War Graves in Earlston Churchyard

INTRODUCTION

A sign on the railings at the entrance to Earlston Churchyard announces that there are Commonwealth War Graves within the cemetery.  The Commonwealth War Graves Commission was established in 1915 to honour the 1.7 million men and women of the Commonwealth forces who died in the First and Second World Wars, and ensure they will never be forgotten. 


The churchyard contains the graves of five Earlstonians who died in military service. This post was written to try to reveal something of the people behind the names.

 

JAMES ARCHIBALD - died 1915 aged 18.
James was the son of James and Robina Archibald who ran a bakery on Earlston’s High Street. The shop has long since gone and is now a dwelling house (No. 15 The High Street).  

James had been in the Volunteers for two years before being mobilised, when war was declared. He travelled to the King’s Own Scottish Borderers garrison in the town of Cambusbarron for basic training.
 

In February 1915 he was granted a short leave. When he was at home, his mother noticed that he had developed a cough and, as any concerned mother would do, suggested that James visit Dr Young for a remedy. James,however, being a teenager (he was only 18) not wishing to be delayed getting back to his regiment ignored his mother’s advice. 

Back in Cambusbarron, James was able to perform all his regular duties, albeit that he was hoarse. However, on Thursday morning, his commanding officer, concerned for his health had him transferred to the garrison’s temporary hospital.

Initially, James was making good progress, but by Sunday, February 14, his condition deteriorated. About mid-day his parents received a telephone message from Captain Sharpe, saying that James was seriously ill and about half-an-hour later they received the news that James had died.

Mrs Archibald travelled to Stirling on Monday to make the necessary arrangements for James’ burial. Following a military funeral, his body transferred from Stirling Castle to the railway station. Men from the regiment, including Sergeant Louis Fisher, accompanied Mrs Archibald and James on  their journey to Earlston where it arrived in the late afternoon. The following day a large crowd of mourners gathered at the Archibald’s house for a short service before the funeral cortege made its way along the High Street to the cemetery. The hearse was flanked by an honour guard that included Sergeant Fisher and Colour Sergeant William Wilkie.

William Wilkie (died 1916 aged 46)
In December 1868, Andrew Wilkie, a twenty-nine-year-old blacksmith, born in Maxton, married Jane Tait, a twenty-eight-year-old spinster from Denholm. Their son William was born the following year.

In 1871 the family moved to Earlston, first living on  the High Street, then to a
house on Haughhead Road. By now William had two siblings, Margaret, aged
eight, and six-month-old John.

Ten years later, twenty-one-year-old William was living at 6 Rodger Place, close to the mill where he worked as a stake warper. The following year he married Alison Hunter, a twenty-one-year-old spinster-who lived with her parents at Leader Vale Lodge where the marriage ceremony was held. Their daughter Margery was born the year after.

By 1901 William had left the woollen mill to work as an assurance agent, and the family had moved to the High Street.

Sometime between 1911 and 1915, William had enlisted in the King’s Own Scottish Borderers, earning rapid promotion to Colour Sergeant. In 1915 William developed Bright’s Disease, a condition which affects the kidneys and he died, at home on January 10, 1916. His grave is marked by a simple headstone which is inscribed:

“In memory of my beloved husband WILLIAM WILKIE who died 10.1.1916
aged 46 years also his wife ALISON HUNTER who died 24.4.1945 aged 74
years

John Young (died 1918 aged 20)
John was born in Monkwearmouth in County Durham on February 2, 1898.  His father, William, was a journeyman tailor, travelling the country to either find permanent employment or until he qualified as a master tailor which would allow him to set up his own business.

William and his wife Margaret were both from the Scottish Borders  (Channelkirk and Melrose respectively), so it is no surprise that they should settle in Earlston  with son John and his sister, Jane, who was his elder by three years.The family lodged in a house on Station Road with three other families. The Young’s had three more children at this address, sons William and George and a daughter Mary. 

When he left school, eldest son John took a job at the Simpson and Fairbairn tweed mill.  He enlisted in the 4th Battalion King’s Own Scottish Borderers (Volunteers) in
early January 1914.  By 1917, John’s battalion was in the Middle-East engaged in the Second Battle of Gaza which had commenced on April 17. The fighting was brutal and bloody, and at the end of the third day of action, the brigade including John’s battalion had suffered almost 50% casualties, including John who was wounded twice, in his upper right arm and on the right side of his head.

It was three days before John was evacuated to the military hospital in Alexandria, Egypt. There, doctors discovered that John’s right humerus, the long bone in the upper arm was shattered. On a positive note, an x-ray showed no trace of the bullet in his head wound. His damaged arm caused the most concern due to the extent of the bone damage, and the injury was suppurating. On April 26, John’s condition was listed as “Dangerously Ill”, and he remained in this condition for over a month.

On August 16, John was transferred to the UK on board the hospital ship “Formosa”. As soon as the ship docked in Liverpool, on September 5, he was admitted to a Liverpool hospital.

It was not until February 1918 that John was considered fit enough to be transferred to the 2nd Scottish General Hospital in Edinburgh. His medical report of February 22 noted that John was “in good general health”. However, it also stated that his right arm and hand had limited movement. Also, the wounds on his arm had not healed despite having undergone five operations to drain the wound and remove bone fragments. The report also notes that “He had a wound on the right side of the face, which causes him no trouble now.”

John was discharged from the army as being permanently unfit for military service of any sort. He left hospital on March 24 and returned to his home in Earlston to be cared for by his family. Despite the medical board’s conclusion that John’s head wound was no cause for concern, John had developed an abscess on his brain at the site of the gunshot wound. As the effects of the abscess grew, caring for John must have been a particularly difficult time for the family. The abscess would most likely have caused dramatic changes toJohn’s physical control and personality. Additionally, the infection was damaging his heart.

A few days before his death,  his condition deteriorated, and he was transferred to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. He died on Thursday, June 20,1918. The cause of the death given on the registration of death was a temporo-sphenoidal abscess and ulcerative endocarditis (an abscess of the brain and a condition that affects the heart).

John’s burial took place on Sunday, June 23, 1918, when the Earlston Company of Volunteers, under the command of Lieutenant Harvie, provided an honour guard and pipers and drummers from a detachment of Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders played laments.

William Barrie Young (died 1918 aged 24)

William was the only son of Dr John and Mrs Margaret Young of The Thorn, Earlston

He did not follow his father to medical school. Instead, he became a Motor, Steam and Mechanical Engineering apprentice at Waverley Engineering Works in Galashiels. Initially, William joined the Lothian and Border Horse, but at the first opportunity transferred to the Royal Flying Corps.

The Royal Flying Corps did not have a training facility. Instead, William trained at the Ruffy-Baumann Flying School in Hendon just outside London and on September 6, 1915, he qualified as a pilot.

After enlisting in the Royal Flying Corps, William was based in Brooklands Aerodrome as a member of No. 24 Squadron, the world’s first single-seat fighter squadron.

In March 1916, he qualified as an instructor pilot before returning to front line duties. Then on October 20, 1916, while flying over the Somme, his aircraft was attacked and severely damaged. Despite being shot through a lung, William managed to land his plane at a French aerodrome only to discover that his observer/gunner 2nd. Lt. Reginald Davis had been killed.

He was transferred to a hospital in Glasgow to start a long road to recovery. In October 1917 he was transferred to the School of Specialist Flying as an instructor and was promoted to Deputy Wing Exam Officer.

On August 8, 1918, William took off on a training flight. What happened during the flight was never established other than there was a catastrophic failure of the aircraft,  causing it to spin out of control, killing William.

The following week William was buried in Earlston Parish Churchyard. A guard of honour from the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders accompanied the funeral cortege, and the pipe band from the same regiment played “The Land o'er the Leal” and “The Flowers of the Forest”. The “Last Post” was performed by a bugler at the conclusion of the service.

His headstone is in the form of a Celtic cross and stands adjacent to a cross of the same design marking the grave of his father and mother.

John Meins Wightman (died 1944 Aged 26)
John Wightman was born in Coldingham on July 30, 1917, to Ninian and May (nee Meins) Wightman. Like his father, John became a ploughman working on various farms in East Lothian and Berwickshire.

He married Jean Agnes Tait in 1942 while serving with the 8th Battalion Royal Scots. At the time he was a Corporal, but he would be later promoted to Sergeant.  The couple would spend their short married life living at Woodville with Jean’s parents, Bill and Jean (nee Angus) Tait.

In June 1944 John took part in the Normandy landings, and it was while  engaged in military operations,  he was wounded, suffering gunshot wounds to his abdomen, left hand and right shoulder. He was transferred to Killearn Hospital in Stirling, one of seven Emergency Hospital Services facilities established by the government in 1940 for military casualties. 

Despite receiving the best available medical attention, John died of peritonitis on July 16th, 18 days after he was wounded.

John was laid to rest in Earlston Churchyard where the Rev. Peter Wylie  conducted an impressive service. John’s widow, Jean, who never remarried, died in Melrose in 2002 aged 82.

How a person is “officially” remembered is something of a mystery. Take, for example, Captain David Colville, son of David and Elizabeth Colville of Chapel-on-Leader, Earlston. David is memorialised on the Lauder war memorial and in the Lauder Old Parish Church; he is also remembered at Melrose Holy Trinity Church and on the Earlston war memorial and church lectern. 

By comparison, John’s name is not listed  on the village war memorial, nor on any memorial,  and his death is not recorded on the  Imperial War Memorials Register. Why this is so,  remains an enigma. 

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November 2018 - Earlston's Fall of Poppies,

 created by members of Earlston Parish Church 
in remembrance of those who died in the service of their country. 


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With grateful thanks to Auld Earlston member Jeff Price 
for researching and compiling this article.