World War One Soldiers - part 4

Some Cumnock families had the heartbreak of losing more than one son.

The family of James and Elizabeth Kirkpatrick of Sykeside near Cumnock, Ayrshire suffered two losses in the war.

In 1901 the family was at Hillhead, Lugar

James Kirkpatrick 37 railway surfaceman b Dryfesdale, Dumfriesshire

Elizabeth Kirkpatrick 35

Agnes Kirkpatrick 12

Mary Kirkpatrick 11

Jessie Kirkpatrick 7

William Kirkpatrick 5

John Kirkpatrick  3

Marion Kirkpatrick 1

Andrew Kirkpatrick  30 brother

Son John Kirkpatrick who was with the Northumberland Fusiliers died of wounds in France on 15 Oct 1916.

Son William Kirkpatrick who was with the Seaforth Highlanders was killed in action on the Somme on 25 March 1918. 

The sons-in-law happily fared better.
Agnes Kirkpatrick married Alexander Caughie who was a driver in 280 Company and served in France. He survived the war and his address on discharge was 33 Greenside, Maybole.

Jessie Kirkpatrick married John Priest of Ayr in 1915. he enlisted in Ayr on 29 sep 1914. He was a ploughman. He served as a saddler in the RHA in France. He had a spell in convalescent hospital in 1916.
His address on discharge in July 1919 was Sykeside, Cumnock.


Montgomery Davidson of 78 Skares lost three sons. This information came from an in Memoriam Announcement in the Cumnock Chronicle in 1918 by the men's sister Jessie, wife of Matthew Shirkie.

First, oldest son David Davidson, a Lance Corporal in the Royal Scots Fusiliers was killed in the Battle of Loos on 26 Sep 1915. He was married to Martha Keirs in 1901.
Thomas Davidson was a private with the RFA and was killed at Gallipoli on the 30th December 1915. Thomas had married Margaret Reid in 1912.
The youngest son Robert Davidson also a private with the RFA died in France on 27 Sep 1918.

Their mother Janet McMurray had passed away in 1901 so was spared the grief of losing three sons.
Here's the family in 1901 census
Bargany Cottages, Dailly

Montgomery Davidson             46 coal miner b Kirkoswald

Janet Davidson             42

David B Davidson             23

Elizabeth J Davidson             16

John Davidson             15

Jessie Davidson             13

Thomas Davidson             11

Montgomery Davidson             9

James Davidson             8

Andrew Davidson             6

William Davidson             4

Robert Davidson             3

Martha Keier             24 (future wife of David)

Cumnock soldiers now here http://cumnocksoldiers.blogspot.co.uk/

World War 1 Soldiers - part 3

There are three soldiers on Cumnock War Memorial in Ayrshire, Scotland who served with the Canadian Expeditionary Forces.

Mitchell Taylor was born in Cumnock in 1885 and left for a new life in Canada, arriving on the Ionian on 15 March 1912. He returned to Scotland in 1914 but went back to Canada in September on the Scandanavian.
He signed on in Dec 1914 in Winnipeg.  He had previously served 3 years in the Ayrshire Yeomanry. He was 5 ft 6 with a sallow complexion, grey eyes and fair hair. He was a plasterer like his father.
His parents were Mitchell Taylor and his wife Annie Watt of 51 Ayr Road.
He was killed on 8 Oct 1916 aged 32 and is remembered at Vimy Ridge in France.

Robert McLelland Munn, "Bertie"  was born in 1894 in Cumnock. In 1901 he was living with his parents Robert and Beatrice Munn at the Dumfries Arms Hotel. He left Glasgow for Montreal on the Grampian on 3 Aug 1912 as Bertie Munn age 18 occupation "F.L." which I think is farm labourer, since on the Canadian passenger list his intended career is farming in Ontario.  He enlisted at Valcartier, Canada on 24 Sep 1914 when he was 20 but gave his date of birth as 14 May 1891 making himself 3 years older than he actually was.
His occupation was "horseman" and he had previously served 5 years in the Yeomanry. He was 6ft tall with blue eyes and light hair. He was a Gunner with the Canadian Field Artillery and he died on 26 Apr 1915 aged 20. He is buried at Hazebrouck Communal Cemetery in France.

Richard Davidson "Dick" was born about 1896 in Cumnock to Archibald Boswell Davidson, a tailor, and his wife Margaret Douglas Lorimer. In 1901 they were living at Strand Street, Cumnock. Dick and his mother and sisters went out on the Hesperian in June 1912. His father had gone ahead the year before. In 1916 the family was living at 413 Simcoe St, Winnipeg. Richard enlisted on 24 Sep 1914 at Valcartier. He was an 18 year old clerk. He had fair hair and blue eyes and a scar on the bridge of his nose. He was 5 ft 5 1/2in. He was a private in the Canadian Army Medical Corps. He died on 31 Oct 1917 aged 20. He is buried at Potijze Chateau Grounds Cemetery in Belgium.

While looking through the Cumnock Chronicle on microfilm, I found another Canadian soldier who had lived in Cumnock. He is not on the Cumnock War Memorial. His grandmother Mrs David Fraser was living in Common in 1918.

 He was born David Chalmers Fraser in Kilmarnock on 2 Oct 1894 to James Fraser and his wife Maggie Miller. In 1901 they were living at Ayr Road, Cumnock. The Chronicle has them living at Bank Avenue. They emigrated to Calgary about 1906 and David enlisted at Valcartier in 1914. In the 1916 census of Canada they are in Calgary. Brother James Miller Fraser enlisted at Calgary in 1915. He had previously been 3 years in the Calgary Militia. He was with the Canadian Army Medical Corps. He died on 19 May 1918 in an air raid on the hospital. He is buried in Etaples Military Cemetery near Boulogne in France.

1916 census

Calgary

James Fraser             47 can't decipher his occupation, but working on his own account.

Margaret Fraser             45

David Fraser             21 soldier

James Fraser             20 soldier

Jane Fraser             19 stenographer

William Fraser             18

Margaret Fraser             16

John Fraser             13

Robert Fraser             11

Hugh Fraser             7

Thomas Fraser             1

Database of WW1 soldiers in Canada
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

I am not related to any of these families. It would be great to hear from any living relatives. Add a comment or email me at kmcmeekin at me.com

Cumnock soldiers have a blog of their own
https://cumnocksoldiers.blogspot.com

Fleming Descendants - the Biggers in Australia

Dave McCartney and Isabella Fleming (previous post) moved with their 10 year old daughter Marion to Cessnock, Sydney in 1910.  Marion was musical and played violin in the Sydney Philharmonic,

She married Frederick C Biggers who was a clerk, a mine worker, a journalist and a writer. In 1929 he was on the staff of the Burwood Courier. He also wrote and performed in musical plays eg the Matrimonial Tangle which was staged in 1933.

They lived in Cessnock, New South Wales and had one daughter Joan Isobel. She was a ballerina (I was told) but tried tragically young aged 19.

Fred and Marion

The Biggers' house in Cessnock, New South Wales

Joan Biggers 1934-1953

Friday 26 November 1948

The Cessnock Eagle and South Maitland Recorder

 

Photos kindly sent by Kathy Wright, a friend of the family in Australia.

World War One part 2

My father-in-law David McMeekin, 1892-1973 was a miner,  son of John McMeekin and Annie Gibson Murdoch of Glengyron Row. We know he was in the Royal Scots Fusiliers and served in Palestine; he was fond of talking at length about Palestine. Unfortunately his son did not pay much attention to his tales. His service records did not survive, but he did.

David McMeekin aged about 22

His younger brother Jimmy 1895-1978 also a miner, enlisted in the Royal Scots Fusiliers and his records survive. He enlisted at Cumnock on the 28th August 1914. He was recruited by recruiter John Sykes. He gave his age as 20 years and 160 days but he was only 19. This was probably a mistake and not an attempt to enlist when too young. You could enlist at age 18 but you weren't sent abroad till you were 19. He was 5 ft 5 and a half inches, blue eyes, fair hair, teeth defective, but nutrition good. Pulse 70 (underlined, is this good?). This noted by Dr McQueen in Cumnock. He was discharged at Aldershot after 25 days, as he was "physically unfit for active service due to chronic rheumatism and valvular heart disease". Nevertheless, he continued to work as a miner and died age 83!

Although none of the family died in the war, the family did not escape unscathed. A third brother Andrew died in 1916 in a rock fall in Garallan colliery. He was only 19. I wrote about his death here.  On his death certificate his father John is listed as a miner and a private in the Royal Defence Corps (the Home Guard).

Cumnock soldiers have a blog of their own
https://cumnocksoldiers.blogspot.com

A Footballer in the Family

Isabella Fleming, the sister of my husband's grandfather Hugh, married David Thompson McCartney (1875-1950) of Auchinleck in 1899 and they had one daughter Marion McFedries McCartney. Mother-in-law used to talk about the McCartneys, although she could barely have known them.

David was the son of Irish parents Charles McCartney and Susanna Thompson, born 1875 in Cronberry, near Cumnock, and as Dave McCartney, he was a professional footballer for 20 years and played briefly for Celtic and for Glossop, Watford and Northampton with one season for Chelsea.  His brother William played 2 seasons for Barnsley.

When he retired, the family emigrated to Australia on the Samaris arriving November 1910. He went back to mining at Aberdare South Colliery.

Their only daughter Marion, born about 1900, was musical and played violin in the Sydney Philharmonic.

Watford FC Archives - look under M for Dave's football career

Chelsea player profile

1948 newspaper article  interview with Dave in the Cessnock Eagle and South Maitland Recorder, 22 June 1948.  His brother William was over from Scotland at the time.


Obituary in the The Cessnock Eagle and South Maitland Recorder 10 Jan 1950.



Thanks to Rhonda in Dumfries for information.

World War One Soldiers part 1

In this anniversary year of the start of World War One, I am turning my research to local soldiers who served in this horrible conflict. I have joined Cumnock History Group. I am looking at names on the Cumnock War Memorial in Cumnock New Cemetery and trying to find out a bit about them using my ancestry subscription and Commonwealth War Graves Commission. (Links to these sites at the bottom of post)

Neighbours  James Bruce Johnstone and Michael Shirkie of 101 and 113 Skares Row respectively enlisted together at Glasgow on 14 Sep 1914 within 2 weeks of war breaking out. (I know this because their service records survived and are on the ancestry website and elsewhere. Not all service records survived.) Both were miners, and single. They enlisted in the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders,  and both set sail for France on 8 July 1915. Neither came home.

James Bruce Johnstone, a miner, was born in Patna in 1891. He was the son of Charles J Johnstone and his wife Mary McDerment. He had blue eyes and reddish hair and was 5ft 8 and a half inches tall. He was a Sergeant in the 7th Battalion of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders. He was killed in action in France/Flanders on the 27th February 1916.  He was 25. His father received his medals on the 6th July 1921.
His great nephew, also James Bruce Johnstone, a cousin of my husband, has provided the photograph.

Sgt Jimmy B Johnstone

Michael Shirkie, a miner, was born in Catrine in 1889. He was the eldest child of Edward Shirkie and his wife Isabella Montgomery. He had fair hair and blue eyes and was 5ft 7in.  He was a Private 7th Battalion of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders.  He was reported missing presumed dead after the Battle of Loos on the 25th September 1915. Michael was a distant relation by marriage of my husband. He was 26. Michael was batman to Captain Wm H Kirkland who was also killed in the Battle of Loos and the story goes Michael went to his aid on the field and perished too. Michael's sister got a letter addressed to any living relative of Michael Shirkie, Skares. It was from Captain Kirkland's sister and the postman delivered it to Liz's grandmother Nellie, Michael's sister in the photo.
(Thanks to Liz Ferguson, Michael's great niece for info and photo)

Michael Shirkie with brother Johnnie and sister Nellie

Both men are commemorated on the Cumnock War Memorial and on the Loos Memorial in France.


Links
Cumnock History Group
Cumnock War Memorial
Cumnock WW1 soldiers
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Ancestry UK site

Cumnock soldiers have a blog of their own
https://cumnocksoldiers.blogspot.com