RND Able Seaman Identified

[MelPack]

The remains of Able Seaman James Cameron Robertson,  Clyde Z17/27 of the Anson Battalion RND killed in action at Gavrelle on 28 April 1917 have been successfully identified through DNA testing:

 

https://stv.tv/news/north/1413469-scots-wwi-sailor-to-be-buried-101-years-after-death/

 

He is to be re-interred on 11 July next.

[michaeldr]

Thanks for highlighting this

https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1637337/robertson,-james-cameron/

 

R I P

[Marilyne]

Good news!! 

Thanks for sharing!! 

M.

[NigelS]

This also featured in Thursday's (27th April '18) Daily Telegraph which gave that the final identification had been confirmed by a DNA comparison with that of his sole surviving relative.  From reporting in Aberdeen's Evening Express

 

Mystery deepens over remains of Aberdeen WW1 soldier as EE archives reveal he died in hospital'

 

it appears that the circumstances of his death may originally have been mis-reported  by them as its archive from May 1917 gave that he'd died of wounds in a French hospital (see link above), whereas AB Robertson's remains had, at least according to the JCCC, been discovered in what had been a GW trench situation during more recent pipe laying operations.  Possibly a war diary - if available - might give some details on the circumstances of his death (maybe this is how the JCCC were able to narrow the search down to two possibilities).

 

For completeness: The Evening Express's initial reporting of the appeal for relatives:  Appeal launched to trace Aberdeen family of WW1 soldier after remains found in France

 

and further reports from BBC Scotland 100 year-old remains belong to one of two Scots soldiers  

 

&  Scottish sailor's remains found in France identified 100 years on

 

NigelS

 

 

 

 

[laughton]

Could it be the other that was lost?

 

https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1574004/irvine,-andrew-turner/

 

We would need to see the test results.

 

This puzzles me: (was it dated February 2018 beforen the DNA tests?)

Quote

The spokeswoman added: “Even though it is looking much less likely that it is James’ remains that we have found, we will still keep searching for a next of kin, just in case.

“James was, previous to this article, our strongest candidate.”

 

[laughton]

Report of 28th and 29th:

 

Ancestry war diary

 

There were 140 missing.

 

There are 31 from the Royal Naval Reserve Division missing on that date (25 Anson alone), but the CWGC would not have known the date. He must have been identified as Anson Battalion? But there were too many of them? What else did they know?

 

Anson 25:

 

Anson Bn.

ARCHER	ROBERT	R	21		28/04/1917		Able Seaman	Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve		Anson Bn.
ARMSTRONG	JOHN	J	19		28/04/1917		Petty Officer	Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
BLACKLOCK	JOSEPH	J			28/04/1917		Able Seaman	Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve		Anson Bn
CAYGILL	RICHARD	R			28/04/1917		Able Seaman	Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve		Anson Bn.
DAVIS	OWEN	O			28/04/1917		Able Seaman	Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve		Anson Bn.
DEWAR	ROBERT	R	21		28/04/1917		Leading Seaman	Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve		Anson Bn.
HITCHEN	EZRA MAJOR	E M	27		28/04/1917		Able Seaman	Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve		Anson Bn.
HUGHES	GEORGE HENRY WILLIAM	G H W			28/04/1917		Sub-Lieutenant	Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve		Anson Bn.
HUGHES	WILLIAM HUGH	W H			28/04/1917		Able Seaman	Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve		Anson Bn.
IRVINE	ANDREW TURNER	A T			28/04/1917		Able Seaman	Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve		Anson Bn.
JACKSON	WILLIAM	W	23		28/04/1917		Able Seaman	Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve		Anson Bn.
JOHNSTON	JOSEPH	J	33		28/04/1917		Able Seaman	Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve		Anson Bn.
LIMB	THOMAS	T	21		28/04/1917		Able Seaman	Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve		Anson Bn..
LOADER	THOMAS HALL	T H	22		28/04/1917		Able Seaman	Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve		Anson Bn.
MOSLEY	LANCELOT BROWN	L B	26		28/04/1917		Able Seaman	Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve		Anson Bn.
McALINDEN	JOHN	J	19		28/04/1917		Able Seaman	Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve		Anson Bn.
McKENZIE	THOMAS	T	22		28/04/1917		Leading Seaman	Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve		Anson Bn.
PRYOR	ALBERT	A	24		28/04/1917		Petty Officer	Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve		Anson Bn.
RAINBOW	WILLIE EDMUND	W E	23		28/04/1917		Petty Officer	Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve		Anson Bn.
ROBERTSON	JAMES CAMERON	J C	28		28/04/1917		Able Seaman	Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve		Anson Bn.
SINGLETON	JOHN	J	21		28/04/1917		Able Seaman	Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve		Anson Bn.
SLATER	CHARLES	C			28/04/1917		Able Seaman	Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve		Anson Bn.
TASKER	WILLIAM	W			28/04/1917		Able Seaman	Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve		Anson Bn.
THOMPSON	WILLIAM	W			28/04/1917		Able Seaman	Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve		Anson Bn.

The other 5 from Howe:

 

EVANS	WILLIAM JOSEPH	W J		28/04/1917		Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve	Howe Bn.
MARSHALL	JOHN	J			28/04/1917		Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve	Howe Bn.
RAMSAY	JOHN BRYCE	J B	20		28/04/1917		Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve	Howe Bn.
STEWART	ROBERT	R	19		28/04/1917		Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve	Howe Bn.
WATSON	JOHN FLEMING	J F			28/04/1917		Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve	Howe Bn.