Democracy of War Update

I have been researching the war service of Thomas Fleming , a Cellardyke man, prompted by information supplied by his granddaughter Margaret Mitchell (including his photograph.) Prior to the war he worked as a net loom mechanic in Robert Watson’s George Street Cellardyke factory. ( Robert Watson’s son Willie, was the first local Black Watch Territorial to die in the war.) Thomas was described in a reference supplied by Watson’s as “steady truthful and absolutely trustworthy.” During the war he served on HMS White Oak , which was a Fraserburgh drifter requisitioned by the Admiralty , which served as a depot ship in Poole Dorset. (Depot ships supported naval vessels.) He was subsequently transferred to HMS Vigorous another depot ship serving Larne Harbour in Northern Ireland ( which had a prominent anti submarine role). What is interesting is that both of these boats appear to have strong contingent of men from Grimsby/Cleethorpes area- the skipper of the Vigorous was George Frederick Johnston who had been the skipper of a Grimsby trawler. Although these boats were not engaged by the enemy a remarkable number of crew died whilst in service. At least 6 men from Vigorous died including Surgeon Lieutenant Edward Garlick Fisher, RN.All of the Vigorous deaths were in 1918/19 which suggest that they may have been the victim of the flu epidemic of that time; however one of the men from the White Oak died of drowning. Thomas survived the war and returned to work at Watson’s factory, dying in 1943 aged only 51.

Frederick Blunsdon was a 31 year old Regular Navy Petty Officer when he was killed - his submarine D5 hit a mine in the freezing waters of the North Sea in November 1914. He had already been badly injured when blown out of the conning tower of a submarine. I have now been provided with detailed family information by Stuart Woodward whose great grandfather William James Blunsdon was Fred’s brother. Fred was born in 1883 in Wiltshire, the middle child of William Blunsdon and Jane Anderson. William was an old soldier who, despite hailing from Swindon, Wiltshire, served for over 20 years with the Royal Scots ,including 15 years in India without a break. He ended his service at Glencorse Barracks in Midlothian and became a butler in Auchendinny House Lasswade where he met Jane Anderson, a cook. He was aged 41; Jane was 10 years younger. They were soon married and moved to England where they worked as domestic servants in Surrey. However they gravitated back to Scotland and by the time of the 1901 Census were living at 2 Tolbooth Wynd where William was described as a Golf Cleek Filer. The reason for this , and for being in Anstruther is that Jane’s family were the famous Andersons of Anstruther whose golf clubs were in great demand. And so it was to Anstruther that news of Fred’s death was sent and which is why he appears on the memorial here.

The worst single event affecting Anstruther and Cellardyke in the First World War happened in August 1917 only a few miles offshore when the ‘Jane’ was blown up by a mine which it had caught in its fishing nets. The explosion killed Skipper Andrew Henderson, his two sons Alexander and Andrew and two other crew members. Both boys were married and left behind grieving wives and children. Andrew Henderson (27) was married to Agnes Anderson Muir and they had a daughter and 2 sons. The daughter Elizabeth became a nurse in Dunfermline before moving with her husband to Doncaster. Her son Jim has contacted me to provide this information and also this fine picture of his grandfather.

This superb postcard photograph of Robert Gardner was loaned to me by his son who still lives in Cellardyke. A Robert Gardner appears on the memorial, a sailor on the SS Greynog who was killed when it was torpedoed in April 1918. But he was not the same Robert Gardner who is pictured here. In fact both men were close friends - but not related. Poignantly this Robert was home on leave when he heard that his friend was in harbour at Granton and travelled across to see him the day before he left on his fatal last sea voyage.

In the Democracy of War book there is another picture (see below) of a young Robert Gardner in uniform alongside the account of the loss of the Greynog - but this is a photo of the Robert who survived -not the one who was killed. Confused-? well clearly so was I !

I have finally tracked down a photograph of Lt. Philip Ray. This must have been taken not long before his death as he is wearing the winged insignia of the RFC in which he had transferred. However he retains the Black Watch cap badge

The memorial plaque for John Christie RNR has kindly been supplied to me by Mr J. Woodward of Kilrenny. These bronze plaques, commonly known as the Dead Man’s Penny, were issued to the next of kin of those who lost their lives in World War 1. Each is individually inscribed with the name of the person who died; there is no rank given, which was intended to show the equality of sacrifice. John Christie was a 25 year old engineer from Cellardyke who died when the HMPMS Queen of the South sank after hitting a mine on July 20 1917. The Queen of the North was a paddle steamer which prior to the war had taken holiday makers on day trips from Blackpool to the Isle of Man

I had this exchange regarding a Waid Academy medal

Hello, I would be very grateful if you could give me any information on the picture of the medal I have attached to this e mail . The medal was awarded to Alexander Macrae by the Waid Academy , Anstruther for the year 1927-28. It appears to commemorate the local territorial battalion of the Black Watch. The other side has a latin inscription, possibly the coat of arms of Anstruther (a sailing ship between two pillars) and the Waid Academy Anstruther. Regards Ian Lowes

Hello Ian, - I was really interested to see the photograph of this medal. This was a post World War 1 innovation at Waid Academy introduced by the Governors. Previously only the Dux of the School received a gold medal ( later becoming a gold watch ). However it was decided that senior pupils who came first in certain subjects should receive Subject Medals. These were paid for by local benefactors and as the first were presented in 1920, less than two years after the armistice, 3 of the 7 medals were struck in memory of war service . So for example the Science medal was donated by Robert Ray “in memory of his brother Philip Oliphant Ray Lieutenant RFC killed in action 13 April 1917″. Another was provided by the Rector of Waid Academy “in Honour of the daring and skill of the Fishermen and Seamen of the Waid Coast in Naval Service 1914 -1919″.

Your medal was donated by Provost Cunningham (and others) “in memory of the Glorious men and deeds of the 7th Black Watch”, which as you say was the local territorial battalion in which many local men served and died.

I have not seen the reverse side but from your description I think it is likely to be the school coat of arms. This is based on a carving above the main entrance to the school carved by a Mr Rhind of a sailing ship passing between two towers. This was said to be emblematic of the youth who would pass through into the sea of life. The school motto carved beneath is “Multi Pertransibunt Et Augebitur Scienta”- meaning “Many will pass through and learning will be increased.”

Hello Kevin, Thank you very much for the information on the medal. The latin inscription on the medal is the motto of the Academy . Interestingly the sculptor of the gates is the same sculptor of the Boer war memorial here in Hawick . The medal itself was picked up in an antique shop in Jedburgh, there were other medals to Alexander Macrae from Waid academy including his silver dux medal although only one with a WW1 connection. I was interested in the medal as I collect items relating to our local Territorial btn. 1/4th K.O.S.B. and liked the idea of another territorial battalion being commemorated in this way. Thank you for taking the time to reply to my query, Regards IAN

Lance Corporal William Tosh had grown up on farm between Anstruther and Crail, and emigrated to Australia to take up sheep farmig. He enlisted in the Australian Light Horse and was killed in Gallipoli on 7 August 1915.

Thanks to the Australian authorities putting miltary files on- line we now know a lot more about L/Cpl Tosh and there is an unexpected twist too. His Attestation Papers, which were completed when he signed up on 15 February 1915 shows that he was born in the parish of Crail, was aged 30 years and 5 months , unmarried and his next of kin was his mother living at ‘Mansefield’ Anstruther. His Active Service Casualty form is stamped ‘Killed in Action’ and shows that he had set off from Australia to Egypt only 3 months after signing up and was killed in action at Gallipoli less than three months after that. The Australian executor of his will Fred Walter spotted his name in the ‘Argus ‘ newspaper on 4 September and that same day wrote to the authorities in Melbourne asking for details. He then contacted William’s mother who also wrote to the authorities asking that the personal effects of her ‘beloved son’ should be sent on to her at once. In the meantime the Anstruther solicitors A and D Cook set the wheels in motion to cash in a life insurance policy which would go to his mother as the sole legatee. So far so sad. But then the twist - the file also contains a letter from a Mrs W Tosh 55 Victoria Road Dundee, which asks the Australian authorities ‘ if you have such a man as William Tosh in any of the Australian regiments. My husband left Dundee about six years ago and I never got any word from him…people have told me he is in the soldiers.” She continues “I am in bad health and has a little girl to keep and I am in very poor circumstances.” This letter was received 25 June 1917 and the Australian authorities replied promptly, telling her matter of factly that there was only one William Tosh who served in their forces and that he had been killed in Gallipoli and was buried there . Without comment they provided the details which were on his attestation record -  that he was single,a farmer, and that his next of kin was his mother in Fife.

Poor Mrs Tosh- but should we jump to conclusions? I think not. Circumstantially it would seem unlikely taht L/Cpl Tosh was her missing husband. We can trace William’s progress from the time he grew up at ‘Thirdpart’ farm. He came from a relatively well to do family, had been educated at Clifton Bank School in St Andrews and then trained in business with a firm of solicitors in Anstruther. He then moved to Kelso to learn sheep farming prior to emigrating to Australia. It seems unlikely that he would have secretly married and set up a home in Dundee. Further research does not suggest otherwise. William was 30 when he was killed so the earliest he could have married was 1900 and according to Mrs Tosh writing from Dundee in 1917 he had left there 6 years previously. Researching the marraige records for the period 1900-1912 shows that nine men named William Tosh were married in Scotland between those dates; none in Fife and only 3 in Dundee. The first was a wood turner who was 28 when he married in 1903; the next was a 53 year old dockworker, married in 1906. Finally there was a domestic groom who was 27 when he married in 1910. Perhaps it was he who disappeared the following year?

Philip Ray, son of the Rev Robert Ray of Cellardyke, was a university student when he joined up as a private soldier. After fighting in the trenches with the Cameronians he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant with the Black Watch before joining the Royal Flying Corps. He was an observer in the infamous R.E.8 aircraft photographing enemy lines when he was shot down and killed over Arras on April 13 1917. He was 23 years old. Most historical accounts say that all six planes of Ray’s 59 Squadron were attacked and shot down by Manfred von Richthofen’s Jasta 11 Squadron , which shortly thereafter became part of his famous Flying Circus. But an examination of the record of that squadron shows that only five R.E.8s were shot down by them that morning - and the plane not accounted for was that in which Philip Ray was flying, piloted by another Scot, Philip Bentinck Boyd.What had happened to it? In fact a lone pilot of another German squadron, Jasta 4, had joined the dogfight and shot down Philip Ray’s plane at 8.56 am on 13 April. The German pilot was Oberleutnant Hans Klein, a 26 year old German ace from Stettin who shot down a total of 22 British aircaft and went on to become a Major General in the Luftwaffe before his death in 1944.

Oberleutnant Hans Klein, Jasta 4