Price of Victory - Local Casualties - West Fife Heroes

In the Dunfermline Journal and Advertiser for West Fife 100 years ago this weekend (to be specific the 16 October 1915 issue)

 

It struck me on looking through the local newspaper 100 years ago that there were increasing numbers of war casualties and this is what I have decided to highlight this week.

 

 

 

Price of Victory - Local Casualties - West Fife Heroes

 

The Brothers Robertson - A Church Tribute

 

In St Margaret's UF Church on Sunday the Rev John Sanderson made sympathetic references to the death of Private James Robertson son of Mr John Robertson, Reid Street.  He pointed out that of five sons of Mr Robertson who were serving, 2 have been killed and another wounded.  Private Robertson he said was a member of the choir of St Margaret's Church.  He took a known interest in the work of the choir his place being seldom vacant either at the services or at practice.  At the close of the service the 'Dead March' in 'Saul' was played by the organist Mr Wm Davidson the congregation meantime upstanding as a mark of reverence for the brave dead.  

 

[St Margaret's United Free church opened in East Port, Dunfermline on 02 September 1827 with room for 970 people.  The church was demolished in 1981 to make way for a new headquarters of the Dunfermline Building Society.  The congregation had previously moved to a new church in the Touch area of Dunfermline in 1974 and the congregation of St Margarets, which is now part of the Church of Scotland, is still in that same building in Touch].

 

9th Black Watch Cricketer Wounded

 

Twelve Dunfermline men who enlisted in the 9th Black Watch together have suffered badly in the recent fighting.  Nine have been wounded as yet nothing has been heard of the 3 others since the battle took place.  Among the wounded is Private Robert Boyd the well-known Fife cricketer who appeared for many seasons with Fifeshire Club.  He is at present lying in a French Hospital with a severe shrapnel wound in the right breast.  His parents reside in Elgin Terrace.

 

Another member of the company is Private Peter Philip.  He is at present in Edinburgh Infirmary and has been wounded in the legs and shoulder.  After being wounded he had to crawl several miles to safety.

 

Private Henry Wilson of the same regiment who previous to the war resided in Nethertown is in an English hospital with a bullet wound in his hand. He was employed as a miner before enlisting.

 

Private Thomas MacDougall who enlisted at the same time is also in hospital slightly wounded.  He was a rubber worker and when he enlisted resided in Dickson Stret.

 

Private Adamson of Forth Street is another of the unfortunate twelve.  His wounds are also slight.

Tune in next week to see what happened in Dunfermline next week 100 years ago ..........

Blog written by Jacqueline Hunter of Ancestral Research by Jacqueline, Dunfermline, Scotland. Please email me at jacquelinehunter895@gmail.com if I can help you with your family history research.

 

Death caused by shell shock?

In the Dunfermline Journal and Advertiser for West Fife 100 years ago this weekend

(Unfortunately the Saturday August 14 and 21 1915 issues have not survived so I will stick to the Saturday August 7 1915 issue for 1 more week):

Death of a Kingseat Scots Guardsman

A verdict of suicide while of unsound mind was returned at a St Pancras, London inquest on Saturday regarding the death of Alexander Sharpe 37 a private in the 3rd (reserve) battalion of the Scots Guards whose home was stated to be at Kingseat, Dunfermline and who was found dying in an express train from Edinburgh.

Mary Rose Sharpe the widow stated that her husband had a nervous breakdown while serving at the front and returned to England from France early in the month.  He had been on furlough at home until Monday when he left for London travelling first to Edinburgh.  He was not in his right mind since he returned home and was always holding his hand.  He was a broken-down man and paid no attention to his family although he was an affectionate father and husband.

The coroner read the following letter from the deceased which was found in his pocket - I beg to inform you that I have been done by the colliery doctor.  I am taken by the hand by the red cross which are getting me examined by the profession.  Everyone who is fooled in life by expert fools.

In reply to the coroner the witness added that her husband ought to have left home on Thursday the 22nd inst but was too ill to travel.

Detective Sergeant Bateman of the Great Northern Railway Company's Police stated that on the arrival of the 11.10pm train at Kings Cross from Edinburgh on Monday his attention was directed to a third-class carriage where he saw the deceased lying on his left side in the corridor.  There were wounds in his throat but the bleeding had stopped.  Seeing that he was alive the winess roused him and asked him what he had done it for to which the deceased replied - I have been drove to it by the military authorities.  When asked whar he had inflicted the injury with he answered a razor.  A razor was subsequently found in his pocket.  The deceased was removed to the Royal Free Hospitral.

Dr Austin Williams of the hospital stated that the deceased expired a couple of hours after his admission.  The post-mortem examination showed that there were 6 wounds in the left side of the neck and 4 on the right and the external jugular vein was severed.  Death was due to shock and exhaustion consequent on self-inflicted injuries.

[I'm not going to comment too much on this as it is self-explanatory and extremely tragic.  However I would suggest the cause of death was obviously actually whatever he had experienced at the front line and I am surprised that the coroner didn't call any of his military superiors to find out what he had experienced that led to his breakdown].

Tune in next week to see what happened in Dunfermline next week 100 years ago ..........

Blog written by Jacqueline Hunter of Ancestral Research by Jacqueline, Dunfermline, Scotland. Please email me at jacquelinehunter895@gmail.com if I can help you with your family history research.