2nd Lieutenant J K Wallace - Black Watch (Royal Highlanders)

[toepoker]

I am researching my great uncle whose details are as follows:-

Name: WALLACE

Initials: J K

Nationality U K

Rank Second Lieutenant

Regiment Black Watch (Royal Highlanders)

Unit Text 1st/7th Bn.

Age 31

Date of death 23 April 1917

Next of kin Son of Robert and Elizabeth Wallace, of Reigate, Ayr.

Casualty type Commonwealth War Dead

Grave II. C. 41

Cemetery Brown's Copse Cemetery, Roeux

I know that his date of death was the first day of the second Battle of the Scarpe and that approximately 300 other soldiers in his cemetery were killed on the same day.

I am interested in finding out more details, if they exist, regarding the circumstances of his death.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

[gnr.ktrha]

Hello,

He was commissioned as a 2nd Lt on 8/7/1915. According to the book Officers of the Black Watch Vol2. The date of death is the same.

The great war history states- ''Joined 25th June 1916 [meaning the battalion not the Army] . To hospital Oct 1916. Rejoined Bn. Killed 23 April 1917.''

Do you want details of the actions ?

Regards,

Stewart

[Derek Robertson]

Gordon,

I would guess that the 1/7th were attacking the infamous Chemical Works at Roeux on the 23rd April.

There are several threads on the Forum regarding this action, pics of the area and pics of Brown's Copse.

[toepoker]

Thank you for your swift reply Stewart.

Regarding the actions, what I would like, if possible, would be details of the action that he was killed in. Also, if possible, details of the stage of the action that he was killed in.

Regards

Gordon

[gnr.ktrha]

Hello,

The history does not give any details of when and how he died, it just gives a list of the officers who were killed in the action .If you are lucky, there may be more details in the war diary. I will post more info on the action later today, have to go and make the kids tea now!

Regards,

Stewart

[truthergw]

I am researching my great uncle whose details are as follows:-

.................................

I know that his date of death was the first day of the second Battle of the Scarpe and that approximately 300 other soldiers in his cemetery were killed on the same day.

I am interested in finding out more details, if they exist, regarding the circumstances of his death.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

For a detailed description of the battle of Arras and all the actions pertaining to it, you can do no better than Jonathon Nichols " Cheerful Sacrifice".

[toepoker]

trutherqw and Derek

I was able to get a copy of Cheerful Sacrifice from the library last night. Thank you for recommending this book. I am now alot better informed about the battle that my great uncle was killed in. According to the battle plan for 23 April 1917 (the day he died) the 7th Battalion Black Watch was lined up as first to attack the chemical factory.

There is very little in the book about the advance of the 7th Battalion that day. Would this be mentioned in the regimental history or the war diaries?

[gnr.ktrha]

Hello,

The war diary will give the clearest account of the action. I understand that the War diary of the 7th Battalion is one of the best and most compleat diaries of the Black Watch.

The history basically says that Zero hour was 4.45am on the 23rd.

''It was daylight when the attack began, and almost before the British barrage had lifted off the German front line, the assaulting troops came under a murderous machine gun fire, and lost heaily. Several of the leading platoons reached the German wire, but it appeared to be undamaged, and in face of the heavy fire they were unable to advance futher. The men, consequently, were forced to lie down where they were and find what cover they could in shell-holes: time after time attempts were made to push forward through the wire but without success, each attempt being driven back with heavy loss. In these gallant and determined efforts the following platoon leaders were killed; Second Lieutenants Beaston, Nelson, Morris, Heard, Robertson, Allen and Wallace''

The account then goes on to say that a Tank came up, which should have been there from Zero hour. It pushed through the wire and the Germans then realised that they couldnot hold the trench, so either surrendered or retreated. At the end of the day 64 OR's were dead, 194 wounded and 65 missing. 7 Officers were dead and 5 wounded.

As you can see, it does give an idea when your Granddad was killed

Hope this helps a wee bit,

Regards,

Stewart

[toepoker]

Hello Stewart

Thank you for your post and for taking the trouble to research the history. Can you please advise how I can best research the war diaries for the 7th Battalion Black Watch?

I have in my possession a diary of the time that John Wallace's mother and sisters travelled to France to visit his grave. Here is the entry for that day:-

7th July 1922

In the morning went by car to Brown’s Copse Cemetery. It lies quite out of Arras and is isolated except for a few miserable huts, that the poor souls who lost their dwellings are living in. We found John’s grave in Plot 2 Row C and also saw young Beatson’s who was killed the same time as John. There are very many crosses erected to ‘an unknown British Soldier’. There is one cross with many names and these were the men who fell and were buried there but the Germans bombarded the ground a second time and these whose names are on this cross could not be identified and many are perhaps the ‘unknown’. The cemetry is beautifully kept and we found four British ex service men and a chief working there. From there we went to see Arthur Johnstone’s grave at Faubourg D’Amiens Cemetry, Arras. (Arthur James Johnston, Second Lieutenant, died 5 April 1917 aged 33 Royal Scots Fusiliers- son of James and Margaret Johnstone, husband of Euphemia Tennent Fullerton Johnstone, 1 Bellvue Crescent, Ayr). It also is most beautifully kept and contains 2636 dead among the numbers Indians and Germans. The man there told us there are 3000 British cemetries in France and are all to be looked after for all time by the British. In time each wooden cross is to be replaced by a granite stone with the regimental badge of each soldier. There is one completed about 4 miles out but we could not visit it for want of time.

We left Arras in the afternoon and reached Paris at 5.30pm. We taxied to the Lyon Palace Hotel and feeling tired went to bed early.

[gnr.ktrha]

That's no problem, glad to help. It's great that you have details of family members visiting the cemetery and they have left such a vivid description.

If I were you, I would write to the regimental Archivist at the Black Watch museum. There is a charge, but he will advise you regarding that. The archivist is called Thomas Smyth. I was speaking to him about a month ago regarding war diaries. He said that the 7th's Diary is one of the most detailed and most compleat.

His address is-

Mr. T Smyth,

RHQ The Black Watch,

Balhousie Castle,

Perth,

Scotland.

I'm sure there is an official Black Watch web site which has his e-mail on it, so it might be worth trying the net to see if you can find it first. At least that way you can find out how much it's going to cost.

Regards,

Stewart