The Wartime Memories Project - The Great War

Pte. James Drummond British Army 2nd Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers


Great War>


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

223063

Pte. James Drummond

British Army 2nd Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers

from:Glasgow

(d.16th May 1915)

My Great Grandfather, James Drummond, who joined the Royal Scots at 19 yrs old in 1914 and was killed in action at the Battle of Festubert France on 16 May 1915 leaving his only son William aged 4 (my grandfather) an orphan as his wife Catherine had died previously. My grandfather was left with his bloodstained and holed army paybook and some letters written by his friend J Anderson and sent to his aunt Jean who was looking after little Willie while he was away fighting for King & Country.

I include some excerpts from letters sent home. one in particular sent the day before he was killed where he mentions how lucky he is by "not stopping a bullet"

Dear Aunt and Uncle

I now take the pleasure of answering your kind and welcome letter and parcel I was very glad to receive it. Did you get the letter about Johnny Gallagher Garrety and Mather Mulhand that he has not come to this battalion he must have gone to the first battalion. You was saying I was very lucky that I have not stopped one but it will be a lucky one that will see it over. Bobby as you was telling me is he not thinking about coming out and having a shot of this ……….. as I have been holding it all the winter for Johnny G.

Dear Aunt and Uncle I will now draw this letter to a close.

From your nephew James.

With love to Willie and Aunt and Uncle God spare Big Will’s strength to work and we will do a bit for him when he gets old.

Dear Mrs Black

I now write these few lines just to let you know that your nephew James Drummond got killed in action on Sunday 16 May he did not linger long he got struck with a shell and got killed instantly. Well Mrs Black all the men of this company express their feelings of regret and all his friends and especially his little son who will be left without any parents. I buried him at the same spot where he got killed we all went through a terrible day just after he died but it will cost a few more lives yet before we beat the Germans. The sergeant of the company got his parcel and divided it among all the men as they thought there was no use sending it back.

Well Mrs Black I know it will be a hard blow to you but I had to let you know that he died fighting for his King and country and he was a good soldier. I think I will stop now as I can’t express our feelings any more. Hope you will answer this just to let me know you received it.

I remain one of his chums.

James Anderson

To Mrs Black

I received your kind and welcome letter and was glad to see by it that you received mind but was very sorry to hear you were lying ill but I hope by the time you receive this you will be alright again. I know it will be a long time before you get over it. As I told you before he died a heroes death far better than some able bodied men who I expect are still knocking about the street corners of Glasgow at the present time. But I don’t know what they would do if the Germans were coming to Britain. Well Mrs Black I am writing this letter and all the time the guns are roaring. We have just come out of the trenches for a few days rest I’ve been through a few battles myself but I have been home for a few weeks. I got wounded at the battle Aisne but if I get home again I will come through to you and let you know everything. I was making a cross for his grave but we got orders to shift I am very sorry to tell you that I did not finish it. You were asking me for his small book but we had to had it in to the Sergeant so you will get everything from Headquarters. The only thing we are frightened of now is poisonous gas they are using. Well I think I will draw to a close as I have no more to say. I hope to see you soon.

I remain yours, most sincerely.

Private J Anderson.

Xxxxx to the little boy from me









Related Content:







Can you help us to add to our records?

The names and stories on this website have been submitted by their relatives and friends. If your relations are not listed please add their names so that others can read about them


Did your relative live through the Great War? Do you have any photos, newspaper clippings, postcards or letters from that period? Have you researched the names on your local or war memorial?

If so please let us know.

Do you know the location of a Great War "Roll of Honour?"

We are very keen to track down these often forgotten documents and obtain photographs and transcriptions of the names recorded so that they will be available for all to remember.

Help us to build a database of information on those who served both at home and abroad so that future generations may learn of their sacrifice.




Celebrate your own Family History

Celebrate by honouring members of your family who served in the Great War both in the forces and at home. We love to hear about the soldiers, but also remember the many who served in support roles, nurses, doctors, land army, muntions workers etc.

Please use our Family History resources to find out more about your relatives. Then please send in a short article, with a photo if possible, so that they can be remembered on these pages.














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.