John Curdie Pratt

John was born on 5th May 1896 at 41 Clarendon Street, just off Maryhill Road by St George's Cross.

Clarendon Street is ringed on the right-hand side.  At its west end, Maryhill Road runs down to St George's Cross, the junction with Great Western Road (running diagonally from top left to bottom right), St George's Road (cutting across the bottom right corner) and New City Road (just visible in the bottom right).  Park Circus is bottom left and the River Kelvin on the left-hand side.

His father was Thomas Pratt, who gave his occupation as "Landscape and Figure Painter".  He had married Ellen Gemmell Curdie in 1893.

John was their first child, to be followed by Ellen Averell, Thomas Arthur and Arthur.  Another child, Margaret, died aged three days of an internal haemorrhage.

Just after John was born, the family moved to 17 Courthill, Bearsden.  While this refers to the same general area as today the address "Courthill" referred to the houses on the north side of Drymen Road running from the bus stop by Schaw House to the junction with Stockiemuir Road.  There are 18 properties so, numbering from the Cross, number 17 has become 208 Drymen Road.

When John was still young, his father changed his vocation.  On the record of baby Margaret's death (15 March 1900) Thomas gave his occupation as "Free Church evangelist".  By the time of the 1901 Census, Thomas was living in Edinburgh as a lodger, describing himself as an evangelist.  Still in Bearsden, Ellen (with two children and a live-in servant) gave her marital status as "wife" and her occupation as "evangelist's wife, UF Church".

Ten years later and while Thomas seems to have visited home occasionally (Arthur was born in 1904), on Census Day 1911 he was visiting Bathgate, staying with the UF Church minister.  Back at Courthill, Ellen (now with three children and no servant) described herself as "Head of household" but gave no occupation.

He attended New Kilpatrick Higher Grade School.  The only glimpse we have of John as a child is at a Boys' Brigade inspection that year when he won a prize.

War broke out in August 1914 and the Milngavie and Bearsden Herald of 9th October reported John had joined 9th Battalion Highland Light Infantry.  

He seems to have been made an acting corporal from this time, suggesting some previous experience in a territorial army unit or something similar.

We know he was in Britain training for almost two years because he first entered France on 18th October 1916.

By March 1918 he was a Lieutenant in the 5th Battalion, temporarily assigned to 14th Battalion.  As the German attack of 21st March swept over and around the British frontline, the 14th Battalion assembled at Mory as part of what was referred to as The Army Line.

The battalion war diary shows what happened next:

The Germans were advancing from Vracourt to Mory.  The attacks were constant and the fighting was at close quarters.  This is the view from Mory towards Vracourt, also in March 103 years later::

At some stage during this fighting John was killed.  If his body was buried, the location was lost subsequently and he is commemorated on the Arras Memorial: