The Wartime Memories Project

- 5th Battalion, Gordon Highlanders during the Great War -


Great War> Allied Army
skip to content


This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site you agree to accept cookies.


If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation.



    Site Home

    Great War Home

    Search

    Add Stories & Photos

    Library

    Help & FAQs

 Features

    Allied Army

    Day by Day

    RFC & RAF

    Prisoners of War

    War at Sea

    Training for War

    The Battles

    Those Who Served

    Hospitals

    Civilian Service

    Women at War

    The War Effort

    Central Powers Army

    Central Powers Navy

    Imperial Air Service

    Library

    World War Two

 Submissions

    Add Stories & Photos

    Time Capsule

 Information

    Help & FAQs



    Glossary

    Our Facebook Page

    Volunteering

    News

    Events

    Contact us

    Great War Books

    About


Advertisements

World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great 1914 1918 first battalion regiment

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  location map

6th May 1915 Orders  location map

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  location map

13th May 1915 In Reserve

14th May 1915 On the March

14th May 1915 On the March  location map

15th May 1915 In Reserve  location map

16th May 1915 In Reserve  location map

17th May 1915 On the Move

17th May 1915 In Reserve  location map

18th May 1915 On the March

18th May 1915 Orders Received  location map

19th May 1915 Reliefs  location map

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  location map

28th May 1915 Quiet Day  location map

29th May 1915 Line Advanced  location map

29th May 1915 Instructions  location map

30th May 1915 Order Received  location map

31st May 1915 Holding the Line

31st May 1915 Reliefs  location map

31st May 1915 Orders  location map

1st Jun 1915 Casualties

2nd Jun 1915 In the Trenches  location map

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  location map

13th Jun 1915 Training

13th Jun 1915 Artillery Active

14th Jun 1915 Artillery in Action

14th Jun 1915 Orders  location map

15th Jun 1915 Casualties

15th Jun 1915 In Action  location map

15th Jun 1915 Attack Made  location map

16th Jun 1915 Reliefs  location map

16th Jun 1915 Attack Made  location map

16th Jun 1915 Attack Made  location map

16th Jun 1915 Orders  location map

17th Jun 1915 Casualties

17th Jun 1915 Reliefs  location map

18th Jun 1915 Attack Made  location map

18th Jun 1915 Orders Received  location map

19th Jun 1915 Reliefs

19th Jun 1915 Artillery in Action  location map

22nd Jun 1915 Into the Line  location map

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  location map

29th Jun 1915 Orders Issued

30th Jun 1915 Mine Explodes

27th Dec 1915 Machinery Improved  location map

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  location map

21st Jul 1916 Orders Received

22nd Jul 1916 Reliefs Completed  location map

23rd Jul 1916 In Action  location map

24th Jul 1916 Heavy Shelling  location map

25th Jul 1916 Heavy Shelling  location map

26th Jul 1916 Relief  location map

27th Jul 1916 Attacks Made  location map

28th Jul 1916 Shelling  location map

29th Jul 1916 Heavy Shelling  location map

30th Jul 1916 Attack Made  location map

31st Jul 1916 Consolidation  location map

31st Jul 1916 Report  location map

1st Aug 1916 Instructions

15th Oct 1917 Preparations  location map

19th Oct 1917 Line Taken Over  location map

13th Nov 1917 In Action  location map

14th Nov 1917 In Action  location map

16th Nov 1917 Report  location map

28th July 1918 Operational Orders No.39

24th August 1918 Operation Orders No.54.  location map

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.


  • The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.

  • 1st of September 2023 marks 24 years since the launch of the Wartime Memories Project. Thanks to everyone who has supported us over this time.

Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the Great War? Our Library contains many many diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text.



Looking for help with Family History Research?   

Please see Family History FAQ's

Please note: We are unable to provide individual research.

Can you help?

The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors.

If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web.

If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation.


Announcements

  • 18th April 2024

        Please note we currently have a massive backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than 263925 your submission is still in the queue, please do not resubmit.

      Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to the Great War. If you have any unwanted photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them. The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted.





      We are now on Facebook. Like this page to receive our updates, add a comment or ask a question.

      If you have a general question please post it on our Facebook page.


      World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great battalion regiment artillery
      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 Highlanders

Michael Ormley served with the 5th Gordon Highlanders. I am researching for Michael's elderly son.

Roger Cook






  Pte. James Tough 5th Battalion Gordon Highlanders

My 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 Medal

At 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 Highlanders

My 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






Recomended Reading.

Available at discounted prices.









Links


    Suggest a link

















    The free section of The Wartime Memories Project is run by volunteers.

    This website is paid for out of our own pockets, library subscriptions and from donations made by visitors. The popularity of the site means that it is far exceeding available resources and we currently have a huge backlog of submissions.

    If you are enjoying the site, please consider making a donation, however small to help with the costs of keeping the site running.


    Hosted by:

    The Wartime Memories Project Website

    is archived for preservation by the British Library





    Copyright MCMXCIX - MMXXIV
    - All Rights Reserved -

    We do not permit the use of any content from this website for the training of LLMs or for use in Generative AI, it also may not be scraped for the purpose of creating other websites.