WW1 military cross receipient

[alison300]

Is anyone able to tell me please what Capt. John Steven Strang, 9th Bn. Black Watch received the MC for and when?  I have an Ancestry subscription but wondering if these sort of things can be found elsewhere online?  Thank you.

[JenB]

Temp(orary) Captain John Steven Strang, Black Watch.

For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in charge of the firing line during an attack and counter attack. When his men were forced back he re-organised them, re-took the lost ground, and consolidated it under heavy fire.

Daily Record and Mail 12 March 1918.

[alison300]

Thanks JenB - that's brilliant.

[hanes teulu]

Can also be viewed on line here
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/Edinburgh/issue/13220/page/949

[alison300]

Thanks for the link.  I struggle to find anything on that site 

[MaxD]

The award was first gazetted on 16 October 1917 (the war diary has the record of the award a little earlier, on 4 Oct 1917)
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/30340/supplement/10711
in a list which said that the circumstances would be published as soon as practicable.  That was then done as JenB and Hanes Teulu pick up, in March 1918.

The action in which he won his award was on 25/26 August 1917 in an attack on a feature called Hill 35 to the north east of Ypres.  The map and present day image are at:
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=15&lat=50.8773&lon=2.9622&layers=101464918&right=BingHyb

It is the "35" in the top right of square 19, unfortunately covered in cloud in the image.  The war diary is on Ancestry:
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01nuk/

MaxD

Later amendment, location was north east of Ypres, post amended.
. 

[alison300]

Thanks MaxD - really appreciate all the details and I will now check out the war diary.