PENSION RECORD INFORMATION - On William's Pension Record (1) it states - "If refused : reason". It then states "Refusal : N.P.D". This could mean the following Initially the Battalion were part of the Highland Light Infantry Brigade, Lowland Division. They left the Division and landed in France on the 05/11/1914 and joined the 5th Brigade, 2nd Division on the 23/11/1914. They were part of the 100th Brigade, 33rd Division when William fell. From the Battalion War Diary, 11/01/1918 : "The forward slope of Passchendaele Ridge, Indigo and Hamburg were shelled intermittently before noon and at least one direct hit was made on Battalion Headquarters during the afternoon by a high velocity shell about 3.30p.m. Several salvos of 4.2 were distributed close to the trench at Battalion Headquarters". SEE PHOTOS x 17 FOR THE BATTALION WAR DIARY FROM DECEMBER 1917 UNTIL WILLIAM DIED and PHOTOS x 23 FOR THE 33rd DIVISION BOOK AUGUST 1917 - JANUARY 1918. William was awarded the Military Medal for distinction in the field between the 25th and 27th of September 1917 by Brigadier General Hunter Wood. The Battalion were involved in the Battle of the Menin Road, 20th – 25th September and the Battle of Polygon Wood, 26th September – 3rd October during this time. These were phases of the Battles of Ypres, 1917 (Third Ypres) 31st July – 10th November 1917: "The British finally got what they had wanted since 1914: the opportunity to attack at Ypres and breakout of the confines of the salient of trenches around it. Often known as the Third Battle of Ypres or Passchendaele, the offensive began with encouraging gains but terrible summer weather soon bogged it down. By August the offensive was clearly failing in its objectives and had descended into attritional fighting. New techniques by both sides led to agonisingly slow forward movement for the British, at enormous cost in casualties to both sides. Bad weather in October led to the battlefield becoming an impossible quagmire". The Reverend Archibald Chisholm referred to William's death during his children's address in the Middle United Free Church on the 27/01/1918 (see Newspaper clippings). William's Grave photo kindly donated by Mick McCann at the British War Graves website who supply photos FREE OF CHARGE
here. William is also remembered in the Old Monkland Cemetery on a Memorial erected by his parents (see photos x 2). See photos for William's Medal Index Card, his CWGC Grave Registration x 2, his Headstone Report x 2, a free A4 frameable print (see above), William's Army Register of Soldiers Effects, his Service Medal and Award Rolls, William's Pension Records x 3, the Highland Light Infantry Cap Badge, a physical training game of the troops of the 9th Battalion, Highland Light Infantry (Glasgow Highlanders), 100th Brigade, 33rd Division, at Ghyvelde, 6th August 1917. William's grave inscription reads "A LOVING AND FAITHFUL SON". Finally, see photos for the 33rd Division Order of Battle x 14 (the Division William was with when he received his wounds), Nine Elms British Cemetery, another 2 photos of William's grave, Newspaper clippings x 8 (Coatbridge Express x 3, Coatbridge Leader x 2 and the Airdrie and Coatbridge Advertiser x 3), photos of a Memorial erected by William's parents in Old Monkland Cemetery x 2 and PHOTOS x 15 FROM THE COME ON HIGHLANDERS (Glasgow Territorials in the Great War) BOOK JULY 1917 - JANUARY 1918.
