Updating the Stewartry Roll of Honour
Examples of original entries
The Stewartry Roll of Honour was arranged in alphabetical order with the following subdivisions: Officers, NCOs, Privates, and Women. A few examples of some original Auchencairn-related entries are shown below (William Greggan was raised on Rascarrel Farm and educated at Auchencairn Public School). The examples used are broadly representative of the entries found throughout the book.
Updated and restyled examples
As stated on the Stewartry Roll of Honour Project page, the updated version will display a more consistent treatment of service details and, in the cases of those who died as a result of their war service, additional burial and commemoration information will be given. The individuals will be listed in alphabetical order. Where found, photographs are a great addition to the entries.
Principal additions/changes made to the example entries:
- photographs (if available)
- regimental number (where known)
- specific unit (if available), e.g., 2nd KOSB rather than KOSB
- service details restricted, in the main, to theatre of war, i.e., Western Front, Gallipoli, Mesopotamia
- stated dates of death are obtained from the official Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) records
- CWGC burial/commemoration information
- local commemoration information
Photographs
Two of the photographs used in these examples were found in the
local press. A few points to note about newspaper photographs:
- the vast majority were published to acknowledge death in service, so the chances of finding photographs of servicemen who survived the war is low (some exceptions were some wounded men and gallantry recipients e.g. Andrew Muir)
- the quality of the photographs varies enormously, from good early in the war to very poor in the later years
- the number of photographs published also drops markedly in the latter part of the war
Manipulating images for publication is much easier and quicker when working from a digital copy of the original print, e.g., the photograph of L/Cpl Robert Burgess was supplied by a relative of the deceased and took a fraction of the time to adjust to publication standard.
Regimental numbers
Determining service numbers can range from the very straightforward to downright
impossible, but most fall somewhere in between the two extremes.
- Straightforward identification
- indivuals who died in service
- individuals with uncommon names
- Problematic identification
- where specific service unit not known
- individuals with common names
How you can help
Following on from the above, the two main areas in which your help would be most appreciated are the forwarding of copies of original photographs and determining service numbers.
There are a number of possible sources for finding service numbers:
- Medals - either on the reverse side of the 1914/15 Stars, or on the rim of the British War Medal and Victory Medal;
- letters home; bible; Army pocketbook
If you are able to help then please use the contact form to get in touch. Thank you very much for your help.