Category Archives: Scotland

Aberdeenshire, Commonwealth War Graves, Engineman, Great War, history, injury, Kent, Midlothian, photography, Royal Naval Reserve, Scotland, story, war

Engineman John Foreman

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Engineman John Foreman

John Kerr Foreman was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, on 18th December 1878. The son of Thomas and Jessie, details of his early life are sparse. The 1881 census records him living on York Street with Jessie, while the next return notes him as living just round the corner at 4 Links Street with his paternal grandfather, Jessie Kerr.

Thomas’ absence from the documents would suggest that he was away at the time the details were taken. John’s grandfather was a fish labourer, and the family lived next to the port. It is likely that Thomas was a fisherman or part of a boat crew, and a life at sea was something that his son also fell into.

John does not appear on either the 1901 or 1911 census returns. In the early 1900s he married Lily Craig, the daughter of another fish worker. They went on to have five children between 1905 and 1916 but, like her husband, there is no record of Lily or the family in the early 20th century.

When war broke out, John stepped up to play his part. Joining the Royal Naval Reserve – another hint at an undocumented life at sea – on 36th May 1916, his papers note that he was 5ft 8ins (1.73m) tall, with grey eyes and a fair complexion. He was also recorded as having a number of tattoos: a pierced heart, thistle and the word Scotland on his right arm, and an anchor and his initials on his left.

Engineman Foreman’s time in the navy was actually spent on shore. For eighteen months he was attached to HMS Gunner, the shore base at Granton Harbour, near Edinburgh. In August 1917, however, he was transferred south. He arrived at his new home, HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, on 4th August 1917.

The dockyard was a particularly busy place that summer, and temporary accommodation was set up. John found himself billeted at Chatham Drill Hall, away from the main barracks.

On the night of 3rd September 1917, Chatham suddenly found itself in the firing line, as the German Air Force launched a bombing raid. One of the bombs landed squarely on the Drill Hall, and Engineman Foreman was badly injured. He was taken the naval hospital in the town, but died from his injuries the following day. He was 38 years old.

The body of John Kerr Foreman was taken back to Scotland for burial. He was laid to rest in Aberdeen’s Trinity Cemetery, a short walk from where his family still lived.

Engineman John Foreman
(from findacrage.com)

[Note: the photo above is of the memorial to the Chatham Air Raid victims, close to the mass grave for those whose bodies were not identified, in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent.]

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Norfolk, Orkney, photography, Private, Scotland, Seaforth Highlanders, story, war

Private Alexander Shurie

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Private Alexander Shurie

Alexander Cursiter Shurie was born in Orkney, in 1886. The youngest of seven children, his parents were farmers James and Maria Shurie. The family were born and raised in West Grenigoe, a small hamlet between Orphir and Scapa, on the Orkney mainland.

There is little information about Alexander’s young life. James died in 1902, and it is likely that his son helped with the running of the farm. When war broke out, he did not enlist immediate and, while his service records have been lost to time, it seems likely that he did not join up until the autumn of 1916.

Private Shurie’s unit – the 6th Battalion or the Seaforth HIghlanders – served on the Western Front during the conflict, but there is nothing to show that Alexander spent any time overseas himself. By March 1917, he had fallen ill, and was admitted to the Norwich War Hospital in Norfolk. His condition is unclear, but it would prove fatal: he passed away on 18th March 1917, at the age of 31.

The body of Alexander Cursiter Shurie was taken back to Orkney for burial. He was laid to rest in the family plot in the graveyard of St Magnus’ Cathedral, Kirkwall.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Orkney, photography, Private, Scotland, Seaforth Highlanders, story, war

Private James Mackay

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Private James Mackay

James – or Jim – Mackay was born in Kirkwall, Orkney, in 1897, and was the youngest of six children to John and Margaret Mackay. John was a stone mason, and the family lived in a small cottage at 14 Victoria Road, close to the town centre.

Little information survives about Jim’s life, and the family do not appear on the 1911 census. He would have been too young to enlist when war broke out, but at some point during the conflict, he enlisted in the army, joining the Seaforth Highlanders as a Private. His unit – the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion – was a depot unit, and was based at Cromarty, to the north of Inverness, for the duration.

In the closing weeks of the war, Jim fell ill, and was admitted to the military hospital in Cromarty, suffering from pneumonia. The condition would prove fatal, and he passed away on 11th November 1918, the day the Armistice was signed. He was just 21 years of age.

The body of James Mackay was taken back to Orkney for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Magnus’ Cathedral, a short walk from where his family still lived.

Australia, Commonwealth War Graves, Egypt, Great War, Hampshire, history, injury, New Zealand, New Zealand Auckland Regiment, Orkney, photography, Private, Scotland, story, war

Private James Cooper

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Private James Cooper

Private James Cooper, a native of Kirkwall, died in the Red Cross Hospital at Netley last Thursday from a wound received at the Dardanelles. Private Cooper, who was 35 years of age, was a son of Mrs Cooper, School Place, Kirkwall (with whom much sympathy is felt), and of the late Capt. Charles Cooper. After being employed for some tim in a shop in Kirkwall, he decided to follow his father’s vacation [sic] and went to see for some years, during which time he served in the Naval Reserve. He was in New Zealand when the war began, and at once enlisted in the 6th Hamaki Coy. With the New Zealand contingent he went to Egypt and took part in the fighting with the Turks near the Suez Canal. In April the contingent was sent from Egypt to the Dardanelles, and towards the end of that month Private Cooper received a gunshot wound in the left arm. With other wounded he was sent to the base hospital at Alexandria, and thence, after a few weeks, was sent home to the hospital at Netley. In all his letters home he wrote cheerfully and made light of his wound, but the nurse wrote that the wound was a serious one. At Netley the arm was amputated. Private Cooper gradually sank and died last Thursday.

[Orkney Herald: Wednesday 30th June 1915]

James Cooper was born on 9th October 1879 in Kirkwall, Orkney. He was one of seven children – and the youngest of three sons – to Charles and Jane Cooper. With her husband being away at sea a lot of the time, Jane was used to raising her family on her own.

In August 1905, tragedy struck the family:

At an early hour on Friday morning last, the town of Stromness was thrown into a stat of alarm by the report that a sad burning fatality had taken place on board the barquentine Brazilian on Ness patent slip. To accurately describe how the accident took place is impossible, but from careful enquiries we learn that on Thursday evening Captain Charles Cooper, belonging to Kirkwall, accompanied by an acquaintance, left the town and went on board the vessel, where they lit a fire and make a cup of coffee, after which friend left him. At that time the fire was very low, and no danger apprehended. At an early hour of the morning, the vessel was observed to e on fire, and an alarm given. In a short time the fire hose from the town was on the scene, and two two streams playing on the burning vessel. The fire was fortunately confined to the cabin and companion way, where the rescue party discovered the body of Capt. Cooper terribly burned and disfigured, to such an extent that it was quite unrecognisable… There can be no doubt but that death was caused by suffocation, but what led to the fire is not known. It is supposed, however, that after the friend left the vessel, Capt. Cooper had taken the paraffin oil flask to put some oil on the nearly burnt-out fire, when possibly an explosion took place, and the cabin got suddenly full of smoke.

[Orkney Herald: Wednesday 16th August 1905]

Charles was 64 when he died. Jane brought his body across the island, and he was buried in the family plot in the churchyard of St Magnus’ Cathedral.

By this point, James was serving in the Royal Navy. The exact details are unclear, but he seems to have bought his way out, after completing six years. He travelled to Australia, and worked as a cook for a while, before moving on to New Zealand, setting up home in the town of Thames, on the country’s North Island.

When war was declared, he was quick to step up, and, joined the Auckland Regiment of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. His service papers show that he was 5ft 7ins (1.7m) tall and weighed 159lbs (72.1kg). He had brown hair, grey eyes and a medium complexion. He had a tattoo of a naval coat of arms on his right forearm, and one of a full length woman on the back of his left forearm.

Private Cooper’s unit left New Zealand on 16th October 1914, heading for Egypt. As the newspaper report stated, he moved from there to Gallipoli, before being medically evacuated to Egypt, and then to Netley Hospital, Hampshire.

After his passing, the body of James Cooper was taken back to Orkney for burial. He was laid to rest in the family plot at St Magnus’ Cathedral, reunited with his father after ten years.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Dorset, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, Orkney, photography, Private, Royal Marines, Scotland, story, war

Private Albert Thorne

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Private Albert Thorne

Albert Edward Thorne was born on 30th April 1874. The fourth of eight children, his parents were George and Rosanna Thorne. George was born in Nether Compton, Dorset, and this is where the family were raised. He worked as a stone mason, the 1884 census confirming he employed six men and two boys.

When Albert completed his schooling, he found work as a domestic gardener. This was not something he wanted to do long-term, however, and, on 30th May 1892, he enlisted in the Royal Marine Light Infantry. His service records show that he was 5ft 6ins (1.68m) tall, with dark brown hair and blue eyes. He was also noted as having a mole on the right of this abdomen and a scar on the right of his waist.

Private Thorne was sent to the Royal Marine depot in Walmer, Kent, for his training, and he remained there until the end of November. He transferred to Plymouth, Devon, and, over the next three years, split his time between there and Devonport.

On 26th December 1895, Albert married Rhoda Mills, the daughter of a local labourer, in Plymouth Register Office. The couple would have three children: Albert Jr, Arthur and Vera.

Private Thorne was a career marine, and remained in the service, based between Plymouth and Portsmouth, Hampshire, until the spring of 1914. Having completed 22 years, he was stood down to reserve status, although this was not to be for long, as storm clouds were brewing over Europe.

In August 1914, Albert was mobilised once more, and was assigned to the cruiser HMS Gibraltar. A depot ship, she would support other ships in and around the Orkney and Shetland Isles. The voyage north seems to have taken its toll, however, and Private Thorne was evacuated to the hospital ship Rohilla, suffering from appendicitis, which resulted in peritonitis. The conditions would prove fatal, and he passed away on 30th August 1914, at the age of 40 years old.

The Rohilla docked at Kirkwall on the Orkney mainland. Hundreds of miles from home, is seems that Rhoda may not have been able to afford to bring her husband’s body back to Devon. Instead, the body of Albert Edward Thorne was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Magnus’ Cathedral, Kirkwall.

Rhoda remained in Plymouth, in the rooms at 64 Durnford Street that she knew as home. The 1921 census found her living there with eldest son Albert – now a construction manager at the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport – and daughter Vera. The family had a boarder, Irish-born merchant seaman William Arnold, whose sister, Margaret Fitzgerald, was also visiting.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Midlothian, Orkney, photography, Private, Scotland, Seaforth Highlanders, story, war

Private John Brass

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Private John Brass

John Harcus Brass was born in Kirkwall on the Orkney mainland in May 1900. He was the oldest child to Thomas and Margaret Brass. Thomas was a grocer, and the family lived at 3 Union Street, to the south of the town centre.

There is little information about John’s early life. Better known as Jackie, he was too young to enlist when war broke out, but joined up as soon as he came of age. He was assigned to the Seaforth Highlanders and, as a Private, was attached to the 4th Battalion.

Jackie was sent south for training, and was billeted in Glencorse, to the south of Edinburgh. Sadly, Private Brass’ war was not to be a lengthy one. He was admitted to the 2nd Scottish General Hospital in Edinburgh, suffering from influenza. The condition was to get the better of him, and he passed away on 30th October 1918. He was just 18 years of age.

The body of John Harcus Brass was taken back to Orkney for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Magnus’ Cathedral, in his home town of Kirkwall.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Nottinghamshire, photography, Royal Army Ordnance Corps, Scotland, Staff Sergeant, story, unknown, war, Wiltshire

Staff Serjeant George Brent

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Staff Serjeant George Brent

George Brent was born in the autumn of 1887 in Bratton, Wiltshire, and was the only child to George and Naomi Brent. Census records humbly record George Sr was a wool carder, although he actually ran Luccombe Mill, the family living in the substantial Luccombe House.

George had been widowed in the 1870s, and was thirty-four years older than his second wife, Naomi. When he died in 1900, she was left to raise her teenaged son. She was not on her own, however, the 1901 census recording her as living on her own means, and with servant Eliza Whately to support her.

Education was important to Naomi, and by the time of the 1911 census, George was working as a draughtsman and designer for an engineering company. War was on the horizon, however, and he would step up to serve his country.

George enlisted in the Army Ordnance Corps, and served in the Balkans from October 1915. Full details of his time in the army have been lost, but he rose through the ranks and, by the summer of 1918, he was a Staff Serjeant.

At some point love blossomed and, George married a woman called Edith. Sadly, her life is destined to remain a mystery: she is noted as being George’s widow on his probate record and his beneficiary in the Army Register of Soldiers’ Effects.

Staff Serjeant Brent’s health seems to have suffered after three years in the eastern Mediterranean. He was admitted to the military hospital in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, although his condition is unclear. He passed away on 3rd September 1918, at the age of 30 years old.

The body of George Brent was taken back to Wiltshire for burial. He was laid to rest in Bratton Baptist Chapelyard, not far from Luccombe House.

George left an estate of £978 16s 6d (approx. £58,000 in today’s money) to his widow. Naomi must have taken some comfort in Edith’s presence: the 1921 census found them living in Luccombe House.

The census sheds some light on Edith’s background, noting that she was born in Grangemouth, Stirlingshire. Interestingly, she and Naomi have two visitors: widow Helen Harrower (aged 65) and Helen Georgina Harrower (aged 32). The younger Helen was also born in Grangemouth, and it appears that the visitors were Edith’s mother and sister.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Kent, killed in action, Norfolk, Orkney, photography, Royal Navy, Scotland, Stoker, story, Suffolk, war

Stoker 1st Class Frederick Diver

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Stoker 1st Class Frederick Diver

Frederick Isaac Diver was born in Hopton, Suffolk, on 4th July 1888, the third of nine children to Matthew and Louisa Diver. Matthew was a tinsmith from Thetford, Norfolk, and was twenty years older than his wife. He had been married before, but was widowed in 1880, leaving him with six children to raise (tragically he and his first wife, Emily, had lost two children in the year before she died).

Matthew married Louisa in the autumn of 1881 and the couple raised their family at 17 Old Market Street, close to Thetford town centre. Matthew himself died late in 1909, and the census return that was taken two years later found his widow and four of her children still living in the family home. Frederick was the only one bringing in a wage, and was employed as a general labourer.

In the autumn of 1911, Frederick married Ethel Talbot. The daughter of a postman from Brandon, Suffolk, she was a couple of years younger than her new husband. The couple set up home on Castle Street, Thetford, and had three children – Sybil, Arthur and Frederick Jr.

Frederick worked at the docks on the town’s river and, when war came to Europe, he would be called upon to play his part. He was conscripted into the Royal Navy and, as a Stoker 2nd Class, was sent to HMS Pembroke, the dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for his training. His service records show that he was just under 5ft 9ins (1.75m) tall, with brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.

After a couple of months, Stoker Diver was given his first posting, on board the battleship HMS Vanguard. She would remain his home for just under a year, during which time he was promoted to Stoker 1st Class. At the start of July 1917, he was home on leave, Frederick Jr having been born a few months before.

HMS Vanguard was stationed in Scapa Flow, in the Orkneys, when, on 9th July 1917, a series of magazine explosions tore the ship apart. She sank almost at once, and 843 of the 845 crew were killed. Stoker Diver had had a lucky escape.

At the end of his leave, Frederick returned to HMS Pembroke, to await a new assignment. The loss of Vanguard resulted in the dockyard being a busy place – its replacement crew were based there, and were now stuck there as they waited to be re-assigned. Stoker 1st Class Diver was billeted in temporary accommodation in Chatham Drill Hall.

On the 3rd September 1917, the first night air raid carried out by the German Air Force bombarded the town, and scored a direct hit on the Drill Hall; Stoker Diver was not so lucky this time, and was among those killed. He was just 29 years of age.

The body of Frederick Isaac Diver was taken back to Norfolk for burial. He was laid to rest in Thetford Cemetery, not far from where his widow was still living.

[Note: the photo above is of the memorial to the Chatham Air Raid victims, close to the mass grave for those whose bodies were not identified, in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent.]

Bombardier, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Lanarkshire, photography, Royal Garrison Artillery, Royal Horse Artillery, Scotland, Sergeant, story, war, Wiltshire

Serjeant Thomas Harrison

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Serjeant Thomas Harrison

The life of Thomas Harrison, buried in Holt Old Cemetery, Wiltshire, is a challenge to unpick. No service papers remain, but the Commonwealth War Graves Commission note that he was married to Annie Harrison, who lived in Trowbridge, Wiltshire.

The couple do not appear together in the 1911 census, so it is likely that they exchanged vows after this date. There is a Thomas Harrison recorded in the return: he was an Acting Bombardier in the Royal Horse Artillery, billeted in the barracks in Trowbridge. It is likely that he is the gentleman buried in Holt Cemetery, but it cannot be confirmed either way.

Acting Bombardier Harrison was born in Motherwell, Lanarkshire, in around 1889, but his name is not uncommon, so it is not possible to identify his parents or early life.

Thomas served during the First World War, rising to the rank of Serjeant in the Anti-Aircraft Depot of the Royal Garrison Artillery. He and Annie had two children: Vera, who was born in 1912, and Ivy, who was four years younger.

When the Armistice was declared, Serjeant Harrison returned home, but, in the spring of 1920, he suffered a bout of gastritis. The condition was to prove fatal, and he passed away on 31st March 1920. He was 31 years of age.

The body of Thomas Harrison was laid to rest in Holt Old Cemetery, not far from where Annie and the girls lived.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hertfordshire, history, illness, photography, Royal Engineers, Sapper, Scotland, Shropshire, story, war, Wiltshire

Sapper John Ayre

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Sapper John Ayre

John MacDonald Ayre was born in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, in 1891. His father – also John MacDonald Ayre – had been born in Edinburgh, but had moved south to take up a job as a passenger clerk for the railways. He had met his wife, Rosa, there, and they had married in 1890. John Jr was their eldest child, and they would go on to have five more although, tragically, only three survived childhood.

John Jr also found employment with the railway company when he finished his schooling. The 1911 census found him working as a goods clerk, and he was living with his family at 16 Bridge Road in Hemel Hempstead town centre.

On 8th September 1915, John Jr married Mabel Langdon. She was a postman’s daughter from Westbury, Wiltshire, and, at the time of the 1911 census, she was working as an under-housemaid for Edward Innes, a barrister in her future husband’s home town. The couple married in Westbury Parish Church.

When war broke out, John Jr was called upon to play his part. Little information is available about his time in the army, but is it clear that he had enlisted by the end of 1916, and had joined the Royal Engineers as a Sapper. His background made him ideal for the regiment’s Railway Operating Division.

There is no evidence that Sapper Ayre spent any time overseas, and, by the spring of 1917, he was based in Shropshire. He had been unwell and was admitted to a military hospital in Shrewsbury, suffering from tuberculosis. The condition was to get the better of him, and he passed away on 27th May, at the age of 26 years old.

The body of John MacDonald Ayre was taken back to Wiltshire for burial. He was laid to rest in Westbury Cemetery.

Tragically, Mabel was pregnant when her husband died. She gave birth to their son, who she named John, on 14th July 1917.