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General => Armed Forces => World War Two => Topic started by: Martin Briscoe on Wednesday 12 May 21 16:57 BST (UK)
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I saw this on the BBC News pages so had a look here, thinking it might have been discussed but I cannot see anything.
Someone might want to try out their searching skills and see if they can find anything about him.
Search for family of executed WW2 Highland soldier (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-57070605)
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If the MOD have not been able to identify him it would suggest that there is an error in what is written. Keller is the German for cellar and I think it is also a German surname. Scot or Scott is something that a Scotsman would say he was so the only part that may be of use would be Len.
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Interesting!
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If the MOD have not been able to identify him it would suggest that there is an error in what is written. Keller is the German for cellar and I think it is also a German surname. Scot or Scott is something that a Scotsman would say he was so the only part that may be of use would be Len.
Obviously there is an error but if there was a list to pick out possible matches to investigate.
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Maybe he gave a false name for some reason.
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Maybe he gave a false name for some reason.
Some did for various reasons - I believe quite a number of soldiers from Southern Ireland used an alias to avoid problems for their family.
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A suggestion....
I think the surname is probably in error as mentioned.
Playing around with searches and names etc bring up this possibility:
Leonard Scott Walker born in 1899 in St Nicholas, Aberdeen City (168/1 816)
1901:
John Walker 31 blacksmith
Agnes A Walker 31
Mary A Walker 8
Elizabeth J Walker 6
Ethel S Walker 4
Leonard S Walker 1
Address: 4 Charlotte St, St Nicholas, Aberdeen
Leonard Scott Walker married Violet May Patterson in 1923 in Rubislaw, Aberdeen.
There is no death showing for Leonard Scott Walker on SP. His wife, Violet May, died in 1980 in Falkirk, Stirlingshire. There does not look to be a second marriage for her (no other surnames given on the index).
I found this brief family tree on Ancestry www.ancestry.co.uk/family-tree/person/tree/8974926/person/-857565427/facts
Very little detail on this. It does however give a death year of 1941 for Leonard Scott Walker, we have July 1940 so very close.
Work in progress though for sure.
Monica
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There are the following records for Leonard Scott Walker:
WW1 records for him on the 'Pension Record Ledger.' He looks to have joined the Royal Highlanders. Discharged 28 April 1919.
Ship manifest entry for him heading to Canada. He arrived in Quebec in 1920 stating he was joining his sister. He must have returned to Scotland given the 1923 marriage that shows for him.
Leonard and wife Violet in London in 1939. No children showing with them. Likely back in Scotland with family?
Monica
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Reference to at least 2 daughters made in that link.
I can see one at least:
Mary Agnes (both grandmothers' names) Walker born 1927 in Rubislaw. She died last year at the age of 93 in Dunfermline. Mother's maiden name confirmed as Patterson. Violet had the spelling of double 't' in Patterson.
I found a clip on the BNA which mentions that mother Valerie May died at her daughter's home in Falkirk in 1980.
I can see that the family tree I found connects to Mary Agnes and her descendants. She married in 1976, into a noted glass making family.
I have sent a message to the tree owner. However, they have not logged on to Ancestry for over a year....so fingers crossed for a response.
Monica
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I tried searching for Leonard Scott Walker on the CWGC site, but nothing shows up.
I do wonder if perhaps "Keller" should actually be "Keiller", perhaps?
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The tree owner has kindly come back to me and confirmed that Leonard Scott Walker that I have mentioned died in the London area. I can see a likely death in 1st Qrt 1942 in Surrey Mid Eastern District.
Monica
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"I do wonder if perhaps "Keller" should actually be "Keiller", perhaps?"
How about McKeller?
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I tried McKeller and McKellar on the CWGC site as well without any luck. Another thing which occured to me was that Len might be a mistranscription from Ian but still no luck.
Of course, he may not be there, but I believe that those of the 51st Highland who were missing from St Valery are listed on the Dunkirk Memorial (as are those lost on the Lancastria, for example) so he might be there somewhere.
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Kellen, Keilen, Kellan, Killen, etc?
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...Another thing which occured to me was that Len might be a mistranscription from Ian but still no luck.
Again, I am just looking at births and possible names from there.
There is this one for example, picking up on your suggestion of 'Ian' rather than Len, and Ian being a variant of John:
JOHN SCOTT KEILLOR
1907
459/1 135
Wemyss (Fife)
Can't easily anything so far searching different name options www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2200237/memorial-search?firstname=&middlename=&lastname=keillor&cemeteryName=Dunkirk+Memorial&birthyear=&birthyearfilter=&deathyear=&deathyearfilter=&memorialid=&mcid=&linkedToName=&datefilter=&orderby=r&page=1#refine
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There are so few to put up as possibilities. John Scott Keillor is also not the soldier. JSK married in Canada in 1938 and died there in 1943 www.findagrave.com/memorial/34970289/john-keillor Marriage and death regs both have Scott as his middle name and marriage has reference to his birth place.
Monica
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I also saw the bbc news article and thought of this website.
Kellar - could maybe be Kelly. Or could it be a place name?
Len - possibly Colin?
Quite a challenge.
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2 vague possibles. (1) Pvte L. Keller (altered to Keeler), 6288464 missing 19 July 1940, in France. 4th Btn. East Kent Regt. (2) Sgt Keiler of Gordon Highlanders who is mentioned in Aberdeen Press & Journal article 4th Oct 1940 written by Sgt Major Fullerton, also Gordon Highlander, who both escaped their capture in June 1940 at St Valery.
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