Daniel Stewart Macdonald

[jim1]

Private Daniel McDonald, 40604
15th Battalion, Highland Light Infantry
Died 15th July 1917

List of soldiers effects names his NOK as mother Margaret.

Daniel was  killed on 18th February 1917 on the Somme

The Somme offensive didn't start until July so something not quite right about that.

[C. Macdonald]

Many thanks to all who contacted me , your details have now cleared up the points that were causing me problems, thanks to all who helped.
Best regards.
Colin.

[dowdstree]

The tree on Ancestry is well researched and contains the following information and records to back it up.

Janet McNab (Daniel's Mother) died in 1903 and his father remarried on 17th July 1917 to a lady named as Mary Margaret Surgeon. The wedding took place 2 days after Daniel had been killed in action at Neuport, West Flanders, Belgium. This would explain the Margaret named as his mother on the list of soldier's effects. His father died in 1924.

Dorrie

[MaxD]

The Register of Soldiers Effects has his death as "presumed" on 15 July 1917 which, sadly, means that that his body was never found and hence his commemoration on the Memorial.
His battalion were deployed near Nieuport* in defence of the Yser bridge in what became known as the Battle of the Dunes covered here: http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/battles/battles-of-the-western-front-in-france-and-flanders/operation-hush-including-the-battle-of-the-dunes/.  On 15 July 1917 the battalion suffered some 200 casualties from artillery and machine gun fire.

MaxD

*200 kilometres north of the Somme.

[C. Macdonald]

Very many thanks for those details MaxD.
Colin.

[jim1]

Their part in the above battle was to re-take the trench system (blue square) which had been taken & lost by the Royal Scots a couple of days earlier.
This position is just off the coast N. of Niewport.

[Annette7]

I'm now starting to question the 'Donald McDonald, died 15/7/1917' - the tree on Ancestry that has made this link shows under source 'Statutory registers, Deaths' details of this Donald McDonald but this states he was aged 21.   

Annette 

[dowdstree]

I have checked that out too Annette7 and see what you mean about the age given as 21 instead of 31.

Perhaps this was a clerical error as sometimes happened when writing out long lists of deaths.

The photograph is the same person so I think we have the correct man.

Dorrie

[jim1]

It's also odd that he names his NOK as mother Margaret when in fact it was his father who was still alive.