Donald Ross Carruthers
Donald Ross Carruthers was born on 28th October 1895 at Burnbrae House just in Bearsden as it abuts Milngavie. He was named after his paternal grandfather.
His father, John Scott Carruthers, was manager of the nearby dye works (I have written a post on this which you can read by clicking here). His mother was Jane Scott Hay.
In the 1901 Census Burnbrae House is recorded as having eight rooms, so maybe not the grand mansion that the title suggest. Donald lived here with his parents, his younger sister and and two live-in servants. Ten years later on Census day the situation was identical other than an extra sister and brother. (A fifth child had died as a baby.)
He was educated at Glasgow Academy and then started an apprenticeship at an accountancy firm, Wylie, Guild and Scott - office at 116 Hope Street.
Around this time Donald the family moved from Burnbrae House to a house they rented called Murabank on Glenburn Road. While I cannot be absolutely certain, it seems reasonably likely this is number 15 Glenburn Road today.
The First World War started on 4th August 1914 and on 30th August 1914 Donald enlisted with the 9th Battalion, Highland Light Infantry at Greendykes Street by Glashow Green. The British and French forces had nearly been overwhelmed by the German attack and while the situation had been restored to some extent, reinforcements were desperately needed so only just over two months later on 2nd November 1914 the battalion arrived in France. Donald was a private in A Company.
On 25th September 1915 the battalion was part of 2nd Division, 5th Brigade and was located in the area of two small towns, Cuinchy and Givenchy. In what would become known as the first day of the Battle of Loos their part was to attack a German strongpoint nicknamed Tortoise Redoubt.
This was the first major attack by the British army in the war, despite it being more than a year old (reflecting the small size of the army in August 1914 and the losses it sustained in the first few months of fighting). The attack was to be proceeded by artillery fire on the German positions. There was also the use of poison gas, released by engineers from cylinders at a point where the wind would carry it towards the enemy lines. It had first been used by the Germans in April 1915 and had been condemned by the Allies as immoral; five months later they were copying the tactics.
Photo of gas being used during an attack - this is Loos but several weeks after the battle described below.
Here is a map of the battlefield on the first day, borrowed from a website giving an excellent overview if you want more detail, click here):
The British and their allies are to the left, positions marked in red. A canal runs horizontally across the middle of the map. The 9th HLI would have been just north of the canal, attacking towards 'The Tortoise'. As the map shows attacks had to be coordinated so that, for example, the strongpoint called The Embankment immediately south of The Tortoise had its own attack to deal with and could not give covering fire.
It was a sleepless night for the men because no final decision had been made on the exact time when the attack would begin. In the early morning, attacks went in either side of them. \The battalion's war diary takes up the story:
"Our 2 companies detailed to assault at 6.20am were formed up in good line on STRATHCONA WALK ... Smoke helmets were properly adjusted before the [gas] cylinders were opened.
The gas, when set free, travelled away from our trenches, though its direction was NE [north east] rather than E [east]. No trouble occurred until almost 6.25am when our trenches were suddenly enveloped in dense volumes of gas that rolled up from the canal on our RIGHT, where it had apparently collected, and possibly blown back. Within 5 minutes our two leading platoons had only 7 and 9 men left respectively who were fit to carry on. Two fresh platoons were bought up at the double to take their places, but were not in position till after 6.40am. A reconnitoring patrol was sent forward towards our objective but were met with rifle and M.G. [machine gun] fire, and all killed except one man. By this time it was known that the troops on the SOUTH bank of the canal had also failed to gain a footing in the German lines. Our attack was therefore abandoned for the time being and our assaulting companies reorganised."
A few hours later the battalion reported casualties of one officer and 120 men but many of these would have been suffering from exposure to gas or were wounded. In France and Belgium, 9715 British soldiers died on this day, a staggering total - but only nine from the 9th HLI, including Donald. There is no record of how he was killed but from the account it seems most likely he was one of the men sent out on patrol.
Donald's body was buried at a cemetery at Guinchy. It was called Guards Cemetery because it was extensively used by regiments of the Guards in 1915 but men from other regiments killed nearby are also buried here.
This shows the eight headstones together; the ninth man (William Maxwell) is buried in another cemetery.
In 1919 Donald's parents donated a memorial window to commemorate him in New Kilpatrick Church:
The church service was reported by the Milngavie and Bearsden Herald of 5th December 1919:
The other 9th HLI men who died that day were:
Lance-Serjeant Samuel Beattie, of Mackay Place, Moodiesburn
Private David Bruce of Carrickarden Street, Kelvingrove:
Private John Daniel Buchanan of Greenock
Company Sergeant Major Joseph Hanley, born in Bonnybridge
Private William Maxwell of Cambuslang
Private J McGhie
Private David Newlands of Springburn
Private William Smith of Rutherglen
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