- 5th Battalion, Gordon Highlanders during the Great War -
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About
5th Battalion, Gordon Highlanders
5th (Buchan and Formartin) Battalion, Gordon Highlanders was a unit of the Territorial Force with their HQ in Peterhead. A Company drew from Strichen, New Pitsligo, New Aberdour, New Deer and Maud. B Company from Peterhead, Longside and St Fergus, C Coy from Peterhead, Boddam and Hatton. D Coy from Turriff, Fyvie and Cuminestown. E Coy from Ellon, Auchnagatt, Methlick, Skilmafilly and Newburgh. F Coy from Old Meldrum, Tarves, Newmachar and Pitmedden, G Coy from Fraserburgh and Rosehearty, H Coy from Fraserburgh and Lonmay. They served with the Gordon Infantry Brigade, Highland Division.
20th Oct 1914 Imperial Service
16th Mar 1915 Territorial Officers
4th May 1915 On the Move
5th May 1915 On the Move
5th May 1915 On the Move
6th May 1915 Orders
8th May 1915 Orders
9th May 1915 In Reserve
10th May 1915 In Reserve
11th May 1915 In Reserve
12th May 1915 On the March
12th May 1915 In Reserve
13th May 1915 In Reserve
14th May 1915 On the March
14th May 1915 On the March
15th May 1915 In Reserve
16th May 1915 In Reserve
17th May 1915 On the Move
17th May 1915 In Reserve
18th May 1915 On the March
18th May 1915 Orders Received
19th May 1915 Reliefs
20th May 1915 Into the Trenches
20th May 1915 Relief Complete
21st May 1915 Trench Work
22nd May 1915 Trench Work
23rd May 1915 Some Shelling
24th May 1915 Intermittent Shelling
25th May 1915 Reliefs Completed
25th May 1915 Occasional Shelling
26th May 1915 Intermittent Shelling
27th May 1915 Heavy Shelling
28th May 1915 Quiet Day
29th May 1915 Line Advanced
29th May 1915 Instructions
30th May 1915 Order Received
31st May 1915 Holding the Line
31st May 1915 Reliefs
31st May 1915 Orders
1st Jun 1915 Casualties
2nd Jun 1915 In the Trenches
2nd Jun 1915 Trench Work
3rd Jun 1915 Shelling
3rd Jun 1915 Trench Work
4th Jun 1915 Reliefs Completed
4th Jun 1915 Reorganisation
5th Jun 1915 On the March
5th Jun 1915 Quiet
6th Jun 1915 Relief Complete
7th Jun 1915 In Good Spirits
7th Jun 1915 Orders Received
8th Jun 1915 Orders
9th Jun 1915 Preparations
10th Jun 1915 Preparations
11th Jun 1915 Preparations
12th Jun 1915 Casualties
12th Jun 1915 Orders
13th Jun 1915 Training
13th Jun 1915 Artillery Active
14th Jun 1915 Artillery in Action
14th Jun 1915 Orders
15th Jun 1915 Casualties
15th Jun 1915 In Action
15th Jun 1915 Attack Made
16th Jun 1915 Reliefs
16th Jun 1915 Attack Made
16th Jun 1915 Attack Made
16th Jun 1915 Orders
17th Jun 1915 Casualties
17th Jun 1915 Reliefs
18th Jun 1915 Attack Made
18th Jun 1915 Orders Received
19th Jun 1915 Reliefs
19th Jun 1915 Artillery in Action
22nd Jun 1915 Into the Line
22nd Jun 1915 Relief Completed
23rd Jun 1915 Trench Work
24th Jun 1915 New CO
24th Jun 1915 Orders
25th Jun 1915 Reliefs
25th Jun 1915 Orders Received
26th Jun 1915 Reorganisation
27th Jun 1915 Reliefs Complete
27th Jun 1915 On the Move
28th Jun 1915 New Billets
28th Jun 1915 HQ Moves
29th Jun 1915 Orders Issued
30th Jun 1915 Mine Explodes
27th Dec 1915 Machinery Improved
13th Jul 1916 Trench Raid
14th Jul 1916 Relief Completed
15th Jul 1916 On the Move
16th Jul 1916 On the Move
19th Jul 1916 Orders
20th Jul 1916 On the Move
21st Jul 1916 Orders Received
22nd Jul 1916 Reliefs Completed
23rd Jul 1916 In Action
24th Jul 1916 Heavy Shelling
25th Jul 1916 Heavy Shelling
26th Jul 1916 Relief
27th Jul 1916 Attacks Made
28th Jul 1916 Shelling
29th Jul 1916 Heavy Shelling
30th Jul 1916 Attack Made
31st Jul 1916 Consolidation
31st Jul 1916 Report
1st Aug 1916 Instructions
15th Oct 1917 Preparations
19th Oct 1917 Line Taken Over
13th Nov 1917 In Action
14th Nov 1917 In Action
16th Nov 1917 Report
28th July 1918 Operational Orders No.39
24th August 1918 Operation Orders No.54.If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
Want to know more about 5th Battalion, Gordon Highlanders?
There are:5346 items tagged 5th Battalion, Gordon Highlanders available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War.
Those known to have served with
5th Battalion, Gordon Highlanders
during the Great War 1914-1918.
- Alexander Edward Lyon. Pte.
- Duguid Peter. L/Cpl.
- Forbes-Sempill Robert Abercromby. Lt. (d.2nd Jun 1915)
- Mcleod James Goodall. Sgt.
- McRae James. Pte. (d.2nd Dec 1916)
- McWilliam Charles Thomas. Lt. (d.18th March 1916)
- Ormley Michael. Pte.
- Tough James. Pte.
All names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed, please Add a Name to this List
Records of 5th Battalion, Gordon Highlanders from other sources.
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Did you know? We also have a section on World War Two. and a Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations.
Pte. Michael Ormley 5th Btn. Gordon HighlandersMichael Ormley served with the 5th Gordon Highlanders. I am researching for Michael's elderly son.Roger Cook
Pte. James Tough 5th Battalion Gordon HighlandersMy Father, James Tough, enlisted on 5th of August 1914. He trained with the Gordon Highlanders at Bedford and entered the Theatre of War in 1915 in France. He fought in the Somme and was wounded at the Battle of Bray on 12th of July 1916. After recovery he was accepted for transfer to the Machine Gun Corps and finished the War in Ypres with the rank of Lance Corporal. He was awarded the 1914-15 Mons Star, the British War Medal and the Victory MedalAt the outbreak of WW2 he joined the Home Guard. Unfortunately I have no photo of him in uniform.
Pte. James McRae 5th Btn. Gordon Highlanders (d.2nd Dec 1916)My great uncle James McRae served in the First World War with the Gordon Highlanders. He was killed on Dec 2nd, 1916 in the Battle of Arras (I believe) - his body was never found so he is sadly one of the thousands of 'unknown soldiers' from the First World War. He was a poet and I am in possession of some of his poems. My grandfather was the last person in our family to see him, as he walked to the train station with him on his way to the front.Editor's Note: It is more likely James was killed following the Battle of Ancre Heights as he is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial.
Jim McRae
Lt. Robert Abercromby Forbes-Sempill 5th Battalion Gordon Highlanders (d.2nd Jun 1915)Robert Abercromby Forbes-Sempill died from wounds. He is mentioned in book "The Aristocracy and the Great War".sflynn
Pte. Edward Lyon Alexander 5th Battalion (Buchan & Formartin),D Company Gordon HighlandersMy grandfather, Edward Alexander volunteered for the 5th Battalion (Buchan & Formartin),D Company Turriff, Gordon Highlanders in 1914. I think he was wounded in 1915. He was transferred to the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers & Labour Corps. I am trying to find out why he would have been transferred and if there are any records of him in the Inniskillings.Gordon Edward Alexander
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