Greetings…
This piece of history considers family members of my Great Aunt (My Grandmothers sister)…
My Great Uncle by marriage Alexander MacLennan.
The son of a soldier he joined The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in the 1890’s, with whom he served in India and the North West Frontier.
He then re-enlisted serving again in India and South Africa.
My Great Grandfather was also serving in the Argylls at this time… So maybe this is when the connection to my Great Aunt came about.
At the outbreak of WW1 he re-enlisted in the Argylls once more seeing service in France.
He had reached the rank of Company Sergeant Major and had a DCM by the time he lost his life during the battle of Amiens in 1918.
As far as I can work out his battalion would have been part of 32nd Division and fought as part of Curries Canadian Corps.
There is a lot more research to do into this, it would be interesting to find out more about his and my Great Grandfathers earlier foreign service.
I had pretty much decided to put this to bed for a while when I came across this through a search on the Imperial War Museum website…
It’s not very clear in the photo… The top of the grave has an inscription to Alexander MacLennan’s parents but towards the base there are these additional inscriptions…
It shows that Alexander’s brother was… by his rank… also a professional soldier but in the Cameron Highlanders…
It appears he lost his life during the fighting around Le Cateau in 1914.
I do not hold to the ill informed Lions lead by Donkeys, Horrors of the Trenches narrative of the war that is often bandied about…
But finding out that the deaths of two members of my extended family bookend WW1 goes to show how much of an affect any war can have on one family.
All the best. Aly
Interesting and tragic in equal measure. My grandad was in the 1st Battalion Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders in WW2. Ended up as a Captain but was invalided out for a year after something happened to him at Anzio. Small world.
ReplyDeleteComing from the Stirling/central Scotland area…I reckon a lot of my family were destined to join the Argylls…
DeleteIt was the military, the mines or the foundry…I’m not sure which one was really the most dangerous.
All the best. Aly
Fascinating, but very sad family history. Certainly brings the history home to you.
ReplyDeleteFortunately most of my family seems to have survived the various wars…however the MacLennan branch remains us of how different it could have been.
DeleteAll the best. Aly
My immediate family survived both wars. Paternal grandfather was in the REME and served in Iraq (Mesopotamia as was), maternal grandfather was in the RFC as groundcrew (although he did go up occasionally).
ReplyDeleteMy father was in the Cameronians in WW2 - 52nd Lowland - went through Holland into Germany. Driver in a Wasp (carrier with flamethrower).
Neil
Interesting to read Aly. I don't know much about my father's family, but my mum's dad served in WWI - whether he had a multitude of brothers and cousins also serving I have no idea - it would seem probable that some at least of my ancestors of that generation would have been killed.
DeleteMy parents were too young for WWII, mum born 1927 dad 1930, so they lived through it but didn't actively participate.
Both my grandfathers served in the WWI in the same battalion, the 7th Cheshires. That put them at Gallipoli, then in Egypt and Palestine, but at the height of the German 1918 counteroffensive they were sent to France so as not to miss the full "western front in the trenches" experience. My maternal grandfather was a Lewis gunner and killed a lot of Germans with it, for which he was decorated and mentioned in despatches, but which troubled him for the rest of his life. Like many of that generation in all countries he became a pacifist and a socialist.
DeleteBoth my parents were to young to serve in WW2 and in spite of the family connections we were never encouraged to join the armed forces.
DeleteAll the best. Aly
An entirely appropriate posting for Remembrance Day which brings home sharply the loss from war in many families and communities down to today even. It as as well our little lead chaps have no grieving families to leave behind...
ReplyDeleteThank you David…
DeleteYes as H G Wells pointed out… Little Wars ( with little toys)are better than Big Wars.
All the best. Aly
There's a coincidence - my great grandfather served in India, dying there in 1919 - my wife Sandra traced where he is buried. And he was called Alexander - though McFarlane...
ReplyDeleteIt was only reading about Alexander MacLennan that I found out more about my Great Grandfathers service abroad… something I would like to find more about.
DeleteAll the best. Aly
Oh wow, what fantastic family Info. You should be very proud of your family history.
ReplyDeleteThank you Ray…
DeleteWe do seem to have a long military connection…
That said… much to my parents pleasure…I prefer toy soldiers😁
All the best. Aly
Very interesting post , tough luck to get it at the end, having got to the last year , my grandad was 45 in 1914 and joined the kings Royal rifle corps as a result of a drunken bet, as the war wasn't over by Christmas, was on the Somme, got gassed three times, British, French and German! Met my grandmother recuperating in a hospital in I think Brighton, she'd lost her young man on the Somme and went back as a pioneer in the Royal Engineers in time for the great retreat, getting gassed pretty much ruined him especially during the great depression but I guess at least he survived the great war!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
Thank you Iain..
DeleteA lesson here… Don’t make drunken bets!
One of the ‘awkward’ things about gas is it doesn’t recognise borders or nationality… I wonder what if any research has been done on this subject…
Like all these ‘wonder weapons’ their real affect isn’t felt till much later….
But he survived and you are here because of that… which is obviously a positive 😁
All the best. Aly
Interesting to read Aly! It's always interesing to get to know about the history of the family no matter how tragic or fun it is!
ReplyDeleteIt was good to see you last week, and I hope my medicine cured you ;-)
Best wishes,
Jan
P.S. Back to blogging!
Hey Jan…
DeleteIt was great to see you… The ‘medicine’ was splendid 😁
It’s been fascinating finding out about my family… Every little discovery leads on to a new path to follow.
Good to see you back on the blogosphere.
All the best. Aly