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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Queens Own Cameron Highlanders


Rob Bulloch

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Hi there

I am new to this, so apologies if I am butting in. I am looking for help regarding my Great grandfather, who was killed in the Somme in 1916. I have various pieces of information, but I am very interested in getting a copy of the war diaries for his battalion around about this time. Does anyone know where I could find these?

He was in the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders 5th Battalion.

His name was Gilbert Hamilton, and his number was S/18404, he died on the 18th July 1916.

I’m just looking for as much information as possible, and the war diaries would really help, so if anyone could help that would be great.

Thanks

Lynne

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Hello

great forum !

ive only just discovered it whilst trying to research my Great Uncle, 9447 Private Robert MILLAR

D company, 1st Bn Cameron Highlanders, who died age 21,on 26 March 1915, he is buried in the Niederzwehren Cemetery, i found that info on the CWGC website, apart from that very little is known about him,

he had a brother James Millar (aka Sykes) who also served with the Cameron Highlanders, he survived the war and died in 1969

i would very much appreciate any help in finding out how and where he died, and what he was doing from 1913 - 1915, i found an old family postcard dated march 1913 and postmark Inverness, on the front is Robert in his uniform, and its addressed to a family friend in Peebles, where robert lived

here is a scan of the postcard

http://tinypic.com/r/142zi1x/4

http://tinypic.com/r/30veulx/4

Yours Aye

Scott.

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Hi there

I am new to this, so apologies if I am butting in. I am looking for help regarding my Great grandfather, who was killed in the Somme in 1916. I have various pieces of information, but I am very interested in getting a copy of the war diaries for his battalion around about this time. Does anyone know where I could find these?

He was in the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders 5th Battalion.

His name was Gilbert Hamilton, and his number was S/18404, he died on the 18th July 1916.

I'm just looking for as much information as possible, and the war diaries would really help, so if anyone could help that would be great.

Thanks

Lynne

Hi Lynne

the national archives will have the war diary your looking for

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/

you can download the diary at a cost of £3.50

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Hi Lynne

the national archives will have the war diary your looking for

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/

you can download the diary at a cost of £3.50

Thanks for your help. Should have said, I tried this, and there doesn't appear to be one for the 5th battalion, so I came to a dead end unfortunately.

Thanks anyway.

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Lynne,

The reference for the war diary at the National Archives is WO 95/1767 : 5 Battalion Cameron Highlanders, May 1915 - Feb 1919.

It isn't online, so would need someone to copy the relevant entries for you.

Stuart

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Hi there

I am new to this, so apologies if I am butting in. I am looking for help regarding my Great grandfather, who was killed in the Somme in 1916. I have various pieces of information, but I am very interested in getting a copy of the war diaries for his battalion around about this time. Does anyone know where I could find these?

He was in the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders 5th Battalion.

His name was Gilbert Hamilton, and his number was S/18404, he died on the 18th July 1916.

I’m just looking for as much information as possible, and the war diaries would really help, so if anyone could help that would be great.

Thanks

Lynne

Lynne.

Gilbert Hamilton Pte S/18404 Born Old Cumnock enlisted Old Cumnock Ayrshire. He is on the Honour Roll for the 5th Battalion Camerons. I also noticed S/18272 Pte Hugh Hamilton 5th Cameron KIA 25/10/1918 Born Old Cumnock Ayrshire enlisted Old Cumnock. Is he by any chance a relative of your G Grandfather? If you go to the "Scottish War Memorial" site you will see both names on the Cumnock Memorial in fact there is another Hamilton on the Memorial, Pte John Hamilton RSF.

Aye Rob.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hello the Forum...Would anyone have any details or information on Capt Rev William Duncan T. Black. Chaplains Department may have been attached to the 7th Bn Cameron Highlanders. any help on this would be great.

Aye Rob

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  • 6 months later...
Hello to the Forum.

Are there any members out there with an interest in the QOCH I would be very happy to share Information with members with same interest.

Best Regards to the Forum Rob.

Hello Rob

I have just joined the forum. I am researching David Graham 2nd Batt C or G Coy Cameron Highlanders (with British Expeditionary Force) No 16126. Killed in action at Hill 60 10th May 1915. Menan Gate panel 38 & 40. I have a lot of photos some would be of David. Nothing written on the back. I have downloaded a few photos under the soldier section. Would also like to confirm C or G company. Hope you can help.

Kind regards

Gladys

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Gladys C.

Welcome to the Forum wonderful photographs posted in the soldiers section by the way, thanks for sharing them. I have taken the liberty of sending you a PM.

Aye Rob.

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  • 5 months later...

I would greatly appreciate any help regarding the block of Service Numbers used by 7th Battalion Cameron Highlanders on its establishment in 1914. I know that some men carried their old Special Reserve ("3/") number into the new battalion but the majority, I assume, had new numbers prefixed by "S/". Thank you, Antony

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I would greatly appreciate any help regarding the block of Service Numbers used by 7th Battalion Cameron Highlanders on its establishment in 1914. I know that some men carried their old Special Reserve ("3/") number into the new battalion but the majority, I assume, had new numbers prefixed by "S/". Thank you, Antony

putting this up again. Any help out there? Antony

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  • 3 years later...
Guest LesleyPHSB

Dear Lynne4022,

Would like to get in touch. Our grandmother (born 1899) was your greatgrandfather's (and Hugh Hamilton's) youngest sister, making them our great uncles. Gran died nearly 25 years ago. Please let me know if this reaches you. Although this may be a long shot as your last post here was in 2009.

Lesley Saunderson and cousins.

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  • 2 months later...
Guest fian608

How do I get in touché with people on here I am a descendant of James and William Main Headspeath they where indeed brothers and I am looking for anyone with a connection to them

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  • 3 weeks later...
Guest steviemc23

Lesley, I'm Lynne's brother, who was looking for info on Gilbert. Hopefully you'll see this and we can get in contact.

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I am searching for information on a William Campbell, QOCH, who was in Invergordon, Ross-shire in 1917. This might possibly put him in the 3rd battalion. Unfortunately, I know very little about him or his family, other than he was from Glasgow and his date of birth was likely to have been circa 1870-1880. I have no details regarding date or place of death but know he was alive in the latter part of 1917. Can anyone help me locate him?

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HL. Not much to go on, but I checked the Glasgow Honour Roll there are 22 William Campbell's in the listings, two listed with the Camerons Pte. W Campbell. 599 Dalmarnock Road. and Pte W Campbell 14 East Wellington Street. Parkhead. There are no regimental number on the roll.

I also checked the battalion Honour Rolls for William Campbell there are 5 or 6 but none of them correspond with the later part of 1917. Not much I'm afraid. Good luck with your search.

Aye Rob.

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Thanks for this, Rob. I appreciate any information I can get about William Campbell. If any other thoughts occur to you, I'd be grateful to hear them.

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Hi all, I'm new to the forum so please forgive my ignorance and general cabbage appearance :glare: The knowledge and expertise on here, and the levels people go to to help one another is mind blowing.

My GG uncle Private Archibald Wilson (9781) as far as I can tell served with the 5th Cameron Highlanders. After 7 or 8 years on and off I don't think I'm going to find out much more about him other than the very basics, online information on him is very sparce and indeed I think for part of his service his record was mixed up with another Archibald Wilson (9287) :( On top of which, I downloaded the war diary for the QOCH and the entire month of July 1916 seems to be missing.

Anyway, Archie died 98 years ago today at The Somme. I never knew him and in his all to brief life he never got the chance to become the man he was supposed to. But I just wanted to record somewhere for posterity that Archie is my hero. I burst with pride when I think about what this young man of 21 gave for his fellow countrymen and women, I will always remember him and I will never forget how much I owe him.

God bless Archie x

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CA. Pte 9781 Archibald. Wilson. He is listed on the Honour Roll of the 5th Cameron with the date 18/7/16. I will have a look and see if I can find anything for that date

Aye Rob

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Hi fian608

I have some information on the Headspeath brothers....

Private John Jackson of the 6th Cameron Highlanders wrote of them in his memoirs for a tour beginning 21 November 1915: 'During this term in the trenches, a very curious accident occurred to two brothers named Hedspith [sic]. They were cleaning their rifles in the ordinary way after ‘stand down’ in the morning. when in some way their weapons were discharged, resulting in one being killed and the other wounded. At the enquiry a verdict of ‘accidentally shot’ was given, but we never heard any details concerning the mystery.'

John Headspeath was killed and his brother Thomas wounded. They had both joined the battalion on 2 October 1915 as part of a draft from the base to make up for the casualties caused at Loos in September. A third brother, William, was part of the same draft, and a fourth, James, served with the 2nd Cameron Highlanders. William would later be killed at Arras in April 1917.

The family seem to originally have come from Berwick upon Tweed before moving to Edinburgh in the 1880s

Hope this helps

Patrick

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crabbitarse

Archibald Wilson seems to have enlisted into the Cameron Highlanders around April/May 1914 but was not sent to the front with the 1st Cameron Highlanders in August 1914. He remained at the depot (which I think was Edinburgh Castle - Rob Bulloch will know!) until arriving in France on 27 November 1914 as a reinforcement for the 1st Camerons. For him to have been killed with the 5th Camerons, it suggests that he was either wounded or evacuated sick from the 1st Camerons some time before July 1916. If he was wounded the regimental journal, the 79th News, will have a record of it. It is also possible that if he was wounded it will have been mentioned in the Scotsman newspaper. They have an online archive which enables you to search by keyword for entries in the casualty lists.

Hope this helps a bit

Patrick

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Patrick.. The 1st was indeed stationed at Edinburgh, and as far as I can gather 4th May 1914 the Bn was at Stobbs Camp with the exception of "A" Coy that remained in Edinburgh as castle garrison. On the 5th July the Bn returned to Edinburgh from Stobs On the 14th of July the Bn proceeded to Blair Atholl. But with the outbreak of hostilities between Austria-Hungary and Serbia on the 28th July 1914 the Bn was ordered back to Edinburgh

There is a mention of the first batch of reservists arriving from Depot Inverness in or around 5th/6th August 1914. to bring the Bn up to strength. (Would these reservists be from the 3rd Bn ?)

Aye Rob

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There is a mention of the first batch of reservists arriving from Depot Inverness in or around 5th/6th August 1914. to bring the Bn up to strength. (Would these reservists be from the 3rd Bn ?)

Aye Rob

The Reservists would have been processed by the Depot, not the 3rd (Special Reserve) Bn. Once the Army Reservists had been equipped and clothed, the necessary number to bring the regular battalion would be sent to the 1st Bn at Edinburgh. The under-aged, unfit and sick from the 1st Bn would be sent back to the Depot. Thereafter the surplus men would be sent to the 3rd Special Reserve Bn which had mobilised and moved to Cromarty then Invergordon. The Surplus Army Reservists, Special reservists and under-aged, unfits etc of the regulars were consolidated under the 3rd Bn and soon after the 3rd Bn was simply referred to as the 3rd (Reserve) Bn.

The 1st Bn Cameron Highlanders had the highest number of fatal casualties of any Battalion of the BEF in 1914. Originally Army Troops and then it replaced the Royal Munster Fusiliers in1st (Guards) Bde, 1st Div.

MG

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Thanks for that information Martin. I also just saw a note that "C" Coy under Captain A J BRODIE was left behind in Edinburgh with 100 NCO's and men as first reinforcement.

Patrick. Nice bit of information on the Headspeath brothers.

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  • 2 months later...

crabbitarse

Archibald Wilson seems to have enlisted into the Cameron Highlanders around April/May 1914 but was not sent to the front with the 1st Cameron Highlanders in August 1914. He remained at the depot (which I think was Edinburgh Castle - Rob Bulloch will know!) until arriving in France on 27 November 1914 as a reinforcement for the 1st Camerons. For him to have been killed with the 5th Camerons, it suggests that he was either wounded or evacuated sick from the 1st Camerons some time before July 1916. If he was wounded the regimental journal, the 79th News, will have a record of it. It is also possible that if he was wounded it will have been mentioned in the Scotsman newspaper. They have an online archive which enables you to search by keyword for entries in the casualty lists.

Hope this helps a bit

Patrick

Patrick,

Thank you so much for your very helpful response, and please accept my apologies for my rudeness in not responding sooner.

I'm awaiting a response from the CH museum and hopefully they'll be able to give me some further information.

As an aside, quite by chance during some genealogy research I recently got in touch with a man who turns out to be Archie's nephew. My gg grandfather was Archie's wee brother. As Archie wasn't married and didn't have any children (that I know of) I always felt a bit sad that there was no-one to commemorate his life or remember his great sacrifice. However, this man, who's mother was Archie's youngest sister who was only born months before he left for Inverness, has one of his medals. His 1915 star. So after 8 years of research and hitting endless brick walls, the answer was 7 miles away in someone's loft.

The moral of the story is, never give up. The answers are out there somewhere :D

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