Saturday 7 May 2011

Sons of Galloway - Recommended website

Today's recommended website is the result of one man's passion in researching the sacrifice of his local area and the local territorial infantry unit. The Sons of Galloway is Dr Stuart Wilson's tribute to the men and women of South-west Scotland who served and died in the Great War.

The website covers the 5th Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers, which recruited throughout the three old counties which now make up Dumfries and Galloway*. It also is the home of the Stewartry Roll of Honour which is "a nominal roll of all men and women native to Kirkcudbrightshire, or resident in the county on enlistment, who served their country in the First World War".

The amount of data collected is staggering, and there is a wealth of information and photographs contained on the website. The work is ongoing and all contributions of information related to the projects will be gratefully received by Dr Wilson.

He now lives in England but is from Auchencairn in Kirkcudbrightshire, and apart from the website he has also written a book, "Answering the Call", about the men from Auchencairn who fought and died in the First World War. There is a bit about that on the website too where you can order a copy

Please take the time to visit the website even if you have no connection to the area. The story of the 5th KOSB's at Gallipoli is a tragic one; and the sacrifice of the whole of the Scottish Borders in early 1915 is often overshadowed by Scotland's greater losses first at Loos and the other battles of the Western Front. It is a tale that deserves a wider audience and Stuart Wilson's website does a magnificent job of telling it.

* During the First World War, Stranraer and the Rhinns of Galloway had territorial units of the Royal Scots Fusiliers rather than the King's Own Scottish Borderers.

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