Private William Gartland

Private William Gartland

7th (Service) Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
Service No: 18021

1150

2

0

19

Click here for a frameable A4 print

Personal details

Family Information

Son of Thomas (1860 - 23/12/1940) and Mary Ann Gartland (1867 - 12/03/1935) of 116 Burnbank St, Coatbridge. William's younger brother Private James Gartland of the 2nd Battalion Kings Own Scottish Borderers Died of Wounds on the 20/04/1915. Another brother Edward served with the Royal Scots Fusiliers and survived the war. From the 1901 Census - Address - 1 Monkey Row, Bothwell - Thomas Gartland aged 38, Mary Ann Gartland aged 34, William Gartland aged 13, Edward Gartland aged 9, Mary J Gartland aged 12, James Gartland aged 6, Sarah Gartland aged 4, Francis Gartland aged 1. William had 2 other brothers Thomas born 1902 and Charles born 1904. William and his brother James' Pension was awarded to their father Thomas of 35 Gartgill Square, Coatbridge.

Born / Resided

Coatbridge / 116 Burnbank St, Coatbridge.

Died

Killed in Action on the 27/04/1916 at the village of Hulloch (near Loos)

Enlisted

Coatbridge 1914

Employed

Phoenix Iron Works.

Age

28 / DOB - 10/11/1887

Buried / Remembered

Loos Memorial (Panel 60), 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 Le Havre on the 18/02/1916 and were part of the 49th Brigade, 16th (Irish) Division. On the 27/04/1916 the Battalion were in the firing line at the Hulloch (near Loos) right subsection. The Battalion Officers casualties on this day were - Captain W.H. Collis Wounded, Captain J. Ritty Gassed, 2nd Lieutenant N.H. Collins Gassed and died on the way to Hospital, 2nd Lieutenant F.S. Carroll Gassed, Captain R.N. Murray Reported Missing, Lieutenant Gallagher Gassed, 2nd Lieutenant F.A. Milligan Gassed, Captain C.H. Stainforth Gassed, 2nd Lieutenant R.T. Sutton Wounded but remained at duty. SEE PHOTOS x 11 FOR THE BATTALION WAR DIARY FEBRUARY - APRIL 1916. The Gas Attacks at Hulluch were two German cloud gas attacks on British troops from 27th to 29th April 1916, near the village of Hulluch, 1 mile north of Loos in northern France. The gas attacks were part of an engagement between Divisions of the II Royal Bavarian Corps and divisions of the British I Corps. Just before dawn on the 27th April, the 16th (Irish) Division and part of the 15th (Scottish) Division were subjected to a cloud gas attack near Hulluch. The gas cloud and artillery bombardment were followed by raiding parties, which made temporary lodgements in the British lines. Two days later the Germans began another gas attack but the wind turned and blew the gas back over the German lines. A large number of German casualties were caused by the change in the wind direction and the decision to go ahead despite protests by local officers. German casualties were increased by the British, who fired on German soldiers as they fled in the open. The gas used by the German troops at Hulluch was a mixture of chlorine and phosgene, which had first been used on the 19th December 1915 at Wieltje, near Ypres. The German gas was of sufficient concentration to penetrate the British PH gas helmets and the 16th (Irish) Division was unjustly blamed for poor gas discipline. It was put out that the gas helmets of the division were of inferior manufacture, to allay doubts as to the effectiveness of the helmet. Production of the Small Box Respirator, which had worked well during the attack, was accelerated. See Directory for William's younger brother Private James Gartland's page. William is listed as 6TH BATTALION on the Memorial. William initially joined the Royal Irish Rifles in 1914 however a week later he disappeared. His father received a letter asking about his whereabouts. His surprised father explained that he was in the barracks of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers at Glenfield. William is also remembered on the St. Patrick's Church Roll of Honour with his 2 brothers James and Edward (see Newspaper clippings x 2). See photos for William's Medal Index Card, his CWGC Grave Registration, his name on the Loos Memorial Panel List, his name on the Loos Memorial, his Army Register of Soldiers Effects, his Service Medal and Award Rolls, the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers Cap Badge and William and his brother James' Pension Records x 4.

Photos

War Diaries

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

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