davepark Posted 21 November , 2007 Share Posted 21 November , 2007 Can anyone provide details of the service and the circumstances in which he lost his life, of Captain Walter Bruce Gray-Buchanan KIA 10 March 1915 Neuve Chappelle. Any help would be greatly appreciated and the information will be passed to his Great Nephew. Thanking You, Dave Park Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muerrisch Posted 21 November , 2007 Share Posted 21 November , 2007 I cannot help directly but I can help you not put your foot in it! Becasue of lineage and a forced marriage, the 2nd battalion clung to the title 'Scottish Rifles', 2nd SR in abbreviated form. They also clung to 'SR' as their shoulder title. I can recommend John Baynes's book Morale, the story of this magnificent regular battalion's sacrifice at Neuve Chappelle. Were it not for the fact that 'my' battalion is 2nd RWF, it would certainly be 2nd SR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Jock Posted 22 November , 2007 Share Posted 22 November , 2007 Hi Dave Have you seen Walter's entry on SNWM: Surname GRAY-BUCHANAN Firstname W B Service Number Date Death 10/03/1915 Decoration Place of birth Rutherglen Other 2nd Bn. SNWM roll THE CAMERONIANS (SCOTTISH RIFLES) Rank Capt. and Adjt Theatre of death France. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Jock Posted 22 November , 2007 Share Posted 22 November , 2007 And his CWGC entry: GRAY-BUCHANAN, WALTER BRUCE Initials: W B Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Captain Regiment/Service: Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) Unit Text: Adjt. 2nd Bn. Age: 29 Date of Death: 10/03/1915 Additional information: Son of Col. J. R. Gray-Buchanan, of Eastfield by Cambuslang, Lanarkshire. Native of Rutherglen, Lanarkshire. Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: VIII. J. 2. Cemetery: BROWN'S ROAD MILITARY CEMETERY, FESTUBERT No doubt some of the pals will come on with more detailed information. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrieduncan Posted 22 November , 2007 Share Posted 22 November , 2007 To echo Grumpy - get a hold of Morale - it's a great book that deals specifically with the 2nd Bn at Neuve Chapelle - and i'm pretty sure Gray-Buchanan is mentioned in it a few times. Ask his nephew to get in touch with the Cams museum (care of South Lanarkshire Council) and I'm sure we'll be able to provide him with some more detailed info. Contact details can be found at www.cameronians.org In the mean time, here's a photograph of his grave that I took in August while visiting the area with forum-pal Kev. Gray-Buchanan was killed while advancing at the side of the CO, W.M. Bliss, who was also killed. Almost all the officers killed that day (13 in total if my memory serves me correctly) are buried in Browns Road Cemetery, Festubert, with the exception of a small few. Almost 99% of the men are commemorated on the Le Touret memorial. Barrie P.S. This reminds me that I have info to send to another forum-pal - thanks for the reminder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davepark Posted 22 November , 2007 Author Share Posted 22 November , 2007 Gentlemen, Thank you all for your help and the information and Barrie for the photograph. I have spoken with Ian Gray-Buchanan who is a Grazier in Tenterfield New South Wales (about 200 miles south of Brisbane) and he is delighted with your reponses. Regretfully he does not have a computer so I cannot get him online. I printed the photograph of the grave on high quality photographic paper and will give it to him in the next few weeks when he next comes to Brisbane. He has Walter's sword. You might be interested to know that a brother of Walter, 592 Trooper Cecil Gordon Gray-Buchanan 2nd Light Horse was killed in action at the Battle of Quinns Post on 29th May 1915. Cecil, before enlisting was a grazier with a third brother at Aramac in central Queensland. A fourth brother was also a Grazier in Queensland but died in an accident in the 1890s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrieduncan Posted 22 November , 2007 Share Posted 22 November , 2007 Dave, I'll happily email you the full size image if that would be better - I had to crop it down and resize it get it small enough to post. Do you know if Walter carried his sword into battle at Neuve Chapelle. I know that a certain number of officers did carry swords, and it's often quoted (true or not) that this was the last time officers of the British Army carried their swords in battle. From what I have read, the CO left it to the Company Commanders to decide if the officers of their company carried swords or not; B Company, under 'Uncle' Ferrers, did carry swords, and we have both Ferrers and Lt Kennedy's swords that they carried into battle that day. It would be nice to be able to confirm if any other companies or officers carried swords. Barrie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davepark Posted 22 November , 2007 Author Share Posted 22 November , 2007 Barrie, I'm not sure if he knows but I will ask him tomorrow and let you know. I would love the full size photo if you would like to email it to me. I'm not sure about all the workings of this board yet but you can send it to daveparkAToptusnet.com.au replacing the AT with the usual. I appreciate your assistance. Do you know his company etc particulars? Thanks, Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muerrisch Posted 22 November , 2007 Share Posted 22 November , 2007 Your man had just been promoted Captain and appointed adjutant. He appears 4 times in the index to Morale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muerrisch Posted 22 November , 2007 Share Posted 22 November , 2007 Your man had just been promoted Captain and appointed adjutant. He appears 4 times in the index to Morale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrieduncan Posted 22 November , 2007 Share Posted 22 November , 2007 Hi Dave, As adjutant, I'm not sure if he would belong to a particular company or not. I'll email the photograph now before I forget. This little snippet might be of interest - its from an article in the regimental magazine, The Covenanter, in 1965 (for the 50th Anniversary), written by Captain M. D. Kennedy, who was in B company: 'The bombardment was timed to lift from the first line of German trenches onto the village of Neuve Chapelle itself at 8.05 a.m., and the assault was to be launched half a minute before it lifted. Shortly before it did so, Gray-Buchanan, the Adjutant, came round to the jumping-off trench to see how things were faring. Shaking hands with the No. 8 Platoon subaltern, he joked with him about meeting in Lille that evening. More than three years were to pass, however, before Lille was to fall into British hands; and within ten minutes of this conversation poor Gray-Buchanan lay dead, together with the C.O., Colonel Bliss, while the subaltern to whom he had spoken lay wounded and unable to move.' Barrie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davepark Posted 22 November , 2007 Author Share Posted 22 November , 2007 Thank you Grumpy for the information. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hambo Posted 23 November , 2007 Share Posted 23 November , 2007 Dave He has an entry in "Bond of Sacrifice" and a picture send me a PM with your email address and I'll send it over The son of Col J.R. Gray-Buchanan of Scotstoun Rutherglen Lanark who formerly served in the same regiment for many years from 1859 and afterwards commanded the 3rd Battalion. He was born on the 20th of AUgust 1885 at Eastfield Rutherglen and was educated at Cargilfield School Edinburgh and Fettes College. He joined the 3rd (Militia) Battalion of the Scottish Rifles as a 2nd Lieutenant in February 1905, being promoted to Lieutenant in March 1906. He was gazetted to the regular regiment in February 1907 and was promoted to Lieutenant in October 1909, Captain in November 1914 and was appointed adjutant of the 2nd Battalion in February 1915. He was killed in action at Neuve Chappelle 10th of March 1915 Hope this helps Hambo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davepark Posted 23 November , 2007 Author Share Posted 23 November , 2007 Hambo, Thank you. I think I have got it right and sent the PM. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 23 November , 2007 Share Posted 23 November , 2007 Another great thread, and I agree that Morale is one of the indispensible Great War books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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