John Lavelle

John and the Battalion arrived at Boulogne on the 12/05/1915 and were part of the 28th Brigade, 9th (Scottish Division). The Battle of Loos 25th September to the 15th October 1915 : The first genuinely large scale British offensive action but once again only in a supporting role to a larger French attack in the Third Battle of Artois. British appeals that the ground over which they were being called upon to advance was wholly unsuitable were rejected. The battle is historically noteworthy for the first British use of poison gas. The opening day of The Battle of Loos : Zero hour was fixed for 05.50 a.m. On the left of the Division were the 10th Highland Light Infantry and the 6th King's Own Scottish Borderers were on the right. At 06.30 they advanced in 3 lines against the German trenches. The 10th Highland Light Infantry : "As the wind was too weak to carry the gas forward from the trenches many of the men were suffering from the effects of it when they left the front line. At the very start the ranks of the Battalion were thinned by a storm of shell, rifle and machine-gun fire, a considerable amount being killed or wounded. The men pushed on but we unable to penetrate the enemy's wire. Before vicious machine-gun fire from Madagascar Trench, Railway Work and Mad Point the attack melted away and most of the survivors struggled back to the trenches none of whom had broken through the German wire". SEE PHOTOS x 10 FOR THE 10th (SERVICE) BATTALION WAR DIARY SEPTEMBER 1915 + 21 PHOTOS FROM THE HISTORY OF THE 9th (SCOTTISH) DIVISION BOOK. THE BATTALION CASUALTIES ON THE 25/09/1915 (NON COMMISSIONED OFFICERS + MEN) - "A" COMPANY : 29 KILLED, 66 MISSING, 45 WOUNDED, 22 GASSED (TOTAL = 162), "B" COMPANY : 66 KILLED, 70 MISSING, 33 WOUNDED, 6 GASSED (TOTAL = 175), "C" COMPANY : 28 KILLED, 46 MISSING, 46 WOUNDED, 7 GASSED (TOTAL = 127), "D" COMPANY : 37 KILLED, 17 MISSING, 50 WOUNDED, 9 GASSED (TOTAL = 113). TOTAL : 160 KILLED, 199 MISSING, 174 WOUNDED, 49 GASSED = 577. OFFICERS - HQ : 1 KILLED, 1 WOUNDED, 1 GASSED, "A" COMPANY : 4 KILLED, "B" COMPANY : 3 KILLED, "C" COMPANY : 2 WOUNDED, "D" COMPANY : 1 KILLED, 2 WOUNDED. TOTAL : 9 KILLED, 5 WOUNDED, 1 GASSED = 15. Scottish Regiments lost a huge amount of brave men at Loos. Here is a list of Infantry Battalions who lost more than 500 men at the Battle of Loos from 25/09/1915 to 16/10/1915 - 7th Cameron Highlanders 687, of which 19 Officers, 9th Black Watch 680, of which 20 Officers, 6th King's Own Scottish Borderers 650, of which 20 Officers, 10th HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY 648, OF WHICH 20 OFFICERS, 7th King's Own Scottish Borderers 631, of which 20 Officers, 8th Devons 619, of which 19 Officers, 8th Royal West Kents 580, of which 24 Officers, 8th Buffs 558, of which 24 Officers, 12th Highland Light Infantry 553, of which 23 Officers, 8th Black Watch 511, of which 19 Officers, 5th North Staffordshire 505, of which 20 Officers, 8th Seaforth Highlanders 502, of which 23 Officers. John was Killed in Action on the opening day of the Battle of Loos. He was 1 of 99 men from the Coatbridge Memorial who fell during and from injuries from the Battle of Loos. John's comrades speculated that he might be a prisoner of war (see Newspaper clipping Coatbridge Express 17/11/1915). A letter from his sister, having been found on the dead soldier, was returned to her by Sergeant W James of the same battalion, who wrote:- "Enclosed find letter that was found on the body of one of our fallen comrades from which I gather he was a brother of yours. We have buried him in the British Cemetery just behind the lines. Allow me, on behalf of the lads in the trenches, extend our sympathy to you and the family of our comrade, who has fallen for a great cause." See photos for Newspaper clippings from the Tyrone Courier 21/10/1915 and the Mid Ulster Mail 23/10/1915. John is listed as being with the 2nd Battalion Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) on the clippings and on the Dungannon Memorial x 3. This Battalion also fought at the Battle of Loos. John is also remembered on the St. Mary's Church Roll of Honour. See photos for John's Medal Index Card, his CWGC Grave Registration, his name on the Loos Memorial Panel List, his Army Register of Soldiers Effects, his Service Medal and Award Rolls x 2, his listing on the Ireland Casualties WW1, John's Pension Records x 3, John's Will to his sister Sarah, Dungannon War Memorial x 2, myself placing a Poppy on the Panel on the Dungannon Memorial that lists John, his name on the Dungannon War Memorial x 3 and the Highland Light Infantry Cap Badge. Finally, SEE PHOTOS FOR 20 PAGES FROM THE MOST UNFAVOURABLE GROUND BOOK REGARDING THE BATTALION and DIVISION 25/09/1915 (fantastic book on the Battle of Loos kindly signed by the author Niall Cherry), the 9th (Scottish) Division Order of Battle x 12 (the Division he was with when he died), photos of a wreath x 2 placed by myself at Loos Memorial in July 2023 remembering ALL the men who left from the Iron Burgh who are named there, one of myself at the Highland Light Infantry Panel (John listed middle right) and Newspaper clippings x