Next Year - 100 Years Since the Outbreak of WW1

[domino]

Remembering

Andrew Sutherland Budge.

Royal Naval Reserve
RNR HMS Invincible Jutland

1916 23yrs old

Portsmouth Naval Memorial

I'm told several other Wick men were on that ship -
Francis Wm Clyne
George Bremner
James MacKay
John Robertson

What a sad day for the town.

Francis William Clyne was my grandfathers brother. That is also the first part of my name
Domino

[scotsannie]

Thank you Flora that's great news.

[flora]

Your welcome, scotsannie, it ends tomorrow. Flora.

[sgmcgregor]

Hello all,

I would like to say a big thank-you to everyone who has posted their stories and remembrances.

I hope to see many more over the following days and months.

"We will remember them".

Kind Regards,
Steven

[trinkie]

Remembering

Sapper Robert Spence Wilson
231 4th Field Coy Canadian Engineers
1918 age 31yrs



Domino, good to know our forefathers were together at this awful time.
A well kent face would mean a lot to the young men.

[Tighsonas4]

hi quite a lot of names can be found on the cwgc if you have there name even I had one uncle killed in france there was 8 uncles serving some army some navy but the other 7 survived the one who was killed was only 17 when he enlisted was gassed and sent home but on recover ing went back out tony

[trinkie]

Shot at dawn.

I would like to remember them all. I can't imagine what it must have been like, but after reading 'Private Peaceful'
I feel they have to be mentioned here.

http://www.filmeducation.org/privatepeaceful/obeying-orders.html

Trinkie

[trinkie]

Remembering

L/Cpl Leslie Webster Seaforths
died 21st April 1917

[trinkie]

Remembering

Billy Clarke, 8th Seaforth Highlanders, died in France 31st July 1017.

Billy Clarke played the piano in the Breadalbane Picture House. A black man who wore the Kilt
and died in France .

[Betty]

Remembering

William Dunnett - 19 yrs. - 5th Seaforth Highlanders
Died - Givenchy, France 15/6/15

His brother Daniel Dunnett - 16 yrs. - Seaforth Highlanders
Died - France 27/3/16

His brother Tom Dunnett - 29 yrs. 1st Canadian Mounted Rifles
Died - Mount Sorrel, France 5/6/16

Cousin (twin, orphaned and lived with the Dunnett family)
William Murray - 2nd Gordon Highlanders
Died France 13/3/15

Cousin (twin, orphaned and lived with the Dunnett family)
Donald Murray - 1st Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
Died France 03/04/15

[sgmcgregor]

I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who has been posting details of those who served during World War 1. The courage of all the individuals involved surely needs to be recognised, and it is wonderful to see that they are still remembered by people today.

I am still working on my family tree, and am still astonished to find that new people come to light - even after all these years of research - people that served that I did not know about. I would like to remember the following two newly discovered individuals in my family...

John Williamson Banks, 1st Battalion Gordon Highlanders, killed in action on 23 August 1918, buried at Douchy-Les-Ayette British Cemetery
David Sutherland Harper, born Thrumster, 27th Battalion Australian Imperial Force, killed in action on 10 June 1918, buried at Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery

Steven

[trinkie]

"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them".

[flora]

We shall remember them, Flora.

[Jane Ban]

I wonder if anyone has any information on the above soldier? I have many Clyne ancestors but none so far lined to the Caithness area where the majority of the Clynes appear to originate. I have using the Every Man Remembered web site to commemorate my family members and while looking for my Clyne records came across Arthur H Clyne who died on 14 July 1916 and whose death is recorded on the Thiepval memorial. He served with the Seaforth Highlanders but his service number, age etc all marked as unknown. I have tried to track down information and think I have the correct Arthur, son of Wm Clyne a fisherman in Wick and Joan or Johann. This Arthur married Margaret Cassels in 1898 in the New Kilpatrick area.
I would be really pleased if anyone was able to give me any more information to see if I have indeed found the correct person. I am so sad to think that the only details recorded are of his death and would like to commemorate his sacrifice.

Thanks
Jane

[sgmcgregor]

Jane,

The Commonwealth Wargraves Commission gives the following details for Arthur Clyne:-

CLYNE, Pte. Arthur H., S/8370, 7th Bn. Seaforth Highlanders, 14th July 1916.

I had a look on "ancestry" website and they have the following additional information listed for Arthur H. Clyne:-

Birth Place: Wick, Caithness
Enlisted in Hamilton, Lanarkshire

Unfortunately his attestation papers aren't available which would have given more details about him. However the Medal Roll recording eligibility for the award of the 1914-15 Star gives the date he first landed in France as 12th August 1915.

I hope that this information helps a little.

Regards,
Steven

[rob murray]

Remembering

Billy Clarke, 8th Seaforth Highlanders, died in France 31st July 1017.

Billy Clarke played the piano in the Breadalbane Picture House. A black man who wore the Kilt
and died in France .

TRinkie I knew a bit of the story of a coloured guy who died in FRance called Billy Clarke he is a footnote basically one line in a book on Caithness....I never knew he played the piano in the breadalbane picture house......do you know anything more about the guy, where he was from...how he landed up in WIck etc....

[rob murray]

Found this :

Billy Clarke wasborn in 1894 and lived at 48 Clifton Road, Canning Town, in London’s East End(in the area now known as Newham). His father, William senior, was a ship’s fireman,born in Kingston, Jamaica, while mother Leah appears to have been born inCanning Town. At the time of the 1901 census for West Ham, Billy had twobrothers and a sister, with perhaps other siblings born post-1901.
Billy moved to Wickaround 1911 to work as a cinema pianist (we don’t know anything about hismusical training or early career); he was employed at the Breadalbane Hallcinema and may also have worked in a similar role at the Pavilion.
By all accounts hewas warmly welcomed into the community. Contemporary reports in the Groatdescribe Billy as “exceedingly popular” and “a musician of marked ability”. Hewas a member of a local organisation called the Wick Brotherhood "During its history - in addition toSunday Schools, Bible Class, Women's Guild, the Church Choir and Sunday Schoolchoirs, Young Mothers' Group, Young Men's Christian Association, Ladies WorkParty, the Christian Endeavour and the Youth Fellowship - Wick Bridge St Churchhas also been home to a Literary Society, the Girls Guildry, a Girl GuideCompany, Wick Youth Club and one organization which drew crowds too large evenfor a church of this size. This was the “Brotherhood” whose monthly openmeetings were sometimes so well attended that people sat in the aisles and evenon the the pulpit steps. The banner of The Brotherhood, designed by the wife ofthe Reverend Alfred Coutts who ministered between 1909 and 1912, has recentlybeen gifted to Wick Heritage Centre."
When war broke outhe enlisted in the 8th Seaforth Highlanders (Private William Stanley Clarke,S/11210). While serving in the army, Billy took every opportunity to play thepiano or harmonium, thereby boosting the morale of the troops and he instigateda successful local appeal for hymn books for the men to use.
In July 1916 reportsappeared in the local press announcing that Billy had suffered a serious headwound.
In August 1916 itwas reported that he had not regained consciousness and had passed away. Hisactual date of death was July 31st 1916, so he was 22 when he died. A report inthe Groat stated: “He was a great favourite in town, and his death will besincerely regretted.”
Billy is buried inLonguenesse (St Omer) Souvenir Cemetery at St Omer.

[trinkie]

Thank you for all of that Rob, it is most interesting.
Trinkie.

[Elizabeth Angus]

My grandfather, James Sinclair Angus of Castletown, was one of the lucky ones.

When he joined up his big sister was horrified, and with great foresight managed (I have no idea how) to get him into the Camel Corps. He spent the War in North Africa, which would not have been easy but must have been a picnic compared to the absolute horror of France.

My grandfather, like so many of his compatriots, didn't speak much about his experiences. Although he did teach me the noises you make to get your camel to stand up and sit down! And also a sprinkling of Arabic. He died when I was 14 and I deeply regret the callowness of youth - how I wish I'd talked to him more. He was awarded the French Medaille d'Honneur with swords in bronze - he said he nipped round the back of a sand dune and a bunch of Italian soldiers took one look at him and surrendered. I have no idea what the truth was, but I suspect it was more complicated than that.

I am so grateful that he made it home, unlike so many others. To this day our rural war memorials in the Highlands and Islands make me weep - so many lives lost and communities destroyed in a war that may as well have been taking place on the moon for all the relevance it had to them. But this is not the place for a discussion on the rights and wrongs of war - rather it's a chance to remember the people who did not come back, and give thanks for those who did. It's good to read other folk's memories - thank you for sharing.

[trinkie]

Thank you for your story Elizabeth.