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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

James Wilson, 8th bn. Black Watch


Jamie Harrison

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Hi.

I'm researching Corporal James Wilson, service #S/6278, 8th Bn. Black Watch, 26th Brigade, 9th (Scottish) Division. The 8th was a service battalion.

What I have so far is that he was 27, died on 13/07/1916, son of Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, late of Old School House, Leven, Fifeshire; husband of Maggie Christie Wilson, of 8, Cameron Cottages, Maw, Windygates, Fifeshire.

I'm looking for more detail. Where was he killed? Was it part of the battle of Albert? Was he a casualty from earlier in the Somme campaign? Where had the battalion been during that time, etc. Photos would be great, too.

The more specific the info can be to James Wilson, the better.

Also, any guess as to where I might find an obituary or death notice?

Thanks much!

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13th/14th July 1916 was the assembly and assault on Longeuval.

Surname WILSON

Firstname James

Service Number S/6278

Date Death 13/07/1916

Decoration

Place of birth Wemyss Fife

Other 8th Bn.

SNWM roll THE BLACK WATCH (ROYAL HIGHLANDERS)

Rank Cpl

Theatre of death F.& F.

Aye

Malcolm

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13th/14th July 1916 was the assembly and assault on Longeuval.

Aye

Malcolm

He is listed as dying on the 13th. Wouldn't this be prior to the assault?

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No, they assembled on the 13th and laid out tapes to guide the attacking Battalions.

Aye

Malcolm

Thanks. Could you please describe for me what laying out tapes entailed exactly, and how one might come under fire doing it?

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Fifeshire Advertiser or Fife Free Press may have something on him. Microfilm held in Kirkcaldy Library. I don't know if staff will do look ups. Ther is also a book containing photos of those killed or serving. It stopped after 1916 as too many deaths.

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In the Cemeteries and Memorials Thread There is a lovely pic of a lost Angus memorial with an officer of The 8th BW who lost his life 15/07/16. Which may be of interest to you.

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Jamie, 'laying out tapes' refers to the process of laying white tapes on the ground to mark the the direction of the attack and/or the furthest limit that the attacking soldiers would line up behind, if they were going to form-up in No Mans Land before rushing the German trenches. The process meant going out into No Mans Land. James Wilson may have been killed by a stray shell, or by an alert German sentry, or random machine gun fire.

Robert

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Jamie,

Another point to bear in mind is that he may have been wounded earlier and died on the 13th. Also, soldiers were not always killed in a particular battle. Sometimes they were in support or 'at rest' and carrying supplies up to the front when they could be killed by a chance shell or hit by a sniper.

Ian

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In the Cemeteries and Memorials Thread There is a lovely pic of a lost Angus memorial with an officer of The 8th BW who lost his life 15/07/16. Which may be of interest to you.

Thanks. The officer on the memorial is James Grant Fergusson. He was a doctor in New York who went home to Scotland to enlist when the war broke out. I found a great article about him online. Here's the link:

http://histsoc.stanford.edu/pdfST/ST27no1.pdf

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Fifeshire Advertiser or Fife Free Press may have something on him. Microfilm held in Kirkcaldy Library. I don't know if staff will do look ups. Ther is also a book containing photos of those killed or serving. It stopped after 1916 as too many deaths.

Thanks for the tip.

I contacted Kirkcaldy Central Library and they replied within a day. They sent me a transcription from the Leven Advertiser & Wemyss Gazette reporting the death of James Wilson. They say there are no photographs of him.

Here's the obit:

From: Leven Advertiser & Wemyss Gazette 3rd August 1916

WINDYGATES

KILLED IN ACTION – Intimation has been received by Mrs. Wilson, Maw Cottages, that her husband, Corporal James Wilson, Black Watch, had been killed in action. He took part in the great advance on the 8th, and fell on the 13th July. He worked as a miner before enlisting in September, 1914, and he left for the front in January, 1915. He was 28 years of age, and leaves a widow and two children for whom sympathy will be extended in their sad loss. His mother resides at Old schoolhouse, Leven.

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