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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Alex , David, & Harry Watt & James Leslie


wurz

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Hi everyone,

what a great site.! :o it restores my faith in human nature that everyone wants to help each other on here ! :D well done !

I'm looking for info or the last wherabouts of four of my great grand fathers & their brothers ?

I know I'll be amazed at the response........can't wait !

Name: WATT

Initials: A

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Private

Regiment/Service: Royal Scots

Unit Text: 13th Bn.

Age: 32

Date of Death: 22/08/1917

Service No: 39205

He also lost his brother Harry:

Name: WATT

Initials: H

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Private

Regiment/Service: Leinster Regiment

Unit Text: 1st Bn.

Date of Death: 12/05/1915

Service No: 8478

and his brother David:

WATT

DAVID

United Kingdom

Private

Royal Scots

13th Bn.

Black Watch (Royal Highlanders)

formerly (S/12529)

23

14/02/1918

39560

His other brother Thomas survived as a POW. 1916-18

My great Uncle James Leslie also a Royal scot died 22/10/1917.

LESLIE

JAMES

United Kingdom

Private

Royal Scots

"B" Coy. 16th Bn.

24

22/10/1917

27977

i'VE GOT HIS ARMY PHOTO .

I know you'll all be able to help me find out where and what action they were involved in. My father served in the Gold Coast & I plan to take him out to see the Western Front and also the beaches his father landed on at D-Day. He was Alexander Louis Watt, one of Monty's dessert rats.

regards and thanks for reading it all

kenny :rolleyes:

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From Soldiers Died CD dont know if you have this info but here goes:- ALEXANDER WATT BORN DUNDEE ENLISTED CUPAR FIFESHIRE formerly S/15104 ROYAL HIGHLANDERS. HARRY WATT BORN DUNDEE ENLISTED DUNDEE. DAVID WATT BORN DUNDEE ENLISTED DUNDEE formerly S/12529 ROYAL HIGHLANDERS.

JAMES LESLIE BORN ST VIGEANS FORFARSHIRE ENLISTED ARBROATH. Regards Ralph.

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Surname WATT

Firstname Alexander

Service Number 39205

Date Death 22/08/1917

Decoration

Place of birth Dundee

Other 13th Bn. formerly S/15104. R. High.

SNWM roll THE ROYAL SCOTS (LOTHIAN REGIMENT)

Rank Pte

Theatre of death F.& F.

Casualty Details

Name: WATT

Initials: A

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Private

Regiment/Service: Royal Scots

Unit Text: 13th Bn.

Age: 32

Date of Death: 22/08/1917

Service No: 39205

Additional information: Son of Alex Watt, of 32, Seafield, Dundee; husband of Margaret Watt, of Foodie Ash, Cupar, Fife.

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference: LIII. F. 12.

Cemetery: TYNE COT CEMETERY

Wednesday 22nd August 1917, 15th Division attack on BORRY, VAMPIR and POTSDAM FARMS - 13th RS and 11th Argylls near FREZENBERG.

Details

Surname WATT

Firstname David

Service Number 39560

Date Death 14/02/1918

Decoration

Place of birth Dundee

Other 13th Bn. formerly S/12529 R. Highrs.

SNWM roll THE ROYAL SCOTS (LOTHIAN REGIMENT)

Rank Pte

Theatre of death F.& F.

Casualty Details

Name: WATT, DAVID

Initials: D

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Private

Regiment/Service: Royal Scots

Unit Text: 13th Bn.

Secondary Regiment: Black Watch (Royal Highlanders)

Secondary Unit Text: formerly (S/12529)

Age: 23

Date of Death: 14/02/1918

Service No: 39560

Additional information: Husband of Margaret C. Anderson, of 28 Watt Street, Hawkhill, Dundee.

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Memorial: BROOKWOOD (UNITED KINGDOM 1914-1918) MEMORIAL

Died of wounds in one of the London district Hospitals.

Details

Surname WATT

Firstname Harry

Service Number 8478

Date Death 12/05/1915

Decoration

Place of birth Dundee

Other 1st Bn.

SNWM roll SCOTTISH CASUALTIES EXTRACTED FROM IRISH REGIMENTS

Rank Pte

Theatre of death F.& F.

Casualty Details

Name: WATT, HARRY

Initials: H

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Private

Regiment/Service: Leinster Regiment

Unit Text: 1st Bn.

Date of Death: 12/05/1915

Service No: 8478

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 44.

Memorial: YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL

The Battle of FREZENBERG 8th to 13th May 1915 part of Second Ypres. ( two years before his brother at the same place!!)

Details

Surname LESLIE

Firstname James

Service Number 27977

Date Death 22/10/1917

Decoration

Place of birth St Vigeans Forfarshire

Other 16th Bn.

SNWM roll THE ROYAL SCOTS (LOTHIAN REGIMENT)

Rank Pte

Theatre of death F.& F.

Casualty Details

Name: LESLIE, JAMES

Initials: J

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Private

Regiment/Service: Royal Scots

Unit Text: "B" Coy. 16th Bn.

Age: 24

Date of Death: 22/10/1917

Service No: 27977

Additional information: Son of the late Thomas and Jane Leslie.

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 11 to 14 and 162.

Memorial: TYNE COT MEMORIAL

Killed at TURENNE CROSSING at the action of 22nd October 1917 attacking from ADEN HOUSE and EGYPT HOUSE north of Poelcappelle towards STADEN. info from MacRae's Battalion by Jack Alexander (a member of this Forum)

Aye

Malcolm

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thanks Malcolm,

from a quick read of this site I somehow knew it would be you or Tim Godden that would come up trumps. ;)

Time for me to get my Passendale books out with the maps in them now. Great info. I'll try & pm Mr Alexander.

Do you know of any online action war diaries for the Royal Scots lothian reg. ?

also do you know of any photo archive where they (my relations) might be ?

thanks again. :rolleyes:

regards

kenny

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what is the cd & how do I get it ?

thanks again.

kenny :o

The CD is Soldiers Died Great War and is available from Naval & Military Press. You might need your gold credit card - though there is a sale on at the moment.

Doug

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Hi Kenny

Here is the entry for your Great Uncle James Leslie as it appears in the book Roll of Honour Arbroath & District 1914-1919

Regards

Ian

post-10319-1201079140.jpg

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wow ! :o

thanks, fantastic, that's him alright ! :rolleyes:

if I knew how I'd insert his army photo ?

I'm going to pass that info onto my mum's side.

they will love it,

thanks again

kenny

ps;

I've just been on the war archives website and got his medal cards.

lot of ongoing work to be done yet. :huh:

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Harry Watt's will is held at the NAS in Edinburgh, here is the details, it a pay book will, fairly brief and to the point. It appears that somebody already has an interest in Harry as the image has already been scanned - John

Repository National Archives of Scotland

Title Will of 8478 Private Harry Watt, 1st Bn., Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians), Cause of death: Killed in action, Ypres, Belgium, Theatre: France and Flanders, 12 May 1915

Date 15 Dec 1914

Extent 3 pages

Description Informal will from Pay Book (Army Book 64). War Office refs: E/101571/1, 64/168048/15/16

AccessStatus Open

AccessConditions -This record has been digitally imaged and will not be produced for readers. The digital images may be seen in the NAS Search Rooms on the 'Virtual Volumes' system.

FormerRef SC70/8/3

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My great uncle Pte. Stephen Mealy was killed with Harry Watt on the 12th of May 1915, the battalion was brought up to the line to make a counter attack against the Germans after they had taken some ground earlier on the 11th of May in the North West corner of Sanctuary Wood. Off the top of my head I think approx 30 men of the battalion were killed on the night of the 11th/12th and I think only one has a grave. The commanding officer stated that the men who were missing that night were in no-man's land either dead or dying from wounds. I have done some research on the men of the battalion who died that day and found information and photos on some but unfortunately nothing on Watt.I have only ever talked to one other person who was a relative of a man killed with the Leinsters that day so I guess this makes two !!!!

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Coner thanks,

I've got two threads running, one on "soldiors" and one on "units".

From the other thread I got this info which coresponds and confirms your info ! :rolleyes:

Hi

I've got the following which has come from the Leinster Regt history.

After a successful attack on May 11th by the enemy on Hill 55, north-east of Sanctuary Wood, the 1st Leinsters were sent up to support the HLI. Cameron and Royal Scots supports drove the enemy back in a counter-attack, but they came on again and took another trench. The 1st Leinsters were ordered to counter-attack and A & C Companies started at 11pm. Owing to lack of artillery support and the wooded nature of the terrain, it was decided to recapture the trench through surprise at the point of the bayonet. It was completely successful but the Germans were able to bring enfilade fire with machine guns. The CO Major Conyers was mortally wounded and the Leinsters were forced to retire. A second attack by A Company, with remnants of C, gained the ridge overlooking the lost trench and this was held till daybreak. However, the growing light allowed the German artillery to pinpoint the ridge and make it untenable. The Gloucesters came up in support and attacked the ridge but failed 3 times.

The 1st Leinsters went back to "rest" in Sanctuary Wood. Casualties: 2 Officers killed and 4 wounded, 21 OR Killed, 138 wounded with 55 missing.

Will have a look in the Royal Scots histories for A Watt and James Leslie

Martin

what a fantastic wealth of knowledge on this site !

everybody with their own little bit of info makes up a "whole" picture.

thanks again,

that's another pin on the map to visit.

regards

kenny

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Hi john,

Thanks for the info. :rolleyes:

I've just been on the site and found it. Can't open it online so I'll pop over and see if I can access it.

I've been in before for old maps.

regards

kenny

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  • 4 months later...

Hi Kenny,

Could you possibly share with me what you have on James Leslie? I've been doing research for a relation of yours and she would be most interested to find out about him.

I have the bit from the roll of honour book.

Derek.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Alexander Watt

Service Number 39205

Date Death 22/08/1917

13th Bn. THE ROYAL SCOTS

post-13002-1215022794.jpg

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