Robert Laing Posted 14 September , 2018 Share Posted 14 September , 2018 I have my grandfather's diary for 1918. His name was Alexander Bruce MacGarry. He was an officer in 217 Siege Battery in France. I believe he was a Lieutenant (and acting Captain at one stage) but he does not mention his rank in his diary. On the first page he lists the names and addresses of the other twenty officers. The longest entry in the diary is 9th April describing the German attack on Vieille Chapelle. I am new to forums, and how they operate, but I am willing to pass on any info from the diary regarding 217 Siege Battery in 1918. Robert Laing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie962 Posted 14 September , 2018 Share Posted 14 September , 2018 (edited) Welcome Robert, You will no doubt get a rapid response from several Gunner and RGA specialists on this forum. I'm sure there are others who would like to see the list of names in case they find a relative or someone they are researching. I see that he was commissioned from the Royal Engineers in 1917 and his RE Service Record is here on Ancestry Charlie PS I see he started with 14thA&SH but in 1915 trfd to RE Chemical Company which is of interest to @Terry_Reeves Edited 14 September , 2018 by charlie962 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Laing Posted 15 September , 2018 Author Share Posted 15 September , 2018 Hi Charlie Thanks for the additional info about my grandfather. He survived the war and lived to the age of 78. (Born in 1887). Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry_Reeves Posted 15 September , 2018 Share Posted 15 September , 2018 (edited) Thanks Charlie962. Robert He was one of number of schoolmasters who volunteered for the Special Brigade, most of whom had a BSc. His enlistment date and RE number indicates he was one of these men. A surprising numbe were commissioned into the RGA. He has an officers file at TNA in WO339/77845 which might reveal what special company he was serving with before his commission. I will look him up for you next time I go which should be quite soon. TR Edited 15 September , 2018 by Terry_Reeves Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Laing Posted 15 September , 2018 Author Share Posted 15 September , 2018 Hi Terry Yes, you're correct he was a schoolmaster although it was an MA in English he achieved at St Andrew's University rather than a BSc. He finished his career as deputy headmaster of Govan High School in Glasgow, retiring in 1952, probably around the time Sir Alex Ferguson first became a pupil. Any further info you provide regarding his war years will be very welcome. Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rflory Posted 16 September , 2018 Share Posted 16 September , 2018 From University of St. Andrews Roll of Honour and Roll of Service 1914-1919 MA 1910 Teacher, Harris Academy, Dundee Private, 14th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Corporal, Special Battalion, RE Lieutenant, RGA Special Reserve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Laing Posted 16 September , 2018 Author Share Posted 16 September , 2018 21 minutes ago, rflory said: From University of St. Andrews Roll of Honour and Roll of Service 1914-1919 MA 1910 Teacher, Harris Academy, Dundee Private, 14th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Corporal, Special Battalion, RE Lieutenant, RGA Special Reserve Thanks for that info. I think he did well, coming from a humble background, to achieve officer status in those class-conscious days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mandawa Posted 1 August , 2021 Share Posted 1 August , 2021 Hi Robert My Grandfather Major George R Gildea Robertson was the officer in charge of the 217th Siege Battery. I have a photo of the battery when they were at Arras in Jan 1917. I have been trying to put names to faces and would love to know if you had a photo so I can see if I can match him with your grandfather and also the names you mention. look forward to hearing best John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mandawa Posted 2 August , 2021 Share Posted 2 August , 2021 13 hours ago, mandawa said: Hi Robert My Grandfather Major George R Gildea Robertson was the officer in charge of the 217th Siege Battery. I have a photo of the battery when they were at Arras in Jan 1917. I have been trying to put names to faces and would love to know if you had a photo so I can see if I can match him with your grandfather and also the names you mention. look forward to hearing best John P.S. I have the notice of the fighting at Vieille Chapelle. details in the records from Kew. My Grandfather was mentioned in dispatches for that action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Posted 2 August , 2021 Share Posted 2 August , 2021 14 hours ago, mandawa said: I have a photo of the battery when they were at Arras in Jan 1917. Any chance you could post a copy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mandawa Posted 21 March Share Posted 21 March Hi Robert, I wonder if you are still searching for information regarding your grandfather and the 217th S.B. I would love to have a copy of the list of the names of the officers and the detail of which officer is your grandfather. regards John On 02/08/2021 at 10:27, Dai Bach y Sowldiwr said: Any chance you could post a copy? Yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Michelle Young Posted 23 March Admin Share Posted 23 March @Robert Laing last visited the forum in 2018. My tag might alert them to your posts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Laing Posted 23 March Author Share Posted 23 March I've just received an email from Michelle Young so I'm now revisiting the forum where I discussed 217th Siege Battery in Sep 2018. There were a couple of requests several years later which I was not aware of until today as I did not return to the forum after Sep 2018. I have a copy of my grandfather's diary for 1918. He was Alexander Bruce MacGarry and I'm now going to attempt to attach the diary in the form of a PDF document. (See below). It contains the names of other officers on the first page. I hope it will prove informative to those interested in the First World War. I also have a couple of photos of my grandfather taken during the period and will provide scans on request. A. B. MacGarry's Diary for 1918.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Michelle Young Posted 23 March Admin Share Posted 23 March Thank you for sharing this. Should Hazelrouch be in fact Hazebrouck? Great to read about Vielle Chapelle, my favourite bed and breakfast is there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Laing Posted 23 March Author Share Posted 23 March I checked through the diary and located the word on 28-Dec. I should have transcribed the word as Hazebrouch or Hazebrouck. If you know the place to be Hazebrouck then that will be the correct spelling. I've attached the appropriate page. A. B. MacGarry_Diary_Extract.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Michelle Young Posted 23 March Admin Share Posted 23 March Definitely Hazebrouck. Also 7th January. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Laing Posted 23 March Author Share Posted 23 March Yes, you're right. I should have been more careful when starting the search. If you find anything else that looks wrong I'll double check the handwritten diary and let you know. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Posted 23 March Share Posted 23 March (edited) Thank you for posting the diary Robert. Definitely worth the wait. 2 typos late on- Armentieres is misspelled (Armenheres 31st October) and Courtrai (as Courtria 15th November). He didn't think much of Gen. West Brig. East did he? March 21st onwards is a bit hairy, and it never ceases to amaze me that the soldiers only got an inkling very late on that they were going to win. The first optimistic postings in Septembr or October. His comment on New Year's Eve, sum it all up extremely well and probably represented the opinion of millions worldwide. Edited 23 March by Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Michelle Young Posted 23 March Admin Share Posted 23 March 6 March, it’s Estaires, Anezin should be Annezin, I think Oblinghem could be Ebblinghem, and Masinghem/Mazinghem, I think the correct spelling is with a z , La Beuvrie is I think Beuvry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Posted 23 March Share Posted 23 March Brigadier General East is I think this man: Brigadier General Lionel William Pellew East who was General Officer Commanding XIII Corps Heavy Artillery (grave X. D. 1.) He was killed in action on 6 September 1918 at the age of 52. https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/battlefields/gazetteer-of-the-western-front/gazetteer-of-the-western-front-lapugnoy/ 217 SB were in 70 Bde. RGA in April 1918 when the diary entry was made by 2nd Lt. MacGarry. 70 Bde RGA joined XIII Corps in 'Late April' according to the brigade diary. WO 95/323/2 It looks as though he was killed doing the task that he expected others to do, and earned him the 'Butcher' moniker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Laing Posted 23 March Author Share Posted 23 March Thanks to all for their comments and info about various misspellings of place names. If the diary sheds any light to anyone as regards 217 Siege Battery activities in 1918 then I think putting it online was a worthwhile effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Laing Posted 25 March Author Share Posted 25 March Below are three photos of my grandfather A. B. MacGarry, whose 1918 diary I posted on this forum two days ago. One was taken at a training camp at Exeter in Mar 1917 and the other looks likely to be the same training camp. I've no info about the larger photo. He was born in 1887 and died in 1966. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Posted 25 March Share Posted 25 March 4 hours ago, Robert Laing said: Below are three photos Pictures not visible I'm afraid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Laing Posted 26 March Author Share Posted 26 March I can see the photos in your reply but I'll copy and scan the URLs this time. Originally I just copied and pasted the photos. Let me know if this is successful. https://i.ibb.co/DK32bFQ/image-1.png https://i.ibb.co/tmK0HS8/image-2.png https://i.ibb.co/d23DNBr/image-3.png Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Michelle Young Posted 26 March Admin Share Posted 26 March That’s worked for me. Thank you for sharing the photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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