jono68 Posted 26 October , 2014 Share Posted 26 October , 2014 Hi, I am trying to find any information on Private Herman Beecham of Conisbrough, Doncaster. I cannot find his service records so I think they have been destroyed. I do know that he died on 01/08/1918 aged 21. He was serving with the Royal Scots 1/9th Battalion. He is buried at Raperie British Cemetery, Villemontoire Aisne, France. I am interested in what the regiment were doing running up to and the day of Herman's death. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Langdon Posted 26 October , 2014 Share Posted 26 October , 2014 The 1/9th transferred in February 1918 to the 46th Brigade,15th Division so these ("9 Battalion") should be the correct war diaries at the National Archives - downloadable for £3.30 or free to view at Kew (if no forum experts come up with relevant extracts). OR's are not usually mentioned by name but the diaries will provide good context and day-to-day details. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WilliamRev Posted 26 October , 2014 Share Posted 26 October , 2014 Hi Debbie Some background that you probably know, but just in case: the 9th Battalion, Royal Scots (Written as "1/9th" to show that it was a Territorial battalion, but simply called the 9th) was the only one of the front-line Royal Scots battalions to wear kilts. From the beginning of June 1918 they were in the 46th Brigade, 15th Division. In July they were sent to a sector south of the Somme (10 km south of Soissons, just where Raperie Cemetery is now) where they relieved an American unit and fought alongside the French in what at time seemed a disastrous attack on 1st August, with huge casualties, but which then saw the Germans retreat. The action is described in a couple of pages of John Ewing's history of the Royal Scots 1914-1919. [if you e-mail me with your e-mail address (e-mail: william"at"williamrevels.com, putting a "@" symbol in the middle) I can e-mail you several scans if that would be of interest]. William Edit: I didn't see Mike's post until after I had posted mine; I think that I have repeated some of the things he has mentioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jono68 Posted 26 October , 2014 Author Share Posted 26 October , 2014 Thank you Mike Debbie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jono68 Posted 26 October , 2014 Author Share Posted 26 October , 2014 Thank you William, I will send you my email. Any help is greatly appreciated. Regards Debbie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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