Private James Cairns

Private James Cairns

10th (Service) Battalion Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
Service No: 20720

662

1

4

1

78

Click here for a frameable A4 print

Personal details

Family Information

Son of James and Christina Drummond Cairns of 38 Main St, Calderbank, Airdrie previously 23 Sunnyside Rd, Coatbridge. Brother of Mrs Maggie Fraser (married to Bruce). From the 1901 Census - Address - 84b Bank St, Coatbridge - James Cairns aged 50, Christina Cairns aged 42, Christina Cairns aged 15, Margaret Cairns aged 13, Elizabeth Cairns aged 10, James Cairns aged 7, William Cairns aged 5. James' Pension was awarded to his mother Christina of 33 Sunnyside Rd, Coatbridge on the 03/08/1916.

Born / Resided

Coatbridge / 23 Sunnyside Rd, Coatbridge.

Died

Killed in Action on the 25/09/1915 on the opening day of the Battle of Loos

Enlisted

Coatbridge Town Hall /09/1914

Employed

Underhand Puddler in the Stewarts and Lloyds Waverley Iron Works, Coatbridge / Territorial.

Age

23 Buried / Remembered

Loos Memorial (Panel 57 to 59), Pas de Calais, France.

Cemetery / Memorial Information

The Loos Memorial commemorates over 20,000 officers and men who have no known grave, who fell in the area from the River Lys to the old southern boundary of the First Army, east and west of Grenay, from the first day of the Battle of Loos to the end of the war. On either side of the cemetery is a wall 15 feet high, to which are fixed tablets on which are carved the names of those commemorated. At the back are four small circular courts, open to the sky, in which the lines of tablets are continued, and between these courts are three semicircular walls or apses, two of which carry tablets, while on the centre apse is erected the Cross of Sacrifice.

Additional Information

The Battalion arrived at Boulogne on the 11/07/1915 and were part of the 27th Brigade,15th (Scottish) Division when James fell. James arrived on the 03/09/1915. He fell 22 days later on the opening day of the Battle of Loos, 25th September - 15th October 1915 : The first genuinely large scale British offensive action but once again only in a supporting role to a larger French attack in the Third Battle of Artois. British appeals that the ground over which they were being called upon to advance was wholly unsuitable were rejected. The battle is historically noteworthy for the first British use of poison gas. On the opening day (morning) - In the centre the 15th (Scottish) Division : In this sector the gas cloud hung back, causing delays and some losses to the advancing troops. Although the infantry had only 200 yards to cross from the heads of the Russian saps, the gas and smoke only covered them for the first 40 yards, and as men emerged into the clear, two German machine-guns swept twice across the advancing line, causing many casualties. The afternoon and evening : 15th (Scottish) Division was in some difficulty, despite having succeeded in capturing Loos itself. Men were helplessly pinned down on the forward slope of Hill 70, and the artillery support that had been called for since 10.50am was only just beginning to happen. The enemy made a determined attempt, having reinforced this area, to envelop the troops lying out in the open and to force them towards the second German line. SEE PHOTOS x 9 FOR THE BATTALION WAR DIARY FROM AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 1915. Scottish Regiments lost a huge amount of brave men at Loos. Here is a list of Infantry Battalions who lost more than 500 men at the Battle of Loos from 25/09/1915 to 16/10/1915 - 7th Cameron Highlanders 687, of which 19 Officers, 9th Black Watch 680, of which 20 Officers, 6th King's Own Scottish Borderers 650, of which 20 Officers, 10th Highland Light Infantry 648, of which 20 Officers, 7th King's Own Scottish Borderers 631, of which 20 Officers, 8th Devons 619, of which 19 Officers, 8th Royal West Kents 580, of which 24 Officers, 8th Buffs 558, of which 24 Officers, 12th Highland Light Infantry 553, of which 23 Officers, 8th Black Watch 511, of which 19 Officers, 5th North Staffordshire 505, of which 20 Officers, 8th Seaforth Highlanders 502, of which 23 Officers. James was 1 of 99 men from the Coatbridge Memorial who fell during and from injuries from the Battle of Loos. His death was not confirmed until /12/1915. James was formerly with the Royal Scots Greys (6191). James was a member of Loyal Orange Lodge 133, Coatbridge District 22. See photos for James' name on the embroidered fall which is held within the Lodge. Many thanks to the Lodge who provided the photo. The Lodge was founded on the 08/06/1906 by 11 Ulstermen hence the name The Loyal Sons of Ulster LOL133. James is also remembered on the East United Free Church and Maxwell Parish Churches Rolls of Honour (see photos). See photos for James' Medal Index Card, his Army Register of Soldiers Effects, his Service Medal and Award Rolls, his CWGC Grave Registration, his name on the Loos Memorial x 2, his name on the Loos Memorial Panel List, his former Regiment the Royal Scots Greys Cap Badge, the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) Cap Badge and James' Pension Record. Finally, see photos of a wreath x 2 placed by myself at Loos Memorial in July 2023 remembering ALL the men who left from the Iron Burgh who are named there and one of myself at the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) Panels (James listed on the left at my elbow), SEE PHOTOS x 13 FOR THE 15th (SCOTTISH) DIVISION ON THE 25/09/1915, SEE PHOTOS FOR 33 PAGES FROM THE MOST UNFAVOURABLE GROUND BOOK REGARDING THE BATTALION and DIVISION 25/09/1915 (fantastic book on the Battle of Loos kindly signed by the author Niall Cherry) and the 15th (Scottish) Division Order of Battle x 13 (the Division he was with when he died).

Photos

War Diaries

The battalion War Diary is available on the National Archives website.

Creative Commons License

We have made this information and the images available under a Creative Commons BY-NC license. This means you may reuse it for non-commercial purposes only and must attribute it to us using the following statement: © coatbridgeandthegreatwar.com

Comments

Another family member thank you
Margaret Robertson, Holytown Motherwell Scotland , 10/01/2019 12:18PM

Do you have any information about or memories of Private James Cairns that you would like to share?

Or even if you would just like to leave a message to say you've been here, please leave a comment below.

*Please note that all comments are verified by a moderator before appearing on the site. All fields are required except links to photos.

Your name

Your location

Your comment

Online links to photos (Optional - please put each link on a separate line)

By clicking this checkbox you accept our terms & conditions and acknowledge that any links you provide to photos are your copyright or are out of copyright