Alfred J Whitson HLI

[kenmorrison]

Alfred J Whitson is listed on the Glasgow Roll of Honour as Sergeant Highland Light Infantry of 18 Percy Street, Ibrox - and CWGC has him as WHITSON, ALFRED JOHN, Serjeant 2506, 9th (Glasgow Highlanders) Bn. HLI.

Died 15 September 1916 aged 23 and buried at Contalmaison Chateau Cemetery.

Son of Walter Hill Whitson and Jeanie Bremner Whitson. Born at Paisley.

However the Scottish National War Memorial, SDGW and the only Medal Card have him as Alfred J Whitson

Private 40216 12th HLI Died of wounds 15 September 1916.

I'm beginning to loose sight of the woods - Help!

Ken

[Verrico2009]

The Register of Soldiers' Effects has him as 12th Bn HLI Pte 40216.

And he's on the medal rolls as:-

Name: Alfred John Whitson

Military Year: 1914-1920

Rank: Private

Medal Awarded: British War Medal and Victory Medal

Regiment or Corps: Highland Light Infantry

Regimental Number: 40216

Previous Units: 12th High. LI. 40216 Pte.

Edited to add:-

Odd - the CWGC Graves Registration Report gives his 40216 number and 12 High.L.Inf but have him as SGT, while the Register has him as 2506 and 9th Battalion. Very strange!

http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/599378/WHITSON,%20ALFRED%20JOHN

[Langdon]

And Walter Kennedy Whitson - Pte in the 9th HLI no. 2505 and later commissioned into the Machine Gun Corps - applied for his late brother's medals............

[kenmorrison]

Thank you for the replies so far.

I had missed the grave registration detail. The headstone schedule names a Miss E B Whitson of 18 Percy Street, Paisley Road West, Glasgow - so that bit aligns with the Glasgow Roll of honour.

I also have found the family at Paisley Road West on the 1911 census which includes three brothers - Walter K Whitson 19, Albert J. 17 and Herbert A. 14 (looks like he served as DM2/169458 in the ASC)

I may be making 2+2=5 but, if I'm reading LLT correctly, in September 1916 the 9th HLI were in 33rd Division while the 12th HLI were in 15th (Scottish) Division and the latter were in action at Flers-Courcelette (15/9/1916) taking the village of Martinpuich. Near to Contalmaison???

The 33rd do not seem to have been in action that day???

I think I'll try CWGC next (about the grave registration) to see if they can add anything - but if there any more ideas please keep them coming.

Thanks again.

Ken

[Langdon]

From the September 9th Battalion diary:

Mike

[Tom Lang]

In the book "Come On Highlanders - Glasgow Territorials In The Great War" by Alec Weir, Sgt 2506 Alfred John Whitson is listed in Appendix 2 (a list of men of the 9th HLI).

His number 2506 is indicated as '1908 onwards sequence', and he is indicated to have been killed or died of wounds.

Hope this helps.

[kenmorrison]

And Walter Kennedy Whitson - Pte in the 9th HLI no. 2505 and later commissioned into the Machine Gun Corps - applied for his late brother's medals............

As a complete side issue, Walter was awarded the Military Cross while serving with the MGC. (Edinburgh Gazette 18/9/1918 p.3469 has the citation)

Thanks Tom - Alfred (as Pte.40216) is listed as Died of Wounds on the 12th Battalion HLI's Service return held by the General Records of Scotland (at Scotlandspeople) So it does look as though he was serving as a Private when he died but why he is on the Debt of Honour Register as a Sergeant remains a mystery.

I have messaged CWGC to see if they can clarify.

Thinking aloud here - if he as 2506 (and his brother - 2505) had joined the TF 9th Bn. would they have been renumbered to 6-digits by September 1916? Does the 40216 number indicate that he re-enlisted as a Private in the 12th Bn. or just transferred from the 9th?

Ken

[ss002d6252]

Thinking aloud here - if he as 2506 (and his brother - 2505) had joined the TF 9th Bn. would they have been renumbered to 6-digits by September 1916? Does the 40216 number indicate that he re-enlisted as a Private in the 12th Bn. or just transferred from the 9th?

The 6 digit re-numbering took place early 1917.

Craig

[kenmorrison]

An update.

The folk at the Mitchell Library in Glasgow have tracked down a copy of the Bellahouston Academy Roll of Honour for me.

Printed in the 1920's, it contains an entry for Sergeant ALFRED JOHN WHITSON, 9th Highland Light Infantry.

"Sergeant Alfred John Whitson, third son of Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Whitson, 18 Percy Street, Ibrox, enlisted in the 9th H.L.I. in September, 1914. He was promoted sergeant in 1915, and left with a draft for France in August, 1916. Before his new battalion (the 12th H.L.I.) went into action on the Somme, Sergeant Whitson was seriously wounded at Martinpuich by a shell on September 15th, and died in the Field Medical Ambulance the same day. 'The bravest man I ever attended,' the Field Medical Officer said. He is buried at Contalmaison. Sergeant Whitson, who was 22 years of age, was a law apprentice with Messrs Moncrieff, Warren & Paterson, West George Street."

I have already been in touch with the CWGC and they are continuing to investigate. I will send the above to them.

Many thanks everyone for your help, comments, etc.

Ken