Add Information to Record of a Person who served during the Great War on The Wartime Memories Project Website

Add Information to Record of a Person who served during the Great War on The Wartime Memories Project Website





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217550

Pte. George McLaren

British Army 1/7 Battalion Black Watch

from:Lochee, Dundee

(d.13th Nov 1916)

My grandfather, George McLaren was a reservist with the 7th Battalion Black Watch. A postcard from him to his daughter (my mother) Joan, in 1912 (only two at the time) is from the training camp Monzie, near Crieff. It would appear that he probably went to France in 1915, arriving at Boulogne on 2nd of May 1915. Sadly I do not know for certain what his activities were until his death at the Battle of Acre Heights on 13th November 1916 while carrying ammunition forward towards the German front line. Mist and mud made the advance difficult and the weight of the ammunition boxes made progress slow. The original letter, written by Captain A K Watson to my Grandmother still exists and tells of how her husband died. This is a small scrap of paper dated 17th Nov 1916 and, no doubt, written in moments during combat conditions. A small number of letters from my grandmother and from his brothers were returned (which I still have). He is buried in the Y-Ravine Cemetery.

Additional Information:

Since the information which accompanies the photo was written I have been able to find quite a bit more about his activities leading up to his death on 13th November 1916. Although he died as a member of the 7th black Watch, I now know that he joined the 3/4 (Dundee) Battalion in mid-September 1915 and from there went to Skipton Camp prior to crossing to France, I think about July 1916 but don't know exactly when. His first service number was 4846 but he seems to have been transferred to the 7th shortly after crossing to France.

Ken Kennedy








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