Bearsden War Memorial

I had originally intended to include this man under my post on those who died of disease but his story is interesting (and a little complex). James Ingram Russell is difficult to track on the Scotland’s People website – there is no obvious record of him in the births, censuses or deaths.   From documents we know for certain where James was on three specific dates. The first date is 15 th June 1928 by which time he was 28 years old, suggesting he was born in either 1899 or 1900.   He was a marine engineer and gave his address as onboard the SS Woodarra, a cargo ship belonging to the British India Steam Navigation Company ( link ).   (By this time this had been taken over by Peninsular and Oriental (P&O) but was still trading as a separate company.) He was getting married, the bride being Lilian Rose Lowe who was aged 24 and worked as a clerk.   She gave her address as Willowbank, Mill Road, Yoker but checking against the Valuation Roll this was the home of Jame...

Peter Gordon McDonald Peter Gordon McDonald was born on 26 th  November 1924 at 1065 Maryhill Road.   Maryhill Road runs from top left to bottom right, red circle shows 1065. His father, Peter, was a glazier and had married Margaret Murdoch Breckenridge in Kilmarnock in 1915. His link to Bearsden is not certain but Mrs Margaret M MacDonald is recorded as the proprietrix of 27 Borland Drive, Kessington, in the 1940 Valuation Roll. Peter (on the War Memorial he is named as Gordon) joined the RAFVR and was in flight training based at Rufforth, Yorkshire, with 1663 Heavy Conversion Unit. On 7 th  February 1944 he was an air gunner in a Halifax V, an older bomber aircraft mainly used for training on a daytime cross-country exercise.    In low cloud, the plane hit high ground at Garrowby Hill, 6 miles east of Stamford Bridge.    The plane’s momentum carried it on across a road where it hit a milk lorry, killing the driver.    It then caught fire an...

  Photo from Gallipoli 1915 Facebook page ( link ) William John Kirkwood was born on 8 th August 1884 at 13 Sutherland Terrace, Partick (the family lived there from 1883 to 1886).   This was renumbered as 24 Sutherland Street, then demolished for room for the Western Infirmary, now in its turn demolished for Glasgow University.   William's birthplace ringed in red - note that with the exception of the properties fronting Byres Road the entire triangle Sutherland Street bisects were demolished after the Second World War and University Avenue diverted through the site.  The modern approximation to the site of Number 24 is below: Looking north-east, University Avenue is just beyond the bollards and Ashton Road is beyond the tree. In adult life there is some evidence he was known as Willie but I have stuck to William.   His father, David Allison Kirkwood, was a mercantile clerk who had married Jeannie McPherson in Greenock (in April 1882?). The family had mov...