James Ross (1864-1914) - Completed.

[Windsor87]

Ah - that is excellent! Thank you so much!

I must admit I feel a bit guilty for celebrating when you consider the circumstances of his death. According to the medal card his war lasted only 9 days.  I'm surprised nobody in the family knew he was killed in the war.

It is great to finally be able to make a conclusion after all this time. It was, of course, always going to end up with his death - but I didn't expect it to be in France during the war.

[flst]

Can you access this information? I think there's about 11 pages (some of them don't have anything on them.) Williamina signed for the medal on 9/8/1921 so the addresses mentioned would be as at that date.
By the way the information on the carolyn morrisey website is complied from the notices in the Buchan Observer, so I don't think you'd find any more information than that shown.
Are you familiar with the Scottish War Memorials Project? I looked for information on that site. James's name is on the Peterhead War Memorial. Anyone can add additional information on the website. It's very useful!
flst

[Windsor87]

I'm not a member of ancestry, but I will certainly use to pay as you go option to get the material. Sounds like it will be worth the value.

I've never joined ancestry because the vast majority of my ancestors lived in Scotland - so I use Scotland's People.

Carolyn Morrisey's website is very interesting. I have used it a few times when undertaking some local history research. Funny how I've never noticed James Ross until now...

[Windsor87]

I have now marked this thread as 'completed'. 

I found the papers you spoke of on Ancestry, flst. They are very informative. I now have more details about James Ross than I have for most of my other ancestors!

I have now set a new target for the next 5 years. I will be doing all that I can to find his medals - one of them went through an auction website over 10 years ago: http://www.dnw.co.uk/medals/auctionarchive/searchcataloguearchive/itemdetail.lasso?itemid=22642

I have already put out some feelers in the hope that it may resurface .

regards
Windsor87

[tmont]

hi, i dont know if ive contacted you,but james ross+everyone you mentioned are all my relatives,please get in touch, thanks

[Windsor87]

Hello,

You need at least 3 posts before you are able to message anyone on this site.

What is your connection to James Ross?

[tmont]

hi, sorry about that,just startedon this sight,not got a clue how to do it, james ross is my great great great grandfather,thanks

[Windsor87]

hi, sorry about that,just startedon this sight,not got a clue how to do it, james ross is my great great great grandfather,thanks

I see. He is my ggg grandfather too which makes us 4th cousins.

Which branch of the family do you come from? The Glasgow side or the Aberdeenshire side?
Did you know James Ross was killed in WW1?

[Windsor87]

Still hoping to get in touch with tmont who I have been unable to PM.

As the 100th anniversary of James' death approaches I have obtained more information regarding his death.

He was killed on 17th November 1914 near Hooge, East of Ypres, in the closing stage of the First Battle of Ypres.

According to the war diary for his unit on the 17th November:

"The reserve trenches were shelled with unprecedented rigor all day, resulting in the following casualties:- Major A. W. Buckingham, 3rd Gordon Highlanders (attached) killed...+ 1 man killed + 5 wounded".

I presume the one man killed was James Ross. Had he survived another day, he would have seen his unit attacked from the air with bombs being dropped from aircraft.

The conditions his unit were subjected to were penned by Major Buckingham in his last letter home:

"Alive and well, though my first experience of fighting in this campaign has been awful - continuously fighting for four days and nights, and have not had any sleep all that time. Not had clothes nor even boots off for over a week. Have been relieved today (16th November) by Royal Scots Fusiliers to have a sleep, and then to search for and bury our dead."

According to the war diary, the weather didn't help much:

"The weather throughout the period Nov 5th - 20th has been of the vilest description, heavy rain alternating with snow and sleet, resulting in several cases of frostbite amongst both officers and men".

So a miserable end all round.

Hopefully tmont will receive a notification, and get in touch.

Windsor87