Cpl John [William] Davidson: How reliable is the newspaper report?

[rolt968]

The following is a report of the death of Cpl. John [William] Davidson, 10336, 2 Gordon Highlanders in the Dundee Courier of 10 August 1916. He died on 8 August 1916 of phthisis pulmonalis of six months duration. A similar report appears in other papers.

When I first read this I assumed that he had been wounded and eventually although recovering from his wounds had died of disease without returning to France. However does not really work with either the dates or what is actually said in the newspaper. But how far can I rely on exactly what the newspaper report says? By 1916 I suspect that "the rigorous life in the trenches" was a bit of a stock phrase. Unfortunately there are no documents which directly cover the period between his wounding and discharge at the beginning of April 1916.

 

He was a regular, coming back from Cairo with 2 Gordon Highlanders and landing in France on 7 October 1914 as a l/cpl (MRIC + 1914 Star Roll, ancestry) he was wounded very early, reported on 22 October 1914 as in 3 Western General Hospital, Cardiff (Daily Casualty  List published 27 November 1914, thegenealogost). This was really before 2 Gordon Highlanders became involved in trench warfare, so "the rigorous life in the trenches" doesn't seem to fit then.

 

I then have no information until his discharge due to illness at the beginning of April 1916 (there are three different versions of the exact date).

The BWM and Victory Medal Roll gives his rank as A/Cpl. The Registers of Soldiers' Effects gives his rank as Cpl (Medal Roll & Registers of Soldiers' Effects, ancestry). Virtually all documents refer to 2 Gordon Highlanders and there is no reference to any other battalion.

 

I think this means that he returned to 2 Gordon Highlanders in France after recovering from his wounds in 1914 and became ill in 1916. But am I placing too much reliance on what might be a stock phrase in the newspapers?

 

RM

[DavidOwen]

Pulmonary tuberculosis by its other name. It has been previously discussed a number of years ago. Trench life wouldn't have helped but it is unlikely to have been related to his previous wounding.

 

[rolt968]

1 minute ago, DavidOwen said:

Pulmonary tuberculosis by its other name. It has been previously discussed a number of years ago. Trench life wouldn't have helped but it is unlikely to have been related to his previous wounding.

 

That's what makes it quite difficult to be sure how much to know how much to rely on the newspaper report.

 

Another possible scenario: He wasn't classed as fit enough yet to return to France when he recovered from his wounds and as an experienced regular was employed in training in the UK and contracted TB in the UK and the newspaper knowing that he had served in France used the phrase about trench life.

 

RM

[DavidOwen]

2 minutes ago, rolt968 said:

 

 

Another possible scenario: He wasn't classed as fit enough yet to return to France when he recovered from his wounds and as an experienced regular was employed in training in the UK and contracted TB in the UK and the newspaper knowing that he had served in France used the phrase about trench life.

 

Quite possibly.

[rolt968]

Apart from the newspaper, the only evidence that I can see is that the Registers of Soldiers' Effects gives his unit at death as 2 Gordon Highlanders. If he was serving in a home based unit that should have been something else by 1916.

RM

[DavidOwen]

CWGC also has him as in A Company 2nd Bn Gordon Highlanders so presumably he wasn't struck off strength for the duration of his hospitalisation / illness?