related to him on my mothers side. Thank you

9th Black Watch im new to the site it wont allow me to enter a personnel conversation with you

[mac2090]

9th Black Watch im new to the site it wont allow me to enter a personnel conversation with you

can anyone help, cant get a personal conversation started, arghh

[Wendy Macpherson]

mac999 you will be able to PM now you have made you 5th post, there is a minimum post requirement before you can PM.

You should be away laughing now.

Wendy

:)

[mandy hall]

now you have 5 posts you should be able to PM

Mandy

snap Wendy

[Patesian]

NA Scotland: SC70/8/645/31 Will of 20164 Corporal Acting Corporal Peter SWAN, formerly 695 Royal Highrs., Machine Gun Corps (Infantry). Cause of death: Killed in action, France or Belgium, France and Flanders, 22 September 1917

[mac2090]

mac999 you will be able to PM now you have made you 5th post, there is a minimum post requirement before you can PM.

You should be away laughing now.

Wendy

:)

Thanks Wendy I'm laughing now.

now you have 5 posts you should be able to PM

Mandy

snap Wendy

Thanks Wendy I'm laughing now.

[Guest Davieswan58]

Hi all

This is my first post so here goes.

Firstly hello to Bigduke as George and Peter were my Grandfathers brothers so also my great uncles.

I visited Georges grave in 2010 . I had this urge for years to go and pay my respects to those who never came back.I found out there was 2 Aubignys in that area, George is in Aubigny-en-Artois. Here is some information that I found.

Aubigny-en-Artois is a village approximately 15 kilometres north-west of Arras on the road to St. Pol (N39). From the N39 turn onto the D75 towards the village of Aubigny-en-Artois. The Cemetery lies south on a road leading from the centre of the village, and the Extension is behind it.

Before March, 1916, Aubigny was in the area of the French Tenth Army, and 327 French soldiers were buried in the Extension to the West of what is now Plot IV. From March 1916 to the Armistice, Aubigny was held by Commonwealth troops and burials were made in the Extension until September 1918. The 42nd Casualty Clearing Station buried in it during the whole period, the 30th in 1916 and 1917, the 24th and 1st Canadian in 1917 (during the capture of Vimy Ridge by the Canadian Corps) and the 57th in 1918. The Extension now contains 2,771 Commonwealth burials of the First World War and seven from the Second World War. There are also 227 French burials made prior to March 1916, and 64 German war graves.

[Guest jubev]

George swan was my great grandad his son george married my gran margaret bernard and lived in kelty fife they had a son called george now in

his seventies lives in Manchester and two daughters anna lives in perth scotland and elizabeth lives in dunfermline fife.

[Guest jubev]

Hello all. This is my first post. I have just started to research my great uncle's who were killed in the Great war. One of them, George Swan died of wounds Aubigny, France, 19th March 1916 and he was a piper in the 1/7th Black Watch.Can anyone shed any light on the regiments involvement in that area. My gran told me years ago that he was killed by a sniper whils't he was riding a despatch motorbike but I don't know how accurate this is.His brother Peter Swan ,Machine Gun Section, killed in action, Zeebouche, France, 22nd September 1917. He has no known grave. Can someone tell me if the Black Watch had their own machine gun sections and any idea where Zeebouche is?I seem to remember that I was told that he was in Yepre. Cheers

[Tom Lang]

This is a great family story, and exactly what I like about the forum.

Keep the information coming lads, I'm waiting for more.

Tom.

Additionally, you can try the Black Watch Forum too: http://blackwatchforums.co.uk/forum.php

Here's the link to the Lochgelly War Memorial: http://warmemscot.s4.bizhat.com/warmemscot-ftopic2783.html