In Memory of

WILLIAM MIDDLETON

Private
241236
'H' Coy, 9th Bn., Gordon Highlanders
who died on
Sunday, 8th December 1918. Age 25.

Additional Information:

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Willie Middleton

 

 

1914-18 War Medals

Only son of William and Ann Middleton, Midton of Cults, Kennethmont later at Shanquhar Cottage, Gartly.

William Middleton d 10/3/1926 at Turriff, age 75. Ann Mitchell d 25/10/1898 at Little Shanquhar, Gartly age 43. Interred Gartly CY, Headstone has details of son William age 25.

MIC; War & Victory Medals, previous number 3672

Willie was born at Backburn, Gartly on 1st June 1893. His father was a gamekeeper. He had an elder sister Lizzie and a younger one Jane.

From Batt Diaries : 241236 Middleton W, 'H' Coy is recorded as sick and listed in Field Ambulance on 3/12/1918.
He is also recorded as lost from 'H' company strength and 'evac sick' on same day.

Obituary : Died at No1 Australian Casualty Clearing Station 8/12/1918, Influenza.

He enlisted at Aberdeen, served France and Flanders. 9th GH was a Pioneers Battalion

He worked for The Great North of Scotland Railway at Udny Station before enlisting into the 5th Gordons.
His name is recorded on the Fallen Employees Memorial on the concourse of Aberdeen Railway Station

 

Service Notes
9th (Service) Battalion Gordon Highlanders - Pioneers

Formed at Aberdeen September 1914 - Kitcheners 2 -to Aldershot in 44th Brigade, 15th (Scottish) Division.
12/1/1915 became pioneer Battalion to 44th Brigade.
July 1915 landed in France in 15th Division in same role.
11/11/1918 in Belgium.

 

Commemorative Information

Cemetery: TOURNAI COMMUNAL CEMETERY ALLIED EXTENSION, Tournai, Hainaut, Belgium
Grave Reference/
Panel Number:
IV. E. 7.

Location:

Headstone of William Middleton

 

Tournai Communal Cemetery is located in the south west district of Tournai itself on the N508, Chaussee De Douai, a road leading from the R52 Tournai ring road. 900 metres after leaving the R523 and joining the N508, lies the left hand turning onto the Chaussee De Willemean. The cemetery is located at the end of this lane.

Historical Information:

 

View GNSR Memorial

Tournai (Doornik in Flemish), was captured by the German II Corps on the 23rd August, 1914, in spite of the resistance of a French Territorial Brigade, and it remained in German hands until it was entered by the 47th (London) and 74th (Yeomanry) Divisions on the 8th November, 1918. The 51st (or Highland) Casualty Clearing Station came in on the 14th November and remained until the 20th July, 1919. The (Southern) Communal Cemetery, in the Faubourg-St. Martin, was used and extended by the Germans during their occupation. (German sick and wounded were nursed in the "Asile", the British and Allied in the Hopital Notre-Dame.) The earlier German War burials were made in the North corner, the later in the extension to the South-West, and the British burials after the Armistice in the same extension. It was decided later to regroup the German and Allied dead, by nationalities; and part of the German Extension then became the Allied (or Western) Extension. There were brought to it not only British and many Allied dead from the North corner of the cemetery, but also British dead from other cemeteries in a wide area round Tournai. There are now nearly 700, 1914-18 and over 50, 1939-45 war casualties commemorated in this site. Of these, over 30 from the 1914-18 War are unidentified. The cemetery covers an area of 3,233 square metres.