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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

9th Battalion Royal Highlander 1916


9thBlackwatcher

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Hi everyone, I was curious if anyone out there had any photos of the 9th battalion. I recently found out my 2 times great grandfather was KIA @ France and Flanders on 06-13-1916. His name was Alexander Rodgers born in Stirling and enlisted in Glasgow. He was a Corporal and his service number is S/8248. He is buried at the Verrmelles British Cemetery. I’m assuming The Battle of Flanders?! I’ve also read I In 1916 that this unit was gassed by the German offensive. Can anyone tell me more? 
 

Thanks! Samantha 

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Welcome to the forum. During the summer of 1916, Vermelles and the surrounding area saw no battles, he could have been killed in a trench raid, died from wounds received by a shell or a stray bullet or from the effects of gas. You will need the war diary for the month of June 1916 to tell you what was going on. War diaries are available on Ancestry or from the National Archives.

Michelle 

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Hi Michelle, Thanks! I did some basic mapping. Pas de Calais ( where the Cemetery is) to Flanders Field is about 1hr away. My 2 times great grandfather’s Ancestry war hint said his death Place was France and Flanders. So assuming, Flanders field.  That was a pretty volatile area pretty much the entire war. You’re theory may be correct- all of the above.  I was just really surprised to find that he was KIA. We didn’t have much to go on as my great grandfather- his son lost his father at 11 AND survived with his whole family the Clydebank Blitz in Glasgow in March 1941. My grandmother was 3 years.. it’s a lot to process. 

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Hi Samantha,

 
On the 13th they were in trenches at Hulluch, which they took over the day before having been in reserve.
The diary says on that day there were occasional burst of machine gun and sniping. However no casualties are mentioned, it seems they were collated in the monthly totals instead. During June 4 other ranks were killed and 4 died of wounds.


Rodgers is recorded as KIA in his S.E.R., War Return and newspaper list entries, so likely a victim of the sporadic machine gun fire or sniping while on trench duty on the date he's recorded killed.


Cheers,
Derek.

 

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3 hours ago, Derek Black said:

Hi Samantha,

 
On the 13th they were in trenches at Hulluch, which they took over the day before having been in reserve.
The diary says on that day there were occasional burst of machine gun and sniping. However no casualties are mentioned, it seems they were collated in the monthly totals instead. During June 4 other ranks were killed and 4 died of wounds.


Rodgers is recorded as KIA in his S.E.R., War Return and newspaper list entries, so likely a victim of the sporadic machine gun fire or sniping while on trench duty on the date he's recorded killed.


Cheers,
Derek.

 

Thank you, Derek!! 

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7 hours ago, 9thBlackwatcher said:

Hi Michelle, Thanks! I did some basic mapping. Pas de Calais ( where the Cemetery is) to Flanders Field is about 1hr away. My 2 times great grandfather’s Ancestry war hint said his death Place was France and Flanders. So assuming, Flanders field.  That was a pretty volatile area pretty much the entire war. You’re theory may be correct- all of the above.  I was just really surprised to find that he was KIA. We didn’t have much to go on as my great grandfather- his son lost his father at 11 AND survived with his whole family the Clydebank Blitz in Glasgow in March 1941. My grandmother was 3 years.. it’s a lot to process. 

France and Flanders is a very generic term, Vermelles is in the French coal fields. I will almost certainly be going to Vermelles in September, possibly in April. Would you like a photo of the grave? 

 Michelle 

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8 minutes ago, Michelle Young said:

France and Flanders is a very generic term, Vermelles is in the French coal fields. I will almost certainly be going to Vermelles in September, possibly in April. Would you like a photo of the grave? 

 Michelle 

Michelle, that would be amazing! Thank you for offering!!

 

Sam

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  • 11 months later...

Out of curiosity, does anyone live near the Mitchell Library in Glasgow? I have been trying to get a copy of Alex’s newspaper clipping. Any help would be very much appreciated. 

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