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World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great 1914 1918 first battalion regiment
Sgt. Gordon Macgregor
British Army 2nd Battalion Black Watch
from:Leven
(d.7th Dec 1916)
I came across a box of letters, two years after the death of my father Gordon Macintyre. The box contained letters from my father's uncle, Gordon Mcgregor to his sister Ruth. They were written whilst he was serving in Mesopotamia. The letters have some reference to my Gran's future husband, but also thank her for clothes and asking for some food to be sent. One letter, was addressed to my uncle and returned to my Gran in its envelope. It had been found in his jacket pocket when he was killed. From my research I found that he was one of the lucky ones to be identified and buried in Amara Cemetery, Iraq.
I continued my research and found that his father, at the time, lived and ran the Windsor House, a pub in Leven. After the war, my great grandfather and 5 of Gordon's siblings received some money from the Army. I am not sure if this was his wages or compensation for his death.
I wanted to lay a wreath on his grave, but communication with the Commonwealth War Graves has led to the sad fact that all the headstones were taken away in the 1930's, and although all the names were engraved on a large plaque in Amara, there is no photograph of this. If and when it becomes safe to visit the graveyard the CWGC will look to update the graveyard.
When I think of the male members of my family, who would all have been called upon to enlist, My husband, my son, my brothers, nephews and cousins, I cannot imagine losing them. I cannot imagine the daily worry, the fear, the pain and I would feel, if I was alive in that era. As we approach Armistice day, it has been a sobering thought to be remembered of the loss so many families.
I want to finish this note, by remembering my Great Uncle Gordon. He was born in Shettleston, Lanarkshire in 1894. He had one brother and four sisters. He was close all sisters, especially Ruth. He enlisted into the 2nd Battalion, Black Watch Regiment as a Private in 12th October 1914 and initially fought in Normandy. At some point he was promoted to a Serjeant and then moved to Mesopotamia where he fought and died of wounds on 7th of December 1916. He was 22 years old and is buried at Amara Cemetery, Iraq. His father, William, died in 1930. Gordon is remembered on his gravestone. I have recently found this long-forgotten headstone and plan to travel North to clean it up with my cousin.
In 1931, Gordon's sister, Ruth, named her youngest son after him. Gordon died, as part of a huge sacrifice of that generation. He lived a very short life, but it has been a privilege to get to know him and his story and I wanted to thank him for his role.
We shall remember them.
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