Black Watch museum suspends its research service

Just spotted the following when browsing the web today. Hopefully this will be a temporary suspension.

Suspension of Research Enquiries

We are sorry but at present the Museum has suspended its enquiry service. The staff who operate the enquiry services are working hard on improving collections care and management as part of our major redevelopment project.

The project will involve an extension to the castle which will provide:

•     increased display space
•     a large area for special exhibitions, education and events
•     better storage for the Museum and archive collections
•     an improved shop and ticket office
•     accessible visitor facilities, including a tea room for visitors
•     improved parking

The project will involve a major redevelopment of the existing museum building and galleries. We possess a fine collection of artefacts and records spanning the whole history of The Black Watch.  Through this we tell the story of the Regiment and the part it has played in the history of our nation.  We wish to add to, conserve and display our collection so as to honour in perpetuity the memory of the Regiment and the countless men who have served in it.

We therefore cannot respond in any detail to your request at this time. Please see our Tracing a Soldier webpage for further information that may be able to assist in answering your query.

Once again our apologies for not being able to help you at this time

Lanarkshire FHS Events in November

Two events organised by the Lanarkshire Family History Society coming up in November with a military / naval history bent

Thursday 10th November 2011 7:00pm - 9:00pm in the GLO Centre, Motherwell.

Society Meeting: Eric J. Graham "Clyde Built - Blockade Runners of the American Civil War "Author Eric J. Graham has written several books focusing on Scotland's Maritime History

Saturday 19th November 10:00am - 4:00pm at The David Livingstone Centre Blantyre

GATHERING THEIR MEMORIES

The National Trust of Scotland's DAVID LIVINGSTONE CENTRE and LANARKSHIRE FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY are proud to host a Military and Family History Day on Saturday 19th November 10:00am - 4:00pm at The David Livingstone Centre Blantyre

Admission Free

Family History Advice/Help DesksFamily/Local History Bookstall

Military Medals and Memorabilia Display / Military Information Desk

Display of Ex-Military Land Rover Vehicles

Programme of Talks £2

Donation gives entry to all talks.

(Donations going to the Erskine Hospital)

10:30 Starting Your Family Tree Ian McNeill

12:00 Lanarkshire Yeomanry Campbell Thomson

13:30 War Memorials in Lanarkshire & Cameronian War Diaries Allan Colthart

15:00 The Battlefields & Cemeteries of France & Flanders Joseph O'Raw

To book a place at the Talks and for further information:

phone David Livingstone Centre on 0844-493-2207

Motivated by family's sacrifice

We've covered the story of the Cranston family on the blog before.

Here is an update from the East Lothian Courier

Motivated by family's sacrifice

Bryan Copland • Published 25 Aug 2011

A DESCENDANT of a Haddington family which was decimated during the First World War will next month travel to the town from Australia in his quest to have the family's loss commemorated.

Stuart Pearson, from Sydney, Australia, is a distant relative of the Cranston family - which lost four of its nine sons at war and another two were horrifically injured. Only one of the seven who went to war returned unscathed.

It is widely believed that this may rank among the most significant sacrifices made by a Scottish family in the Great War.

Mr Pearson has never been to Scotland before but has been in regular contact with local author and historian Bob Mitchell - with whom he is co-writing a book about the Cranstons - as well as the town's community council and East Lothian councillors.

A reunion of all the Scottish descendants of the Cranstons will take place on Saturday, September 17, while another Australian descendant will also attend.

While here, Mr Pearson also wants to discuss the possibility of an appropriate memorial to the family.

Mr Pearson has previously suggested that a stone cairn, or naming a street or local park after the family, would be a suitable tribute - though Haddington Community Council has been reluctant to provide a dedicated memorial without putting the loss into context, as it is concerned it may overshadow other families' losses during the war.

Mr Pearson said: "A previous request [for a memorial] was declined but this Antipodean descendant would like another opportunity to present his case, this time in person.

"It is my opinion that this remarkable Haddington family who made such an extraordinary (perhaps unprecedented) sacrifice, suffered such devastation yet ultimately survived should have their story told. They should be commemorated in writing and in stone.

"As we near the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War, I hope that a memorial to the Cranston family could become a metaphor for every Scottish family's loss during that terrible event."

New Craigneuk war memorial to be unveiled

From today's Wishaw Press

New Craigneuk war memorial to be unveiled

Aug 3 2011 by Robert Mitchell, Wishaw Press

CRAIGNEUK’S war memorial has sat proudly in the village for decades but the names of the fallen have been missing from it for all that time – until now.

Almost 300 people from Craigneuk died during the two World Wars and the community’s efforts to erect a new monument that pays respect to all of them are about to be realised.

Campaigners spent over three years raising around £65,000 to pay for the specialist work to add the names of the fallen to the cenotaph and the new-look memorial will be unveiled later this month on Saturday, August 27.

Joe O’Raw of Craigneuk War Memorial Group said: “The new addition of walls with the names of the fallen of Craigneuk and Berryhill district who died in the two World Wars and other conflicts is nearing completion.

“The new memorial will be officially dedicated on Saturday, August 27, at 11am but anyone wishing to attend should be at the memorial for 10.30am as a large attendance is expected.”

The memorial group tracked down the records of every person from the area who died during the two World Wars and later conflicts so their names could be added. The 1914-18 war claimed 159 lives from the area, the 1939-45 conflict saw another 84 men make the ultimate sacrifice and two lives were lost in Northern Ireland.

A special panel will be reserved for Victoria Cross holder William Clamp who, although born in Motherwell, was educated at Craigneuk Public School. He was killed when he rushed a machine-gun post in October 1917 at Poelcapelle in Belgium, capturing 20 prisoners before being cut down by a sniper.

Members raised tens of thousands of pounds for the memorial, which sits outside Craigneuk Library, with help from the community. The Environmental Key Fund handed over £30,000, while Orange Lodge members from Wishaw raised around £5000.

Patsy Tait is one of the locals behind the ambitious plan and she told the Wishaw Press: “We want the memorial to become a new focal point for the community, as we feel there’s something missing. For such a small village there’s a lot of war dead and we’d like the fallen to be honoured.

“The memorial is a real focal point for the local community and allows people to pay their respects. We’ve had lots of great feedback on our plans. Lots of children have been saying to us that they will be able to find their great-granddad’s name inscribed on the cenotaph.”

Details of the dedication programme and parking arrangements will be published in the Wishaw Press nearer the day. In the meantime, relatives of the fallen are asked to send their names to the war memorial group, even if they have done so previously.

The group have decided that family of the fallen should carry out the dedication part of the ceremony. While everyone is welcome to attend the event, it was felt the most solemn part should be carried out by relatives.

As there will be so many people there, 18 names will be drawn by the children of Craigneuk Nursery to represent all the relatives of the fallen, which is why the group are asking people to get in touch with their names as soon as possible. There will be six new panels on the memorial. Anyone wishing to lay a wreath after the dedication service will be welcome to do so.

Those wishing to take part in the draw to represent the families are asked to phone either Jean Ewart at Craigneuk Library on (01698) 376689 or Joe O’Raw on (01698) 350945.

Special honour for Victoria Cross winner

ONE of the fallen whose name will appear on the memorial is Victoria Cross winner William Clamp, who was killed when he rushed a machine-gun post in October 1917 at Poelcapelle in Belgium, and captured 20 prisoners before being cut down by a sniper.

For that act of bravery, he was awarded the highest award that can be given to British forces.

Patsy Tait of Craigneuk War Memorial Group said: “He’s not been truly recognised for what he did. There is a road named after him in Craigneuk, but I’m not sure how many people realise that.”

The VC winner was born to Charles and Christina Clamp of Motherwell’s Bridge Street in October 1892, and was educated at Craigneuk School.

He had eight brothers and nine sisters. Clamp also attended the local Salvation Army’s Sabbath School and played the bugle in the Motherwell Corps of the Salvation Army. He later became a member of the Good Templar Lodge.

In January 1914 he joined the 6th Scottish Rifles (Cameronians), the local territorial army unit. On the outbreak of the Great War, he was immediately called up and saw fighting with the 6th Cameronians at Festubert in 1915. He was twice seriously wounded and when he came out of hospital the second time, he was transferred to the 6th Yorkshires in January 1917.

Corporal Clamp won the VC for his bravery at Poelcappelle on October 9, 1917. When an advance was checked by intense machine-gun fire from concrete blockhouses and by snipers, Corporal Clamp attempted to rush the enemy. His first attempt failed and the two men with him became casualties, but he collected some bombs and two more men and, dashing forward, was the first to reach the blockhouse where he hurled his bombs, killing many of the occupants. He then entered, capturing a machine-gun and about 20 prisoners whom he brought back under heavy fire.

He went forward again encouraging his men and displaying the greatest heroism until killed by a sniper.

The memorial will be for all of the village’s war dead however, and the people behind the project hope that it will help transform Craigneuk

SAFHS Conference 2011 - Live Blog

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15.59 Everyone's packing up, and so am I. It's been a long day. I'll post up a report later maybe.

15.31 Postcard sellers are the curse of my wallet...

It's getting quieter now, I think the lasttalk has either finished or nearly finished. I'm not sure how long we'll be here for now, but probsbly at least another hour or so.

No-one has claimed the free book. Still time, though...

14.32 A nice couple of queries there, where I was able to locate service records for two individuals. One in particular was chock-full of information the lady had never known before. Makes the day worthwhile to be able to help like that.

13.53 So Andrew Nichol has told me to say he HAS written his talk. I don't believe a word of it.

Finally got a chance to say hello to Chris Paton. He might just be the busiest man on the planet. He's just back from Canada, and in November he has the honerous task of being on an all-expenses paid cruis in New Zealand. Well, someone's got to do it.

And I bought another book! Don't tell my wife...

13.17 Okay, quick quiz! What does Harry Potter have to do with family history?

I have no idea, but one FHS is selling a Harry Potter novel...

13.15 apparently there's a raflle today. I'm surprised no-one's tried to sell me some tickets yet.

the talk by Andrew Nichol of the Scottish Catholic Archives might be interesting, especially considering that at half eight this morning he hadn't written it yet...

13.10 Still time to claim a free book...

12.40 I'll manage to eat sometime. Had a nice conversation with a lady who was involved in the restoration of the memorial at Penicuik. The photos we have on the War Memorails Project are from before the restoration so we'll hopefully be able to get some more infor and some better photos.

12.07 Just been shown a photograph which appeared to be Victorian, and might have been posed as a court martial. Hopefully it will be sent in to us and we can feature it on the blog. My lunch is still sitting here uneaten - I can't get a moment!

11.50 Time for a quick bite to eat before the hoped-for lunchtime rush. I've grabbed ten minutes to look over the stall. The FIBIS stall has a large selection of books, many of which I'm salivating over. I'll have to resist, my wallet couldn't take it!

11.27 Busy busy! Lots more queries, a few tales of grandfathers etc. You never know what queries you're going to get, although we always seem to get a few queries about the Militia!

It's also encouraging to meet people who say "I'm in a group doing some research, would you like a copy?" That's always great to hear, sharing information is one of the keystones of our group, and it's nice to see resources being shared.

10.57 More queries, more questions. Done a couple of lookups for folk.

Chris Paton is here, although he flew in to our room, looked around and flew out again. Hopefully I'll get a chance to catch up with him later.

10.23 It's interesting to see the variety of queries you get. I've already been asked about army doctors during the Napoleonic era, and now a query about the memorial in Basra. That particular gentleman has been researching his family and has three ancestors who served in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalion of the Black Watch. He's almost certain that one of his ancestors served directly underneath the Queen Mothers brother.

10am - Met a person who reads the blog! Always nice to meet someone who read us...

9.57 - If there's anyone in Edinburgh not decided what they're doing today, come along and see us. We're on the first floor and you're guaranteed a friendly welcome. I'll offer an incentive - the first person who visits our table and says the words "Hector Macdonalds nickname was Fighting Mac" will receive a free copy of "There Was a Soldier", worth at least £10.

9.45 - Some interesting queries. A couple with an interest in the Musselburgh area were asking about how names were compiled for memorials. Another lady had a query about her grandfather who served in the Royal Scots and I was able to find his Medal Index Card.

One gentleman had a query on a man named on a Roll of men who served for avillage in Cheshire. Apparently this man had served in an agricultural unit, and the list they have has the abbreviation HDL. Unfortunately that's not one I'm familiar with. Can anyone help?

9.20am Just thought I'd share this, which I spotted in the Grassmarket as I made my way here this morning. I'll need to check if we have this on the SWMP. If we don't then I'll add it later.

9am - I'm not sure if we're open now, or if we open at quarter past. Either way, it's getting busy with folk still setting up. Plus I've just bought the 8th Division 14-18 history for £8, so I'm reasonably happy!

Just so you know, the 2012 SAFHS conference will be in the Bonar Halls, University of Dundee on 21st April 2012. Book your place now! We'll probably be there...

8.43am Not long now till the doors open, and things are getting busy.

I'm surprised to see a number of Family History Societys not here. Dumfries and Galloway FHS are always here, but not this year. Fife FHS are another strangely absent society.

Some interesting stalls here, though. Scotlandspeople have some stands that offer you the ability to browse their online content, SCRAN are here as are Deceased Online. The Genealogical Society of Utah are also here.

Oh, and so you know what to look for when you come, here's a pic of our stall. Hopefully it'll be surrounded by interested folk in a little while!

7.59am Well, I'm here, and I'm online! Today should be an interesting day. The weather's not that great, so maybe people will come inside and see us rather than the Armed Forces Day festivities! Hopefully there's enough interest in both events.

Check back later on the blog to see how we're getting on.

SAFHS Conference 2011

The Scottish Genealogy Society will be hosting the 22nd Annual Conference of the Scottish Association of Family History Societies on Saturday, 25th June 2011 between 9.30 and 4.30pm.

The venue is Adam House, Chambers Street, Edinburgh and we'll be there!

Come along, say hello and see what we've been up to. We'll also try and answer any queries you might have about your own research, or we'll give you a few pointers that might help you.

We'll hopefully be blogging throughout the day, so keep checking back here to see what's been going on over the course of the day.

For more information visit the Scottish Genealogy Society site.

Future Coupar Angus Roll of Honour

Mark Duffy, author of the book on Blairgowrie`s War Dead, is collaborating with Hugh Macrae of Coupar Angus in producing a book/cd to commemorate those who died in both wars and who had a connection with Coupar Angus. It is likely to include both Bendochy and Kettins close by.

Coupar Angus is unusual in not having a civic memorial to those who died. The book will bring together details of those commemorated on the School Memorial and the Abbey Church Memorials, as well as others who were perhaps omitted for some reason. It will also include those who are buried in Coupar Angus, or who have some connection to the burgh and its surrounds.

Mark and Hugh are looking for any personal information that anyone may have about family members who died in the wars - family background, education & employment, war service, war diaries, telegrams, medals & citations, letters home, obituaries etc.They promise to respect all materials and return them to owners once the information has been copied or photographed. Families will also receive a draft text for comment before publication.

Any other information on life or activities during the wars - both about those who served and survived and those who remained at home- will also be gratefully received and details passed on to Coupar Angus & District Heritage Association for historical record.

Anyone who has such information or materials should contact Hugh Macrae in the first instance on 01828627514/07843491803 or via the feedback page on the SMRG website

Don't believe all you read in the news

Here's another article which was originally uploaded on Wednesday 11th May.

The recent anniversary of the landing of Rudolph Hess in Scotland has prompted quite a few pieces of news coverage. We even posted our own article about it here.

The BBC published two accounts from Scotsmen with their stories of the night's events. One was a witness to the events, and one was passing on a piece of family history.

The problem is there are holes in both stories. The eye witness claims it happened on a sunny day, however it quite clearly all happened at night. There are so many official documents about the event there is no doubt in anyone's mind when Hess landed. The witness was a ten year old boy when it happened and it is now talking about it 70 years later. I'm sure no one can doubt he lived in Busby in May 1941, and he may have seen some of the events, but it was definitely not during the daytime.

The second account concerned the events on the crash site. The man's father supposedly helped Hess out of the plane. The obvious problem with this story is that Hess didn't crash land in his plane. He parachuted out of it first. He was not helped out of his plane by anyone. Again I'm not casting doubt on his father being there, I'm just pointing out that there is a problem with the story.

Here's the point of this post then. Can you ever trust memories of events that took place decades before, and can you trust old family stories handed down the generations as gospel? I really don't think you can.

The late historian Richard Holmes, who sadly passed away last week, would not rely on testimonies unless they were written either during a war, or very shortly afterwards. The two stories repeated by the BBC about the Hess landing clearly illustrates why he did it. Looking back at events from 1941 from 2011 people unintentionally weave fact and fiction together so you don't know where one ends and the other begins.

James Stewart of Blairgowrie

This New Zealand blog mentions the help of members of the Scottish War Memorials Project in locating an extended family member who died in the Second World War. It's always a pleasure to help someone with their research. Although we can't in most cases do your research for you, we can provide pointers to useful sources of information - it's what we're all about.

I thought it worthwhile to highlight the blog post as it's an interesting story.

Lost without trace – Sentimental Sunday 

I had no idea who this dashing young airman was until Auntie told me “that’s your Granny’s brother, James. He was in the Air Force and went missing in World War II around the time Great Grandpa Stewart died”. 

I didn’t know that Granny had a third brother, and I wanted to find out more about James so I did a bit of digging. Great Grandpa (James Cameron Stewart) died on 5 February 1941, so James must have been reported missing around then. If I hadn’t asked about this photo, he could have been lost without trace a second time :-( 

I searched the casualties on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website and found: “in Memory of Sergeant JAMES STEWART 945565, 149 Sqdn., Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve who died on 21 February 1941. Remembered with honour. Runnymede Memorial” along with a photo of the memorial. 

I then posted an appeal for help at the Scottish War Memorials Project and a very helpful member was able to tell me that there is mention of a James Stewart, Sgt Royal Air Force, on Blairgowrie War Memorial. He also gave me the following information: “Shows as born Blairgowrie, seved in Bomber Command. Airborne at 18.25 from Mildenhall that night in Welllington R-1045 on operation to Wilhelmshaven. Aircraft lost without trace, all crew commemorated at Runnymede.” The Scottish War Memorials Project have photos and information on many of the war memorials in Scotland, posted by volunteers, many of whom are extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic. 

While googling for a photo of a Wellington R-1045, I came across the Aircrew Remembrance Society which mentions the Wilhelmshaven Raid: “Took off from R.a.F. Feltwell, Norfolk at around 19.00 hrs to take part on a raid on Wilhelmshaven. a total of 54 Wellingtons took part with 19 actually bombing the target area. No details were available of damage to the town. This was one of two aircraft lost on this raid – the other a Wellington IC R1045 OJM from 149 squadron flown by F/O. Ian Henderson was also lost without trace, together with all six crew. Another Wellington IC T2547 crashed on landing, colliding with a fence near the airfield perimeter – all this crew survived.” 

My great uncle James was presumably part of the crew on F/O Henderson’s plane. I will contact the Aircrew Remembrance Society to see if they have any further information, or if they would like a copy of James’s photo. They are doing a great job of helping relatives of fallen and missing airmen from the 1939-45 air war and preserving memories, documents and photographs – their website is well worth a visit. So, this week I will check for a birth record for James in Blairgowrie, Perthshire, which should confirm his parents as James Cameron Stewart and Janet Christian (Chris) Hardie. Then I’ll see what else I can find out about James’s short life – he would have been around 26 or 27 when he died. I can’t imagine what Chris went through, losing her husband and a son in less than 3 weeks.

The 1911 Census

On Sunday 2nd April 1911 the Census was taken in Scotland. It eventually showed that there were 4,759,445 people in Scotland on that day.

The important thing for people researching the names on a Scottish War Memorial from the Great War is that most of those named would have been recorded in either the Scottish, English and Welsh, or Irish census returns taken in 1911.

It is now just over one hundred years since that day and Scotland's People have now followed their English counterparts and released the 1911 census data for Scotland.

Here are the details from the Scotland's People site:


The Registrar General for Scotland has announced that the 1911 census will be released on Tuesday 5 April 2011. This census details information collected from more than 4.7 million Scots – marking a century since the data was first gathered.

The records will include the name, address, age, occupation, birthplace and marital status of everyone counted in the 1911 census, as well as details about their children. For the first time, the census data will be presented in full colour rather than black and white.

It will cost 1 credit to view an index entry for the 1911 census. An image will cost 5 credits. Unlike previous censuses, the image spans two pages due to the additional questions that were asked about the fertility of marriage and the profession or occupation. Each page measures 34 cm long by 43 cm high so the images are best viewed on your computer screen or if printed, on size A3 paper.

Unlike previous censuses there are no plans in the immediate future to relocate the enumeration books to New Register House in Edinburgh because the books need 73.5 metres of shelving. You can view a sample census page here.

James Braid, the famous Scottish golfer and winner of five Open Championships was reported on 3 April 1911 in the Scotsman as having won a golf tournament in Hyeres and Costebelle in Spain. This means that he may have missed being enumerated in the Scottish census. Check out the answer yourself when we release the census on the 5 April.

Kilmainham records catalogued

Thanks to Chris Paton for the following piece of news:

The National Archives at Kew has announced that 20,000 records of soldiers who discharged to pension at Kilmainham Hospital in Dublin have now been catalogued from WO119, and can be viewed on the archive's main catalogue. The period covered is 1783-1822, and includes soldiers from all over the British isles who ended their careers pensioned in Ireland, rather than Chelsea. The work was carried out by the Friends of he National Archives.

These records are in fact being digitised at present by FindmyPast, which has already made TNA's Chelsea pension records available online.

For more, see www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/news/548.htm

Forgotten for 90 years

Our first guest writer today, as forum member Jim Grant tells us a little about a worthwhile project to commemorate the "missing" fallen.

There are many men missing from the official roll of world war dead maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. The In From The Cold Project (IFCP) was launched in 2007 to help rectify this situation.

IFCP devised a plan to undertake a systematic search for in-service British casualties who appeared to have been missed and therefore had no official commemoration.

The basic plan was to set up a group of volunteers and to compare systematically the many extant casualty lists with the CWGC online database. Unfortunately, it is not within CWGC’s remit to search for missing names. In short, if the public does not undertake this task, nobody will and these casualties will forever remain out in the cold.

Funding was the big issue as obtaining hundreds of records and the necessary death certificates would be expensive. However, after protracted negotiations, IFCP obtained a grant from the MoD’s Veterans Challenge Fund and the Project’s future was secured.

In May 2008 the first missing names were accepted by MoD for commemoration by CWGC. Now, at the beginning of 2011, IFCP has had 1018 men and women accepted with over eight hundred further cases awaiting adjudication by the authorities. These are all casualties who paid the ultimate price and whose names are now rightly appearing on CWGC headstones or memorials to the missing.

The work is time consuming, repetitive, tedious and hard on the eyes but the end result is worth it.

If you wish to know more about IFCP’s work, please contact Terry Denham or visit the Project’s website.


Enquiries of a Scottish nature can also be forwarded to Jim Grant in his capacity as the Scottish representative of the project - contact him via the SMRG website.

Scottish Railway Staff Records at General Register House

The National Archives of Scotland are due to close their West Search Room in Edinburgh on Friday 25th and before that happens they are moving records to General Register House on Princes Street. Among the records already moved are Scottish railway staff records. This may interest anyone researching names on any of the railway company war memorials in Scotland.

The records of interest would be

First World War

• BR/ CAL/15: Caledonian Railway staff records, 1867-1935
• BR/GNS/15: Great North of Scotland Railway staff records, 1870-1929
• BR/GSW/15:Glasgow and South Western Railway staff records, 1890s-1930s
• BR/HR/15: Highland Railway staff records, 1878-1957
• BR/NBR/15:North British Railway staff records, 1867-1936

Second World War

• BR/LMS/15: London Midland and Scottish Railway staff records, 1924-1948
• BR/LNE/15: London and North Eastern Railway staff records, 1923-1947

We have the five Scottish railway company war memorials on the Scottish War Memorial Project here:



Caledonian Railway, Glasgow

Great North of Scotland Railway, Aberdeen

Glasgow & South West Railway, Ayr

Highland Railway Company, Inverness

North British Railway Company, Edinburgh

We also have two other railway memorials:

Kipp's Locomotive Repair Department, North British Railway

Perth Railway Station Staff

Dumfries & Galloway Battlefield Guides

An article from the Dumfries and Galloway Standard about a new series of local battlefield guides:

As the centuries pass and ancient enemies long vanquished, the cold ground of a battlefield gives little away to the keen historian.

Dumfries and Galloway, so close to the coveted borders of England, Ireland and northern Scotland, has had its fair share of violence in the name of despots, dispute and desperation.

Invaded and counter-invaded for millennia, these lands have hosted the sites of many bloody skirmishes where clashing swords, pounding drums and the screams of the injured and dying could be heard for miles across the hills and forests.

Yet it is difficult to believe, when living and travelling in the now peaceful landscapes of Dumfries and Galloway, that so much blood had once been spilled.

Eastriggs author Stephen Maggs (pictured) has brought the region’s turbulent past to life in a series of books, the most recent being an account of the Battle of Sark on October 23, 1448, and the Battle of Dryfe Sands, December 6, 1593.

“I enjoy walking battlefields,” said Stephen, “but I get a little frustrated by a lack on information on them.

“I therefore decided to find out more by visiting local libraries (the staff at the Ewart Library in Dumfries are always a great help) and of course internet research.”

Forty-five-year-old Stephen, who is currently studying Higher Business Management at Dumfries and Galloway College, moved to Scotland from Worcestershire in 1989.

“I have always had an interest in the English Civil War, in particular the Scottish armies fighting alongside King Charles II’s royalist forces in 1650-1651.”

“In 2001, I led a campaign to erect a war memorial at Worcester near to burial pits containing the bodies of many Scottish soldiers killed in the Battle of Worcester in 1651.”

Stephen wrote a book listing the names of a few hundred Scots killed in the battle and has not stopped writing since.

Having always wanted to be an author, Stephen has had nine guides published and the current two are the first of six commissioned by Wigtown publishers GC Books.

He said: “I began writing about local battlefields and thought it would be good to see if a local publisher would be interested in them.

“I contacted GC Books via email and they were very keen.

“After reviewing my guides they asked if I’d like to write a series of six for them.

Dryfe Sands and Sark being the first two.

“Although these are less well known battles they were much more than minor skirmishes. The Battle of Dryfe Sands was Scotland's largest and bloodiest clan battle while the Battle of Sark was a great victory for the Scots and a humiliation for the English King, Henry VI,” Stephen explained.

Fought in 1448 between the Scots under Hugh Douglas and the English forces led by the powerful Percys, Earls of Northumberland, the Battle of Sark was brought about by a bitter and personal feud.

The victory put the Scots in a position of strength against the English for many years and led to such a rise in the power of the Clan Douglas that the Scottish throne came under threat.

The Battle of Dryfe Sands was also the result of a power struggle that had plagued the Borders for generations, this time between the Maxwells and the Johnstones.

In December 1593 the eighth Lord Maxwell decided to end the rivalry once and for all hoping to finally gain complete control of the Scottish West March, little knowing that his actions would lead to the biggest and bloodiest clan battle Scotland had ever known.

For his inspiration, Stephen walks the battlefields, tracing the footsteps of history to get a clearer picture of how they were lost and won and a ‘feel’ for the soldiers involved.

“I walk battlefields as often as I can,” he said. “This can be a great inspiration for it’s possible to see just what the soldiers saw when in battle: in many cases very little. In times of action soldiers really were very much alone, even though surrounded by hundreds of their comrades.”

Stephen then undertakes methodical research, trawling libraries and the internet as well as his own sources.

“I have around 1,500 books at home, on many military periods, which I get information from.”

For his knowledge on military tactics and strategy, Stephen has an unusual pastime.

He took up wargaming when at school in Worcestershire and now regularly writes articles and attends shows.

He said: “It is a fascinating hobby and helps one understand just how armies were formed and what tactics they used on the battlefield.”

Stephen puts his true inspiration for all things military down to his upbringing.

“My father was in the army when I was a child and I lived for a while on the military bases of Osnabruck and Beilefeld.

“He died in 1992 but will always be an inspiration to me.”

Stephen has already started three other guides: The Battle of Arkinholm, Langholm, 1455; The Fall of Dumfriesshire in 1651; and the well-known Battle of Solway Moss 1542.

“Once these guides are finished I will be writing a guide to Dumfriesshire’s castles, hill forts and motte and bailies etc, which could prove lengthy as the whole area is littered with them.”

“I would ultimately like to set up a local history shop to encourage battlefield tourism in Dumfriesshire,” he added.

The books Death of a King’s Man and Where True Valour is Only to be Seen are available from the GC Books’ website www.gcbooks.co.uk

First World War Blinkers

No, I've not gone mad and splashed out on ninety five year old War Office horse furniture on e-bay. WW1 blinkers is a term I like to apply to well meaning people who research their local war memorials BUT only look into those who died between 1914 and 1918.

Don't get me wrong, I think their heart is in the right place. My problem is that on most war memorials there are also names of those who died between 1939-1945 and where is the research on them?

Can anyone help me with this? Why ignore the brave men and women who died in the Second World War when compiling a roll of honour, is it too recent or is there something more. After all, there is a pressing reason to research the Second World War now while relatives and friends of the deceased are still living.

Is it perhaps easier to research the Great War names? Certainly there are plenty of online resources to research Great War soldiers and sailors; currently far more than for the Second World War.

That leads me onto another little bugbear of mine - published rolls of honour which only use data from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and Soldiers Died in the Great War. That may have been OK ten years ago when there were fewer online resources available but in 2010 that is just a cop out. The number of available sources is actually growing, with new books published on a regular basis, and new sources of first-hand information becoming availble - the recent release of records on both Ancestry and Find My Past has opened new doors to researchers. Projects like our own Daily Record Index are also a useful source of information - so why ignore them?

I'm starting to sound like a grumpy old man now and I really don't want to start denigrating folk who are sincere in their actions. It's just I can help get this feeling whenever I see a story like the one we posted recently about Carnoustie. With a little bit more effort by researchers the people who died beating Hitler, the Nazis and their evil Axis cronies would also get the recognition they so rightly deserve.

(Text by Adam Brown)

Success in hunt for family of fallen war hero

A successful follow-up to an article we posted back in November, from the Edinburgh Evening News:

The closest surviving relatives of a soldier killed in a bomb blast in France more than 90 years ago have been traced by Edinburgh historians.

Charles F Fox died on June 6, 1918, on a farm in the village of Fletre in northern France, along with two other Edinburgh soldiers, William Marr Constable and Andrew Scott Greig.

Farm owner Didier Godderis enlisted the help of local historian Yvonne McEwen, honorary fellow at Edinburgh University's Centre for the Study of the Two World Wars, to find out more about the men killed in his barn all those years ago.

Along with her husband Alistair, she managed to find personal details of the soldiers from the 1901 census and from birth records and has now managed to track down members of Edinburgh-born Mr Fox's family.

Gordon McDonald is Mr Fox's great-great-great nephew and was traced by the historians through the website ancestry.co.uk, as Mr McDonald had already been researching his family tree.

He said he had been aware of the existence of Mr Fox, but knew no more than that.

Mr McDonald, a physics teacher at Beath High School in Fife, said: "His closest living relative is actually my mother, who is 84, as my mum's grandmother, Emily Fox, was Charles' sister. My mum can remember her but doesn't remember Charles. I hadn't researched Charles as such as part of the family tree so I hadn't realised he was a war casualty.

"He was born in Bread Street, Edinburgh, but he doesn't seem to have married.

"I was told he was of German descent, which was a bit of a surprise to my mum, but she said it actually explained a lot about her grandmother and some of her mannerisms."

The owner of the farm where the soldiers were killed wants to honour them by organising a memorial service to take place on June 10, 2012 and wants to find all of the families before then so that they can attend the ceremony.

Mr McDonald, 54, said he would love to take his mother out to France for the service.

He added: "I actually visited the war graves of two other relatives, Michael and Peter Owens, before I found out about Charles. It's quite emotional to think that someone you're related to is buried there. I'd love my mum to be able to go to the service because she is the closest relative of Charles that I'm aware of."

Dr McEwen, who has recently launched an online archive called Edinburgh's War, has also been in contact with the family of one of the other soldiers and hopes to be able to find the third family. She said: "Didier is absolutely over the moon that we have found these families.

"They have got all kinds of wonderful things planned for the ceremony, which I will also be attending."

Her husband Alistair, who found Mr McDonald through the family tree website, said it was great to be able to share information with relatives.

He added: "It all came as a huge surprise for Mr McDonald. It gives you a warm feeling inside."

Anyone with information on any of the soldiers can get in touch with Dr McEwen through www.edinburghs-war.ed.ac.uk or on 0131-651 1254.

The SMRG Advent Calendar - Day 23

Today's advent calendar is actually a late replacement for something else which had been planned but unfortunately fell through at the last minute.

However, that gives me an opportunity to launch what might be the most exciting item of all, and perhaps our biggest launch of the year.

Among the many projects we have running is one which has been sitting on the "back burner" for a little while. This is the project to fully transcribe the Roll of Honour for the city of Glasgow.

The project page on our website goes into more detail about the Roll. It contains nearly 18,500 names and the task to transcribe has not been an easy one.

The project is still not complete, as there is much checking to be done, but today, as our Christmas present to you all, we proudly present the first section of the transcribed roll - this comprises the letters A through to D, and features just over 4,500 entries.

Much of the work in transcribing this roll was undertaken by Kevin O'Neill. Kevin did a lot of work for the Research Group, transcribing not only this roll but also many of the names on civic war memorials. Kevin sadly passed away in November this year, and he was very keen to see the Roll for Glasgow completed. Sadly he did not live to see that, but we would like to take this opportunity to dedicate the transcribed roll to his memory.

The first section of the Roll can be viewed by clicking the link below:

Glasgow City Roll of Honour A-D

The SMRG Advent Calendar - Day 18

Today we have another item of research data for you.

This is the roll of admissions to Nairnshire Auxiliary Hospital, which was transcribed by Ken Nisbet. Our sincere thanks to Ken for allowing us to make this available to you.

The roll begins in 1914 and runs to the end of 1916.

Carnoustie's First World War heroes honoured

Seems today is a busy day for news!

From The Courier:

Angus councillors have hailed a roll of honour to commemorate Carnoustie's war heroes, displayed in the burgh's library.

After a lot of painstaking research, Maureen Fleming — a member of the library staff — has compiled detailed information on all 142 of those who gave their lives.

These albums and the story of Carnoustie's war memorial are the centrepiece of an exhibition at the library.

Councillor Jim Millar, who is convener of cultural services, said, "As an army veteran myself, I welcome the display of the roll of honour commemorating those from Carnoustie who lost their lives in the First World War.

"I am sure that the Great War exhibition will be of interest to everyone who either had a relative who served in the Great War or who is interested in local history, and I encourage people to visit Carnoustie Library while this display is on show."

Carnoustie has never had its own roll of honour of those who fell in the First World War.

As well as contemporary photographs of the town, the full story of Carnoustie's two Victoria Cross recipients — George Samson and Charles Jarvis — is also told.

Carnoustie councillor Peter Murphy said, "I think it gives an identity to the area in regard to what the people in those days experienced — both in the war and on the home front.

"It balances the two, which I think is excellent. There is even — I noticed from the newspaper cuttings — letters from conscientious objectors, so not everybody was exactly for the war.

"There's a special book recording people who lost their lives, which is comprehensive — and particularly of interest, of course, are the two Carnoustie VCs.

Town's Role

"I think the exhibition is of strong community interest and acknowledgement of the role the people of Carnoustie played. We can never overstate the loss and sacrifice those people made.

"The permanent thing in Carnoustie is the wonderful war memorial, which is one of the most attractive in terms of its design in Scotland. I think that is always a reminder to people of Carnoustie's role in the war."

Lance Corporal Jarvis of the Royal Engineers, was a resident of Carnoustie from 1889 until he joined the army in 1899. He was one of five men awarded the medal three weeks after the outbreak of the First World War, for his role in destroying a bridge under heavy fire during the Battle of Mons in 1914.

Petty Officer George Samson of the Royal Naval Reserve was born in Carnoustie in 1889 and was awarded the medal for multiple acts of gallantry during the landings at Gallipoli in 1915, during which he rescued a number of his colleagues and treated their injuries under fire before himself being hit by machine gun fire, sustaining 19 bullet wounds. His medals were sold for £247,000 to Lord Ashcroft at auction in 2007.

There are also exhibits from Angus museums on show and The Black Watch Regimental Museum in Perth has also loaned items for display. DC Thomson has also contributed art prints for a war comics' display.

The free exhibition runs until 22nd January.

Marking family's sacrifice

The following article appeared in the East Lothian Courier (text by Bryan Copland):

The Cranston family in 1908: (back row, from left) William, Mary, James, Agnes, Adam. Middle: John, Alexander (father), Angus, Elizabeth (mother), Alexander.Center: Robert. Front: Andrew and George

Haddington’s Cranston family was decimated by the First World War: four sons were killed and two others badly injured.

As reported in the Courier in 2009, seven of Alexander and Elizabeth Cranston’s nine sons fought in the Great War yet only one of the soldiers avoided death or terrible injury during the conflict.

The Imperial War Museum in London believes no other Scottish family suffered such unimaginable loss.

Now a campaign to commemorate the sacrifice of the Cranston family – who lived in various cottages in and arround Haddington, including at St Martin’s Gate – is due to step up a gear when a family descendant visits the county from Australia next year.

Sydney’s Stuart Pearson, who is the great-grandson of Alexander and Elizabeth Cranston, wants East Lothian Council to mark his forefathers’ loss and has enlisted the help of local groups and residents to push for a tribute to the family.

He said: “No-one knows for sure if the Cranston family made the ‘greatest sacrifice’ of any Scottish family. Nevertheless, I believe that the losses by the family for God, king and country in the First World War was not exceeded by any other family in Scotland.

“The loss and suffering of soldiers during war doesn’t just affect the individual – it affects the entire family. In the case of the Cranstons the losses were so devastating the family itself was almost destroyed.”

Haddington Community Council member John Hamilton, who has been researching the Cranstons, says the group is “willing to do something along the lines of commemorating” the loss – if it can be put into context with the sacrifices made by other families around that time.

Stuart has suggested that a stone cairn, or naming a street or local park after the family, would be a suitable tribute.

In 1916, Company Sergeant Major John Cranston, 34, of The Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders, was killed by shellfire at the first Battle of the Somme; Royal Engineers Sapper James Cranston, 28, died from tuberculosis while in Army service; and Private Adam Cranston, 30, of the Royal Scots Fusiliers, died in action in France.

In 1918, Sergeant Alexander Cranston Jnr, 39, of the Royal Engineers was posted missing, presumed dead, in the second Battle of the Somme; William Cranston, a private in the 7th Seaforth Highlanders, lost an eye and three fingers in battle; while Lance Corporal George Cranston, of the 8th Royal Scots, was left incapacitated due to shellshock and severe gassing, living until 1963.

Father Alexander Cranston died aged 57 in 1911, and is buried in Haddington, while mother Elizabeth later emigrated to Australia.

The couple also had three other sons: Robert – who escaped the Great War intact but was later killed in the Korean War – Andrew and Angus, and two daughters in Agnes and Mary.

Anyone who can help in HCC’s research can contact Mr Hamilton on 01620 825946.

A further comment after the article states:

"This is Stuart Pearson. I need to correct one small error - Robert didn't die in the Korean War. It was his son, Ian. As well as contacting John Hamilton, please feel free to contact me also if you have any information to share. My email address is stuart@bigpond.com"