New book will remember the Carstairs men who fell during Great War

This is the sixth such book the Lanarkshire Family History Society members have written on the men of the county who fell during World War One.

South Lanarkshire provost Ian McAllan has written the foreword to the book, with Bill Angus and Linda Brown from the parish assisting the authors with their research.

So far that research has lasted eight months and it is anticipated the book will be published in August.

Mr Freeland said: “The Fallen of Carstairs Parish will detail the lives and deaths of some, at this time, 63 men, who had a connection with the parish.

“Included will be family and civic aspects of each serviceman together with the military detail, wherever possible, as to where and how they fell, what battle or action they were in at the time of their death, if so engaged.

“Presently there are 10 photographs of the men, 12 photographs of their Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstones, 19 family headstones from Carstairs Church or village graveyard, and further afield.

“These are not counting on the names of the Carstairs fallen on war memorials such as Arras, Loos, Passchendaele, or rolls of honour in other towns and churches etc, throughout Great Britain.

“The book will also contain brief articles on the history of Carstairs Village, Carstairs Junction, Ravenstruther, Carstairs State Hospital, Carstairs Parish Church and the Chapel.

“Featured is the Monteith family and Carstairs (Monteith) House.

“Six of the seven male members of the family of 13 went to war, three were killed in action, another three survived and the seventh lived in Vancouver, Canada.

“There are also articles on the Reformation, the Covenanters associated with Carstairs Parish and those imprisoned on the Bass Rock.

“In order to better understand how the war started, details of the major battles and engagements in which the men fought, have been written, ie Arras, Loos, the Somme and Third Ypres (commonly referred to as Passchendaele).

“Equally, some of the men fought in Gallipoli, Sinai and Palestine. Articles on them together with Mesopotamia and Salonika and the war in the air and at sea are also included.

“There are the primary (headline) details and dates of the men and when they fell.

“If any reader has any information on any of the men listed below, especially those marked NOT FOUND and NOT PROVEN we would be delighted to hear from you.

“It does not matter how little or insignificant or even not proven the information you may have, they will gratefully receive it and prove it one way or another.”

If you have any information call Lindsay Freeland on 01698 425182 or 07577 231377, or email [email protected].

The Fallen of Carstairs Parish who fell in The Great War:

2134 Pte AGNEW Ayrshire Yeomanry 28 12 1915

41094 Pte AITKEN James Weir Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) 16 08 1917

S/10047 L/Cpl ALEXANDER John Stark Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders 26 09 1915

10047 Pte ALLAN Robert Andrew James Canadian Expeditionary Force 15 07 1917

17647 Pte BARRIE William Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) 22 07 1916

9473 Pte BELL Christopher King’s Own Scottish Borderers 27 10 1914

733 Sgt BOSWELL Archibald Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders 12 10 1917

1188 Pte BOSWELL Thomas Archibald Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders 18 08 1916

104553 Gnr BROACH James Royal Horse & Field Artillery 09 09 1916

S/19691 Pte BROWNLIE John Archibald Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders 21 03 1918

16023 Pte BURKE Patrick Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders 30 05 1916

351640 Pte CLARK George Simpson Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment) 03 08 1917

S/3988 Pte CLARKSON Michael Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) 02 10 1915

Fir&Trim COLLINS John Mercantile Marine SS Rosalind 06 04 1917

203039 Pte COUPER Thomas Sloan Gordon Highlanders 26 03 1918

S/4860 Pte DAVIS Thomas Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) 25 09 1915

202557 Pte DICKSON Robert James Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) 12 11 1917

9366 Pte FAIR John Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment 28 12 1915

K/23454 Stkr FALCONER Royal Navy HMS Tipperary 01 06 1916

Clyde Z/ 3877 GRAY Robert John Royal Navy (Royal Naval Division) 05 09 1918

320127 Pte GRIEVE Robert Royal Army Medical Corps 12 04 1918

S/12877 Pte GUTHRIE James Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders 09 05 1915

Sgt HAMPSON Joseph Bell NOT YET PROVEN

---Cpt HENDERSON-HAMILTON Charles Campbell Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) 21 08 1915

---Lt HENDERSON-HAMILTON James Campbell Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) 27 09 1915

S/17309 Pte HILL Hugh Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders 24 04 1917

198586 CPO HINSELWOOD George Royal Navy HMS Pembrook 06 01 1921

-----------Maj HUTCHISON Thomas Holt Lanarkshire Volunteers 22 06 1918

95750 Tpr JOHNSTONE James Glasgow Yeomanry (Queen’s Own Royal) 27 09 1918

S/4126 Cpl LAURIE Graham Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders 30 09 1918

A/2395 S/Sgt MARTIN William G Royal Army Ordnance Corps (Armourer) 25 11 1917

6353 Pte MINTO George Australian Imperial Force 23 091917

40505 L Sgt MINTO Robert John Sinclair Royal Scots Fusiliers 23 04 1917

------------ Cpt MONTEITH George Michael Gordon Highlanders 25 09 1915

-------------Cp MONTEITH Henry John Joseph Lawrence Lanarkshire Yeomanry 27 12 1915

-------------Maj MONTEITH Cpt Rev Robert John Royal Field Artillery 27 11 1917

Pte 59462 MACNAMARA Francis Royal Field Artillery 08 11 1915

7042 Pte McALLASTER John Highland Light Infantry 28 04 1917

3540 Pte McKENZIE Robert Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders 28 05 1915

S/1253 Pte McNIVEN John Seaforth Highlanders 12 10 1916

SPTS/1815 Pte NEIL David Alexander Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) 17 02 1917

17575 Sgt PEARCE William Highland Light Infantry 13 08 1916

7949 Pte PROUDFOOT William Highland Light Infantry 28 06 1915

42660 Pte RAE Irving Ewart Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment) 02 09 1918

156587 Gnr RAMSAY Kenneth Grant Royal Field Artillery 28 11 1918

35006 Sgt ROBERTSON William Hood Lanarkshire Yeomanry 09 02 1918

104634 Gnr ROBINSON Michael Royal Horse & Field Artillery 28 08 1916

23373 Pte ROBINSON Thomas Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment) 26 01 1916

51647 Pte SLOAN Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment) 25 04 1918

18399 Pte SOMERVILLE George Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) 28 03 1918

SOMMERVILE William George NOT YET IDENTIFIED

18390 Pte SOMMERVILLE King’s Own Scottish Borderers 30 07 1916

270167 Pte STARK William Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment) 20 11 1917

6295 Pte THOMSON Henry Highland Light Infantry 17 02 1917

1015474 Pte TORRANCE Robert Canadian Expeditionary Force 13 12 1918

S/18295 L/Cpl WALKINSHAW Mungo Sinclair Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders 13 06 1916

33868 Pte WATSON James Highland Light Infantry 05 07 1917

S/21759 WATT Thomas Simpson Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders 19 11 1916

303037 Cpl WEIR Thomas Brown Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment) 24 11 1917

335830 Pte WILLIS Thomas Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment) 21 03 1918

WILSON J NOT YET IDENTIFIED

32862 Pte WILSON John Bulloch Highland Light Infantry 28 04 1917

135806 Gnr WILSON John George Stewart Royal Field Artillery 12 04 1918