Cameron Highlanders 7th Battalion

[Mnyc]

I am searching for a group photograph and individual photographs of the Cameron Highlander’s 7th Battalion of WWI as well as information on their whereabouts from 1915-1917.  My ancestor, William George Nicolson, was in that battalion, died in March 1917 at the age of 24 and is buried in Amiens.  Unsure what battle or how he died, just that it was on March 12 1917.

[Michelle Young]

Welcome to the forum. The War diaries are free to download from the National Archives at present. These will give you the whereabouts of the 7th Battalion. One thing to be aware, not every soldier in WW1 was killed in a battle, many died of wounds received in routine trench warfare, from shellfire or snipers for example,  or in trench raids.. He must have died of wounds to be buried at Amiens. 

Local newspapers are a good source of photographs and also information about the deceased soldier. 

Michelle 

[Mnyc]

Thank you very much Michelle!

 

[PRC]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

 

Soldiers Died in the Great War shows him as Killed in Action on that day. The Commonweath War Graves Commission, (CWGC) website shows 7 other members of the Battalion as having died on that day and all bar one appear to be buried in adjoining graves at Arras, not Amiens. The other, Acting Corporal 7672 James Scott, of "C" Company, is shown on Soldiers Died in the Great War as Died of Wounds, and is buried at Aubigny Communal Cemetery Extension.

 

The CWGC webpage for the Aubigny Cemetery gives its location as near the village of Aubigny-en-Artois approximately 15 Kms north-west of Arras. In the history section it adds "From March 1916 to the Armistice, Aubigny was held by Commonwealth troops and burials were made in the Extension until September 1918. The 42nd Casualty Clearing Station buried in it during the whole period, the 30th in 1916 and 1917, the 24th and 1st Canadian in 1917 (during the capture of Vimy Ridge by the Canadian Corps)"

https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/5300/AUBIGNY COMMUNAL CEMETERY EXTENSION/

James may have incurred his fatal wounds on a different day but if not, may be closer to where the others were killed in action.

 

I believe the War Diary for his unit should be this one:-

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7352796

It is very unlikely to mention him by name, but will give a feel for what the unit was doing.

 

Sadly as with the large majority of other ranks records, his don't appear to have survived the Blitz.

 

The Medal Index Card for Private S/23919 William Nicolson shows that he was originally Private 1832 with the Cameron Highlanders, and qualified for the 1914/15 Star, having first landed in France on the 19th February 1915. He was also entitled to the Victory Medal and the British War Medal.

 

As the 7th Battalion didn't land in France until July 1915, it would appear he originally served overseas with another Battalion. The Service Medal Roll for his Victory Medal and the British War Medal, (only on Ancestry), should if completed correctly show all the units he served overseas with. One possibility is the 1st/4th Battalion, which our parent site, The Long, Long Trail shows as landing in France on the 20th February 1915.

https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/queens-own-cameron-highlanders/

 

Soldiers didn't routinely move between units, so the most likely scenario is that he was wounded \ had an accident \ had heath issues \ fell sick and was medically evacuated back to the coast and possibly even the UK. On recovery he might well have ended up being drafted to another unit.

 

Whole Battalion type photographs are mainly a peacetime service thing - in the field is neither practicable and with the potential for ever changing membership of the battalion, rather irrelevant. As Michelle says, local newspapers are your best source for pictures of individuals.

 

Hope that helps,

Peter

 

 

 

[kenf48]

12 hours ago, PRC said:

all bar one appear to be buried in adjoining graves at Arras, not Amiens.

 

I believe the confusion has arisen as he is interred in Fauborg D'Amiens Cemetery, Arras. Soldiers Effects shows (killed) 'in action' so does not appear to have reached a medical facility.

 

The war diary shows that on the 11th March the Battalion moved into support at the 'Cemetery Defences',  Arras.  They remained there until relieved on the 15th March when they moved into the front line.  This was about a month before the Battle of Arras commenced, and the Battalion was located in permanent defensive positions around Arras which would have been subject to shell fire.

 

No casualties listed for this date but the figures were listed when they came out of the line and show 9 other ranks killed, 16 wounded and 5 died of wounds.

 

The 44th Brigade war diary for the 12th March (W.O.95/1935/1-5) is more informative and shows 'some trench mortars fell in the support line (i.e.7th Cameron Highlanders) North of the railway.' and show seven other ranks from the 7th Battalion killed and eleven wounded.  He appears to have been one of the attritional casualties of the Western Front.  The Brigade diary also shows shelling all morning.  An intelligence report stated, 'during the last twenty four hours enemy artillery has been unusually active'.

 

As noted above the war diaries are free to download from TNA at the moment.

 

12 hours ago, PRC said:

One possibility is the 1st/4th Battalion, which our parent site, The Long, Long Trail shows as landing in France on the 20th February 1915.

 

The BWM and VM Medal Roll confirm the 4th Battalion (1/4th).  As this was a Territorial Force unit  he would have been renumbered on transfer to the 7th Battalion.

The service record of 23918 Murray has survived he also went overseas with the 4th Bn., was wounded May 1915 (Battle of Aubers) and after recovery posted to the 3rd or Depot Battalion on 12 July 1916 when he would have been renumbered in the General Service series.  He returned to France in a draft on the 4 August 1916, initially intended for the 1st Battalion but posted to the 7th at the IBD (Infantry Base Depot) on the 19th August 1916.

 

I would think 23919 Nicholson, next in alphabetical order, followed in his footsteps on recovering from his wound/sickness.  You will need to search the casualty lists, to identify when he was first returned to the UK.

 

The war diary of the 7th Bn shows a draft of 153 other ranks arriving on the 22nd August 1916.

 

Irecommend you have a look at the Long Long Trail , link top right for advice on researching a soldier and brief information on the battles in which he may have been involved.

[Michelle Young]

I didn't check the CWGC site as it's so un user friendly these days, otherwise I would have seen that he is buried at Faubourg D'Amiens, rather than at Amiens ,as @Mnyc stated, easy mistake for a person new to research . Interestingly, I can't see him in the printed SDGW either but the caffeine hasn't kicked in yet.

[kenf48]

 

 

 

A Google images search has this:-

 

https://nl.pinterest.com/pin/383368987001601665/

 

'H' Company 4th Battalion T.F., pre-war was based at Portree, Glenmore and other towns around.

 

The friendly 'invasion' of Bedford by the kilted Scots Territorials of the Highland Division is well documented as it had major impact on the town,

https://virtual-library.culturalservices.net/webingres/bedfordshire/vlib/0.digitised_resources/highlanders_home.htm

Interesting, the Camerons suffered at least 14 deaths from measles whilst quartered in the town.

 

The 1/4th Battalion left the Division early, landing in France on 20 February 1915, as above.

[Steven Broomfield]

The 1/4th Camerons were effectively disbanded in early 1916; heavy losses in 1915 could not be replaced (the regiment's recruiting ground had been bled white) so the battalion was sent to Lines of Communications and the men dispersed.

 

If he started the war in the 4th Camerons, I can thoroughly recommend Steel and Tartan, by Patrick Watt (History Press, 2012), a history of the battalion.

 

1832 Private William G Nicolson is listed in B Company (the amalgamation of the old B (Nairn) and C (Inverness) Companies) in a list published by the Inverness Chronicle on the battalion's departure for France in early March, 1915. This is produced as an Appendix in the book.

[Mnyc]

My goodness!  My thanks to all of you for the wealth of information given.  I will take each of your messages in turn and comb through your suggestions.  It was my initial mistake mentioning William was buried in Amiens.  It IS, in fact, Arras-- at the Foubourg d'Amiens Cemetery.  Hence my mistake.  Thanks to you all, I know much more about Great Gran Isabella's cousin, William, than when I first posted my question-- with good prospects of learning more.  God bless and be well.