3 missing soldiers, Newmains, Cambusnethan, Morningside, Chapel all La

[Swally]

Guys,

I have been researching the fallen from Newmains, Cambusnethan, Morningside, Chapel, using the War Memorials and also a pamphlet that was produced around 1922 noting all the men who served, were injured, died and were awarded medals. Of roughly 170 men I am stuck with 4 I can find no details, I have been very lucky so far with help from a few guys here on the forum who have helped greatly. I wounder if I can get the final three with your help??

W. Laurie - Scottish Rifles - Serbia

George Richardson - Gordon Highlanders - 24, Furnace Row, Newmains

William Vincent

James Aitken Highland Light Infantry

44 Cambusnethan Street

If anyone can help??

I'd be obliged, Thanks,

Swally

[Swally]

Looks like counting is an issue.............

[Langdon]

There's a James Aitkin:

Name: James Aitkin

Birth Place: Cambusnethan, Lanarkshire

Residence: Cambusnethan, Lanarkshire

Death Date: 18 Aug 1916

Death Place: France and Flanders

Enlistment Place: Lanark

Rank: Private

Regiment: Highland Light Infantry

Battalion: 8th (Lanark) Battalion (Territorial)

Regimental Number: 7624

Type of Casualty: Killed in action

Theatre of War: Western European Theatre

Mike

[dundeesown]

There is a Pte 7624 James Aitken of the H.L.I who was kia 18/08/1916 born Cambusnethan,son of Mrs.M.Aitken of Auld Hoose Cambusnethan.Could this be your man ?

SDGW on Ancestry has his name as Aitkin.

Gary

[Swally]

There were two James Aitken, one of Auld Hoose Buildings Private 16915 and one from Cambusnethan Street, Cambusnethan. Both were HLI......... thanks, Swally

[Swally]

^{Dundeesown & Langdon, looks like you have found my man, thanks for your efforts.}

^{Any takers on the other 3??}

^Regards,

^Swally

[Langdon]

Had a good look yesterday for your Laurie - could you explain the Serbian reference/source? CWGC has 3 cemetaries there but none had him.. Are we looking at 11th Battalion?

Mike

I did find a William Laurie in Aldershot in the 1891 Census - aged 23 - in "The Battalion The Cameromans Scottish Rifles" - born in Scotland (helpfully!). He would have been 46 at the start of the war...

[Swally]

_{Mike, I was taking the information from the Morningside War Memorial (Lanarkshire not the Edinburgh one) and it gives it as W. Lawrie - SR - Serbia.}

_{I have hunted up and down and I can't see it}

_Regards,

_Swally

[Langdon]

Just found this in the 1901 census following previous post:

Name: William Laurie

Age: 31

Estimated Birth Year: abt 1870

Relationship: Head

Spouse's name : Elizabeth Laurie

Gender: Male

Where born: Wishaw, Lanarkshire

Registration Number: 628

Registration district: Cambusnethan

Civil Parish: Cambusnethan

Town: Wishaw

County: Lanarkshire

Address: 36 Stewarton Street

Occupation: Enginest Iron Turner

ED: 13

Household schedule number: 212

LINE: 13

Roll: CSSCT1901_254

Household Members:

Name Age

William Laurie 31

Elizabeth Laurie 27

James Laurie 2

Mike

_{Mike, I was taking the information from the Morningside War Memorial (Lanarkshire not the Edinburgh one) and it gives it as W. Lawrie - SR - Serbia.}

_{I have hunted up and down and I can't see it}

_Regards,

_Swally

I have been searching for Lawrie as well as Laurie - so, interesting to see the above! Which is it?

[Swally]

_{W. Lawrie} it is on the monument, but that's not to say it's spelt wrongly, I have had a few instances of that happening. There were plenty Iron works in the locality.

Cheers,

Swally

[Langdon]

Here's one more William Laurie from the 1901 Census (perhaps you've already seen these two). I don't have access to the Scottish 1911 census to follow these but perhaps you have?

Let me know if you've already sourced 1901 Lawries in Lanarks to save me doubling up.. Of course, only link to the SR at present is the Aldershot 1891 above.

Name: William Laurie

Age: 29

Estimated Birth Year: abt 1872

Relationship: Head

Spouse's name : Mary Laurie

Gender: Male

Where born: Carnwath, lanarksh

Registration Number: 628

Registration district: Cambusnethan

Civil Parish: Cambusnethan

County: Lanarkshire

Address: 74b Cambusnethan

Occupation: Coal Miner

ED: 10

Household schedule number: 239

LINE: 1

Roll: CSSCT1901_254

Household Members:

Name Age

William Laurie 29

Mary Laurie 22

Mike

[Langdon]

_{Mike, I was taking the information from the Morningside War Memorial (Lanarkshire not the Edinburgh one) and it gives it as W. Lawrie - SR - Serbia.}

_{I have hunted up and down and I can't see it}

_Regards,

_Swally

There are local W. Lawrie's in the 1901 Census, but I thought I'd go back to Serbia.

It's not CR, is it, on the memorial? Any connections between Lanarks and the Connaught Rangers...?!

I've found a W. Lawrie of the 5th Battalion CR (5271) on the Doiran Memorial (along with a lot of Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders) on the Greek/Macedonian border (died 7th December 1915). The 5th Battalion were in Serbia - see photo here.

What's longer than a long shot?

Mike

[Swally]

Mike,

Thanks for your help on this one so far, a connection between the Connaught Rangers and the Lanarks? I don't know to be fair. There were a number of local guys who served with the Rangers, whether he did or not or whether he transferred it's anyone's guess. I had looked at the Census for 1901, and although I 'm not counting it out, Stewarton Street is about 3 miles from Morningside I'd have thought he would have been on a more local one......Cambusnethan is less than 1/2 a mile from Newmains and they have one each, Morningside (comes under Newmains) is about a mile and a half from Newmains and they have one. Stewarton Street is in the town of Wishaw and they don't have one! it had a population of around 25k back in 1914. There were plans to build one, I have the newspaper cutting headlining the plans. When I say they don't have one, considering th epopulation they have a small one at the Sports Centre with no names on it!! a smaller one to remember the White Heather Club and one in Belhaven Park.

Cheers,

Ally

[Langdon]

If the Morningside Memorial is correct, he will have been in the 11th Battalion (77th Brigade of the 26th Division) which saw action in Serbia. That may be where further research is needed..

If there were Connaught Rangers from the area here's an except from the CR website which links to the W. Lawrie in post 12:

On December 7, 1915 a huge army of Bulgarian troops overran the frozen trenches occupied by the 10th Irish Division near the village of Kosturino. The main thrust of the attack fell upon the part of the line being held by the 5th Connaught Rangers. In the fierce battle, which followed, the Rangers sustained massive losses and were forced to retreat into Greece. 138 Officers and men of the Connaught Rangers were killed in action at Kosturino. A further 130 were taken prisoner.

However I can find no evidence of CR 5271 having previously been in the SR.

Mike

[Theletterwriter]

Swally / Mike

Pte. William Lawrie 5271 5th. Battalion Connaught Rangers is recorded in Ireland's Memorial Records 1914-1918 as being killed in Salonica on 7th. December 1915. Scotlands People records a man with the same service number, regiment and date of death and his birth place was in Scotland. Both SNWM and SDGW records him as Larrie and the SDGW also records him as being born in Portobello, Edinburgh. So there is no immediate link to Lanarkshire.

William Laurie (coalminer) died on 12 May 1918 and his widow's name was Mary Jane Dunbar Walker Laurie. He lived at Tudhope's?? Land, Cambusnethan and he died of Phthisis Pulmonalis (TB).

Swally, I had not previously responded to the thread as I am still hitting a brick wall re William Vincent. I am also struggling with finding any useful re George Richardson.

Cheers

Douglas

[Swally]

Guys, again thanks for your input, see the guy who died in 1918, is it possible that the TB could be tributed to the war and that is why he has been included? What age was he when he died Douglas?

[Theletterwriter]

Swally

William Lawrie was 46 years old when he died. He is recorded on the 1915 Valuation Rolls as a miner living at Cambusnethan Street and there is no evidence of him being recorded as an army pensioner on his death certificate. I have had a look at the Cameronians (SR) Roll of Honour and only one W. Lawrie is recorded. He was Pte. 30058 who was killed in France on 10 June 1917. There were no W. Lauries recorded on the Roll.

If you are sure about the Serbia link, it may be that Mike's Connaught Rangers link is starting to look more and more as a possibility. The difficult bit will be to find a tie in with the Cambusnethan area from the time of the 1911 Census (when he lived in Edinburgh) to the date of his death.

Douglas

[Langdon]

Yes, SDGW has 30058 (from Dundee) dying in France but his MIC (spelt Laurie) has "committed suicide by hanging". His roll has him in the 2nd Battalion - with further mention of "insane" and "suicide".

Mike

[Swally]

Guys, I had a look on Soldiers Died CD and it would appear that W. Laurie records him as being born in Portobello, Edinburgh..................but enlisting in Hamilton!!!

5 miles away from Newmains, so this is defo a possibility.

Thanks,

Ally

[Swally]

William Laurie arrived in the Balkans 2 Oct 1915

No trace of his Service Record on Anc*stry I'm afraid.

Thanks,

Swally

[Langdon]

Swally, where did you find the 2nd Oct date? It's not on his MIC.. Well spotted the Hamilton enlistment - I missed it on SDGW..

Did the Connaughts have a history of enlisting in Scotland?

Mike

[Theletterwriter]

Mike / Ally

William Lawrie's father was born in Ireland so his joining of the Connaught Rangers is probably due to his family background.

Douglas

[Swally]

Looks like we have a result!

[Swally]

It is totally poosible that the monument is wrong, there may also be a case for not wanting to admit to joining an Irish Regif you are from Lanarkshire!!!

[Theletterwriter]

Swally

As there is the possibility that Pte. Lawrie served with the Connaught Rangers, is it worth revisiting the local paper archives to see if there is any mention of the regiment. I do not have access to the Wishaw paper but I had a look through the Edinburgh Evening New via the British Newspaper Archive last night but could not see any mention of Lawrie although there was a short report about the Connaught Rangers fighting in Salonika.

Douglas