10th Argylls

[ianmccallum]

Hi Guys

Anyone help me out with the doings and locations of the 10th Argylls over the 1-5 April 1917.

Cheers

Ian

[Guest]

The Long Long Trail says they were part of 26th Bgde in the 9th ( Scottish ) Division at this time. The Divisional History just says they were practising for the battle of Arras on the 9th.

Facing St Laurent, North of the Scarpe. ( according to Official History ) map. Someone might have the Bn diary for the month.

Cheers Mike

[Steven Broomfield]

Battalion History (by Lt Col Herbert Sotheby, DSO, MVO) is a bit unforthcoming.

Around the end of February they appear to have gone into the Line in front of St Nicholas (with three craters: Cuthbert, Clarence and Claud). Apart from mention os a post called "The Laundry" (which had to be visited by night), which was on the river Scarpe and was approached by a footbridge over the swamps, and was 50 yards from the nearest German post, there is no mention of location until the start of the bombardment on 4th April.

Looking at a map in the back of the volume, it would seem likely they stayed in the St Nicholas sector for the whole period.

[ianmccallum]

Thanks guys

That is a great help. I am researching a man who died from wounds on 4 April 1917. He died in No1 Canadian CCS which only opened for admissions that day. So unless he was transferred to them in a critical condition from another CCS, I think he must have received his wound that day.

Ian

[Guest]

If it's James McFee, you have been very lucky with the amount of information in the service record. I wish there was half as much, on half the men I am researching.

Local newspaper of the time I find, are excellent for finding what happened to individuals. There's also the Scotsman Archives

Cheers Mike

[Steven Broomfield]

Aha!

The history comments on a patrol, led by Captain Denham, to ascertain whether the enemy wire had been cut by the bombardment. They went to a concrete strong point, the "Parrot's Beak", which shells were bouncing off. The patrol worked along the wire and were able to report it hadn't been cut. Also: "During those days of bombardment we had very little cover, so to escape the counter-shelling, which was pretty severe, we thinned the line as much as possible"

I'd guess your man was wounded by the counter-bombardment: there is no report of casualties from the patrol, but the enemy shelling was obviously pretty dodgy.

[ianmccallum]

Hi Guys

Yes! Its James McFee I am researching, he was certainly a bit of a character going by the records. As an ex RSM I recognise the type, he's alive and well as still occupying detention cells in Guardrooms throughout the army. I am trying to put together something on the Glasgow Irish. At the time that was an euphemism for Irish Roman Catholics and their descendants living in West Central Scotland. Unlike the Tyneside Irish for example there was no specifically Irish unit raised in Scotland. To make the research a little more complicated not many army forms noted a man's religion. Anyway thats what I am up to with McFee and his ilk. Thanks again for the help.

Ian