Finding a Photo of a WWI Soldier?

[WilmaM]

My son has a project for Remembrance Day at school: finding information on a member of the family who served in the Armed Forces.

He has chosen my Great Grandmother's brother Thomas Brownlie.

Tommy was killed in action in March 1918 [between the 21st and 26th - poor lad we don't even know when].

I have his birth cert. and service record of his death, plus several pages of his Service Record [most scanned twice as they are in poor condition] as well as his medal card scan.

The service record does give his description when he enrolled, but we don't have a photo of him.

I did check the Glasgow Evening Times Roll of Honour, but he isn't listed in the on-line index.

Tommy was born and brought up in Govan, but I can't seem to find any archives for the Govan Press newspaper that may mention him.

Does anyone know anywhere else I should be looking?

[runmerry]

Don't know if this is any use or if he is yours but there is a Thomas Brownlie listed in the CWGC for one of the dates given
and you can print off a commemorative certificate.

http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead.aspx

Regards
Jen

[WilmaM]

Thanks Jen I do have that.

In fact I think I even visited the Arras Cemetery as a child on holiday, I remember my Mother intently reading through the names.

[Currie]

Hello Wilma,

In WW1 the British Army didn't usually take photo's of their soldiers, and most of those you see were arranged privately.

Thomas Brownlie is also listed on the Scottish National War Memorial, and the Govan High School Honour Roll. http://warmemscot.s4.bizhat.com/warmems ... 57085.html

His date of death there is the 26th. He was killed during the Geman advance and possibly his loss was not noticed until that was brought to a stop.

Many other Gordon's of the 7th Battalion were killed in similar circumstances. You can search the CWGC with just a date range, regiment, and battalion. You'll find that a total of 92 7th Bn. Gordon Highlanders died between 21 March and 26 March, 1918. About two thirds of those have a death date of 26 March.

Private John Stewart was one of those. For all we know your fellow could be one of the unnamed soldiers whose photo appears here. http://www.kinnethmont.co.uk/1914-1918_ ... tewart.htm

The War Diary of the 7th Bn. Gordon Highlanders is available for download. It probably doesn't mention any private soldiers by name but would give a daily report of events. http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.u ... ViewerLink

His death was reported in the Scotsman and other newspapers on 1st may, 1918, but only as part of the usual long list of casualties. Please let me know if you want a better copy.
Scottish Losses. Killed. Gordon Highlanders.
Brownlie, 6404, T. (Glasgow);
https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=R ... %2C2182122

The Mitchell Library has the Govan Press. http://www.glasgowfamilyhistory.org.uk/ ... apers.aspx

Hope there's something useful there,
Alan

[WilmaM]

Thanks for all that Alan =D>

I know some of the Evening Times Roll of Honour had photos, was hoping!
I wonder who I could bribe to get me to the Mitchell [wheelchair at present ] ...

I hadn't got around to considering the School [though I paid pretty scant attention to the one at mine] - his nephews and nieces would all have been to Govan High.
I have scouted through the Churches on that site and found him on the St Kenneth's Linthouse Memorial. http://warmemscot.s4.bizhat.com/warmems ... c7418.html I wasn't sure which Church the family would have been in in those days.

The John Stewart page is super too, my Tommy may well be there who's to say? Though he started off in the 3rd battalion he seems to have been posted to the 7th after he returned from a 'Blighty' wound in Sept 1917.
Gives a good idea of what they all went through.

Plenty info for my wee chap to work on - he's at a Special Needs High School so the more visual the info the better.

I have even traced a photo of the hospital ship he was on in 1917.

Any Idea what this may mean:
[a signature] Major Officer i/c infy secl. No.1 General Headquarters 3rd Echalon [all but the dates rubber stamped]
27/9/17 O.C. Bn Joined Battalion 23.9.17

[maggiehill]

Hello Wilma

This link to many soldiers of the 1st World War is on Facebook. There are many photographs my husband and I have scrolled through all of them looking for his grandfather who was killed at the end of the War with no luck.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/article ... st-tommies

Best of luck

Maggie

[WilmaM]

Goodness Maggie I'd be there for years trawling through those - how utterly amazing.

[Currie]

Hello Wilma,

There are some great photos in that lot.

The Govan Press was published weekly back then, and if there was a photo it would likely have been supplied by family. I don't know how long before the newspaper casualty lists were published the family would have been notified by the Army.

You would think there would only be two or three issues where anything was likely to appear. Maybe the Mitchell Library could check for you, given your situation, if you don't hear from anyone else.

I think the abbreviations mean it was signed by a Major, who was Officer in Command, Infantry Section?, No.1 GHQ 3rd Echelon. That would have been at Rouen, and the No.1 probably refers to one of the hospitals there. http://www.spiritofremembrance.com/page ... -hospitals

The 3rd (Reserve) Battalion was a depot/training unit at Aberdeen. http://www.1914-1918.net/gordon.htm He must have been in 7th or another battalion when wounded in 1917.

The Scotsman, 21 May 1917
WOUNDED. Gordon Highlanders.
Brownlie, 6404, T. (Govan);

If possible it may be worth checking that you have all of the Service Record pages. I seem to recall reading somewhere that the Ancestry search result sometimes lands you in the middle of the group of available pages, and there are some before and some after.

All the best,
Alan

[WilmaM]

I think I have all of the service record.

18 scans of 9 different pages:
his declaration, medical details, vision and vaccinations, next of kin and family, 2 pages of service history, 1 of a summary of days service and 1 scrap with a post paid mark address to his father.

I've had these for years -from when the National Archives did a freebie [ before Ancestry took over] but never really examined them as closely.
I may have to resort to photoshop to get some of the details they are in such poor condition

I know I'm fortunate having as much of them as I do, as no sign whatsoever of my Grandfather's records.

This 2/3 minute school presentation is growing ...

[GOVAN HIGH ARCHIVES]

Hello. I am the Archivist for Govan High School, where Thomas is on our War Memorial. I am sorry to say there are no photos of him in the Govan Press (I and a colleague have checked for all those on the War Memorial in the Govan Press 1914-1919 and there is none of Thomas, nor is he on the Evening Times Roll of Honour. We hold a Remembrance Assembly for the whole school every year, and I would be very grateful if you could consider sharing the presentation you referred to, also Thomas' Service Records so I can feature him. (I have appended my email address in the hope you will be able to do this.

Sorry not to be of more help, but at least you know someone has looked. There are also some photos in a pictorial newspaper of the period called the "Bulletin". Nobody has ever compiled any listing of these, and it is just possible he might be in that. I am going to the Mitchell Library later this week, and make a point of checking that for you as well.

I will let you know whether I find anything or not.

Best wishes

Ian

Ian McCracken
Volunteer Archivist
Govan High School
member@ianmccracken.fsnet.co.uk