King's Own Scottish Borderers - 2nd BN

[DeniseA]

Hi,
My mom's uncle, Horace Walter Matthews died 6 Oct 1917, from CWGC he is shown as being part of the King's Own Scottish Borderers, 2nd Bn. Using this site http://www.1914-1918.net/index.htm I have been attempting to map this unit's movements and where he may have fallen but i've been getting confused with all the talk of 'division' 'brigade' 'corp'  . I think I may have traced his final battle to 'The Battle of Polygon Wood - 26th September - 3rd October 1917' but can't be sure with all the changing terminology............could someone please help
~Denise

[harribobs]

i think you've been looking at one of the best sites for the information you need

on this page http://www.1914-1918.net/menu_army.htm  you find definitions army administrative terms

i'll try to explain in general terms

the 2nd battalion KOSB  were part of the 13th brigade of the 5th division
 
in the period you are looking at a brigade consisted of 4 infantry battalions (of approx 1,000 men), a division consisted of 3 brigades , so a division had 12,000 infantry  ( plus artillery and support troops)

i'll look at 2nd battalions actions and post that seperately

[harribobs]

here is horace's SDGW entry

[harribobs]

interesting to see he was a member of the royal engineers tunneling company

[harribobs]

this is the link to his cwgc entry

http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=23970

[harribobs]

the location and the CWGC site would seem to confirm that horace was wounded during the battle we refer to as 3rd Ypres ( passchendeale) and was taken to the casualty clearing station at Godewaersvelde, where he died

[DeniseA]

Thanks so much for that help, that explanation has cleared up my confusion with the terms used. My Grandmother told me about her brother that was killed in the war and I've gone to the CWGC site before but couldn't find him. I didn't know his name until just recently finding him on the 1901 census and there were just too many Matthews to go through individually before that, I was surprised to find him a part of the KOSB, from this site he's not on their list http://www.ww1photos.com/KOSB.html do you think that means he joined the royal engineers tunneling company first and was 'drafted' into the KOSB of which he was a member when he was killed?
That site http://www.1914-1918.net/menu_army.htm I found on the Derbyshire Lads website, which is dedicated to the men of Derbyshire who gave their lives in WW1. With your help I can now send them the information I know regarding Horace
Thanks again
~Denise
 
P.S. What is SDGW, is that similar to what in Canada we call attestation papers?

[harribobs]

no problem Denise

it's an honour to try and trace a brave mans actions

SDGW was originally a set of books Soldiers Died (in the) Great War, published after WW1, it lists the 'main' information that was known about the soldier. it's now in CD format and is a fantastic tool for any researcher

the attestation (or enlistment) papers were part of what the soldier signed when he enlisted, Canada is lucky i understand you can access them on line. in the UK we have haven't got that far and there's another blow in that 60% of them were destroyed in the blitz in WW2

Yes it would seem he was a tunnel man before the KOSB, i assume that was where he first joined, was he a miner? or worked in the construction industry? 

i think he would have been injured or wounded while in the RE and when he recovered he was sent to the KOSB

have a look at this page of the tunnelling companies http://www.1914-1918.net/tunnelcoyre.htm

and i could suggest the (fictional ) book 'Birdsong'  sebastien faulkes (check spelling) for a taste of what it was like

[liverpool annie]

I wonder if it was the mustard gas that killed Horace ? you might find this illuminating

On the night of 12-13th July 1917, the Germans released an even more deadly gas, that of "Mustard Gas" (also known as H, yperite - probably from the place of first use, sulfur mustard, Kampfstoff Lost). In one of the supreme ironies of the history of chemical warfare, the British had tested mustard during the summer of 1916, but the developers had been unable to convince the military of its utility. Meanwhile, the Germans began developing mustard in September 1916, and first filled shells with mustard in the spring of 1917. The Germans waited to introduce mustard to the battlefield until they had accumulated a large supply, knowing that it would be difficult for the Allies to catch up; indeed it took the French 11 months and the British 14 months before they were able to use the agent on the battlefield.

Mustard was first synthesized by Meyer in 1886, although it had been produced in very poor yield by Guthrie some 25 years previously (had Guthrie's preparation produced a higher yield, he likely would have been severely injured). When pure, H is a colorless and odorless liquid. Agent grade material is typically yellow to dark brown; the odor is variously described as "similar to that of burning garlic," "a characteristic sweetish odor," and "a weak, sweet, agreeable odor." It is a strong vesicant (causes blistering).

"... The mustard gas cases started to come in. It was terrible to see them. I was in the post-operative tent so I didn't come in contact with them, but the nurses in the reception tent had a bad time. The poor boys were helpless and the nurses had to take off their uniforms, all soaked with gas, and do the best for the boys. Next day all the nurses had chest trouble and streaming eyes from the gassing. They were all yellow and dazed. Even their hair had turned yellow and they were nearly as bad as the men, just from the fumes from their clothing" Account from nurse at No.11 Casualty Clearing Station near Godewaersvelde British Cemetery.

Annie