Alexander Black Machray

[shaymen]

Some of you may remember a Thread a started a while ago about Alexander Black Machray.

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/i...=39258&st=0

I came across his photo/roll of honour in my local newspaper. Please take a look at the old thread and see if you can help.

Brief outline -

Killed in Action 21st September 1917 (according to newspaper and letters)

Born in Tottenham, In 1901 living in Feltham Berks.

At the time of his (unofficial) death living in Bishop's Stortford

Website found about his artistic talent

http://www.tintota.com/archive/alex.htm

His niece found drawings he had done - see website above.

Not listed in GRO overseas death register.

Tried for a death certificate in this country to no avail.

Listed on the Bishop's Stortford town memorial.

Have had e-mail contact with both his niece and nephew who confirm all the above.

His nephew john sent me a transcription of an official letter his family received at the time - as follows,

“I deeply regret having to inform you that your son, Private A. B. Machray, was killed in action during operations of the 20th to 21st inst. As you have read, the Battalion was in an attack at this time and as almost all of the men in your son’s section became casualties, I’m afraid I cannot give you much information concerning his death. Although I have not known him for very long I had found his worth as a soldier and a man, and with his comrades he was very popular, and they wish to join me in this expression of deepest symphony.”

He's still out in the cold (as far as I am concerned) BUT I don't know where to go or what to do next !!

Glyn

[Terry Denham]

Glyn

I had another look at the GRO Index for you in case I missed something last time but he is not there.

There are only three Machray casualties listed.

Have you tried approaching from the other end? Try to trace his birth certificate and work forward with the 1901 Census. I presume you have from some of the details you have. I don't know if this will give any further details but it may confirm a few things which at the moment are only 'newspaper' info and possibly dodgy family legend/memories.

The obituary details almost certainly came from the family and, if they had the wrong info..... Perhaps he did turn up alive later!

Again, it is very unusual for a casualty not to be named in any of CWGC, SDGW and GRO Overseas if they definately died overseas.

[rollofhonour]

Glyn,

Glad I looked at this as I have just produced the Bishop's Stortford Roll of Honour on the site and couldn't identify this man.

http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Hertfordshir...sStortford.html

[John_Hartley]

Glyn

I'd also research forward from 1917 to a few years past when the memorial was constructed. It's an uncommon name which should be easy to spot in newspapers or other local records - is there some other ecord of him dying, getting married, children being born, etc.

I presume you've also checked alternative phonetic spellings - Macrae, Mcrae - that sort of thing.

John

[shaymen]

Glyn

I had another look at the GRO Index for you in case I missed something last time but he is not there.

There are only three Machray casualties listed.

Have you tried approaching from the other end? Try to trace his birth certificate and work forward with the 1901 Census. I presume you have from some of the details you have. I don't know if this will give any further details but it may confirm a few things which at the moment are only 'newspaper' info and possibly dodgy family legend/memories.

The obituary details almost certainly came from the family and, if they had the wrong info..... Perhaps he did turn up alive later!

Again, it is very unusual for a casualty not to be named in any of CWGC, SDGW and GRO Overseas if they definately died overseas.

Terry

Thanks for re-checking GRO for me. The one thing that sticks with me on this is that as I am in contact with both his niece and nephew then if he had turned up alive then surely they would have known about it.

His nephew says that the letter about his death was an official one - Did any of these official letters get copied and still available (stupid question I know - but I don't know)

Are birth certs simply available to search online (free bmd stuff) ??

John

Have been through the papers to mid 1919 and he hadn't reappeared by then (not in the papers anyway)

Done all the odd ball spellings I could think of - maybe was under an alias (hope not).

One thing I did think about was - he was with the Royal Fusiliers and in the (official letter) it said that 'almost all of the men in your son’s section became casualties' - so a bit of guesswork (dangerous) tells me there was a few killed - so a quick SDGW search for Royal Fusiliers Killed on 20/21 Sept 1917 brings up the following

26th Battalion - 20th - 39 OR's KIA AND 21st - 6 OR's Died of Wounds. Anybody got the war diary to find out if there's one more than that figure !!

Glyn (still looking for that needle in that enormous great haystack)

Edit - It would appear the action was probably the Battle of The Menin Road - Newspaper said KIA in France ????

[PaulC78]

MIC and pension card attached... records are there but not it seems the required proof of death.