John Bishop Paterson

Died of Wounds on the 04/10/1917 from a severe gunshot wound in the back received during the Battles of Ypres (3rd Ypres) 1917

For most of August 1915 the 93rd Brigade was honing its skills at Bleu near Armentieres as part of the 20th (Light) Division. At the end of August the 93rd Brigade was attached to the 8th Division and commenced their front line engagement in the action at Bois de Grenier. This was part of a diversionary attack designed to draw attention away from the Loos offensive. The 93rd Brigade fired over 2500 shells in their first month of active service and remained in action near Armentieres from October to December before transfer to the Ypres Salient. They were stationed there for nine months in 1916 before further transfer into the final stage of the Battle of the Somme at Guillemont. The Brigade remained on the Somme for three months until December 1916 before redeployment back to action in the 3rd Battle of Ypres sometime before the end of July 1917 at Pilckem north of Ypres. The Battles of Ypres (3rd 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. On the 8th January 1917 the 93rd Brigade left 20th (Light) Division and was re-designated as an Army Brigade, in this case the Fifth Army, and was sent where ever it was needed. In April 1917 it was loaned to the Canadians for the attack on Vimy Ridge. John died from a severe gunshot wound to his back in Hospital in France. See Newspaper clipping (3) for a letter sent to John's mother from Sister E C Scholfield from the Hospital. John was wounded on the left shoulder 6 months earlier during the heavy fighting at Arras. He is listed as Service Number 951565 on his Medal Index card, his Pension Record and his Service Medal and Award Rolls. He is listed as 200050 on his Headstone, his CWGC Records and John is listed with BOTH Service Numbers on his Army Register of Soldiers Effects. John is also remembered on the Gartsherrie Church and Stewarts and Lloyds Rolls of Honour (see photos). See photos for John's Medal Index Card, his Newspaper clippings x 3, his Army Register of Soldiers Effects, his Service Medal and Award Rolls, his CWGC Grave Registration x 2, his Headstone Report x 2, Dozinghem Military Cemetery, John's Pension Records x 2 and the Royal Field Artillery Cap Badge. John's grave inscription reads "HE DIED THE HELPLESS TO DEFEND A BRITISH SOLDIER'S NOBLE END".