Cannon Fodder

[bobpike]

In his book 'Cannon Fodder,' Stuart Dolden graphically decribes his experiences with the London Scottish at Loos in September 1915, and particularly the moving death of his best friend, 'Johnny Walker.' Not unusually for memoirs there is no soldier who died with the London Scottish with this name. Dolden comments that many years later he visited his friend's grave in Philosophe.

Does anyone know the identity of 'Johnny Walker?' How many London Scottish are there in Philosophe, and are any likely candidates, please?

[squirrel]

Could it be that anyone named Walker was called Johnnie after the famous brand of Scotch Whisky and was not his fist name at all?

[HERITAGE PLUS]

The only J. Walker buried at the British Cemetery Philosophe (Mazingarbe) is not shown as being London Scottish. He is a Yorkshireman from Leeds who died in 1918. There are no candidates in the three other Mazingarbe Cemeteries.

http://www.cwgc.org/cwgcinternet/casualty_...&casualty=68218

Squireels suggestion is a good possibility.

Dave

[bobpike]

Dave and Squirrel,

Thank you for your suggestions, however there are only five Walkers listed for the London Scottish and none were killed in Sepember 1915

Regards,

Bob

[squirrel]

Bit of a puzzler then................

Reluctant to suggest it, but could it be that his first name was Johnnie and Walker was the nickname?

Any London Scottish deaths in September '15 with the initial "J"?

Long way round it but might be worth looking at. All the best.

[bobpike]

Squirrel,

Thank you for the helpful suggestion, but I suspect Dolden used pseudonyms, perhaps to protect the relatives from the horror of it, as he mentions in the same incident, one Holmes, who fell riddled in the head by bullets and there is no Holmes on S'Died either.

Hopefully someone can look at Philosophe register to see how many London Scottish there are of appropriate dates,

Bob

[bobpike]

The mystery deepens! I have trawled through the register of Philosophe and I can only find one London Scottiah burial - Lce-Sgt. W H Burton - but the date is wrong, 22.05.1915, four months earlier.

Dolden, unless he meant one of the other nearby cemeteries, definitely says Philosophe, so something does not ring true.....

[squirrel]

It's got me stumped..............unless you can get hold of the roll for the London Scottish at the time, see who's in what Company and work it out from there but it's a real puzzler.

[bobpike]

Worth a try, if anyone can suggest how to access them?

Does make you wonder sometimes at the reliability of people's memoirs, doesn't it? Not to denigrate their experiences, I hasten to add.

[squirrel]

Chap whose name escapes me wrote about the 1/18th County of Londons, London Irish at Loos, in his book The Great Push and it is nearly all nicknames, first names and sudanims. Same as yours.

[bobpike]

Yes, Mate, Patrick Macgill, a good book, though!

[squirrel]

Good luck with the quest.

[bobpike]

Thanks, squirrel, if I have any luck I'll let you know,

Regards,

Bob