Private John Hutchison

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Private John Hutchison

10th (Service) Battalion Highland Light Infantry
Service No: 12599

1206

3

4

0

23

Click here for a frameable A4 print

Personal details

Family Information

Son of John and Helen (Ellen) Cochrane Hutchison of 36 Back Row, Whifflet, Coatbridge. Husband of Ellen Edger Sinclair (formerly Hutchison) born 12/08/1890 of 104 South St, Perth. Father of 2 children, Ellen born 29/02/1912 and Agnes born 18/12/1913. From the 1891 Census - Address - 6 Craig St, Airdrie - Grandmother Mary V Cochrane aged 49, John's Mother Ellen Cochrane aged 25, Aunt Elizabeth Cochrane aged 26, Aunt Mary Cochrane aged 15, Uncle John Cochrane aged 13, John Hutchison aged 3, brother Thomas Hutchison aged 11 months. From the 1901 Census - Address - 44 Back Row, Rosehall, Coatbridge - Stepfather John Watson aged 42, John's Mother Ellen Watson aged 34, Stepbrother's George Watson aged 7, William Watson aged 6, Alexander Watson aged 6, Robert Watson aged 1, John Hutchison aged 12, brother Thomas Hutchison aged 10. John's Pension was awarded to his wife Ellen (who re-married) on the 25/04/1916. John's mother Ellen was a Claimant.

Born / Resided

Coatbridge / 36 Back Row, Whifflet, Coatbridge.

Died

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

Enlisted

Coatbridge

Employed

Rosehall Colliery.

Age

27 / DOB - 19/05/1888

Buried / Remembered

Cambrin Churchyard Extension Cemetery (J. 25), Pas de Calais, France.

Cemetery / Memorial Information

At one time, the village of Cambrin housed brigade headquarters but until the end of the First World War, it was only about 800 metres from the front line trenches. The village contains two cemeteries used for Commonwealth burials; the churchyard extension, taken over from French troops in May 1915, and the Military Cemetery "behind the Mayor's House." The churchyard extension was used for front line burials until February 1917 when it was closed, but there are three graves of 1918 in the back rows. The extension is remarkable for the very large numbers of graves grouped by battalion, the most striking being the 79 graves of the 2nd Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and 15 of the 1st Cameronians (Row C), the 35 of the 2nd Royal Welch Fusiliers and 115 of the 1st Middlesex (Row H), all dating from 25 September 1915, the first day of the Battle of Loos. Cambrin Churchyard Extension contains 1,211 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, 8 being unidentified. There are also 98 French, 3 German and 1 Belgian burials here.

Additional Information

John and the Battalion arrived at Boulogne on the 12/05/1915 and were part of the 28th Brigade, 9th (Scottish) Division. They were attached to the South African Brigade from the 06/05/1915 until the 14/05/1916 when they transferred to the 46th Brigade, 15th (Scottish) Division and amalgamated with 11th (Service) Battalion to form the 10/11th Battalion. The Battle of Loos 25th September to the 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. The opening day of The Battle of Loos : Zero hour was fixed for 05.50 a.m. On the left of the Division were the 10th Highland Light Infantry and the 6th Kings Own Scottish Borderers were on the right. At 06.30 they advanced in 3 lines against the German trenches. The 10th Highland Light Infantry : As the wind was too weak to carry the gas forward from the trenches many of the men were suffering from the effects of it when they left the front line. At the very start the ranks of the Battalion were thinned by a storm of shell, rifle and machine-gun fire, a considerable amount being killed or wounded. The men pushed on but we unable to penetrate the enemy's wire. Before vicious machine-gun fire from Madagascar Trench, Railway Work and Mad Point the attack melted away and most of the survivors struggled back to the trenches none of whom had broken through the German wire. SEE PHOTOS x 6 FOR THE 10th (SERVICE) BATTALION WAR DIARY ON THE 25/09/1915 + 9 PHOTOS FROM THE HISTORY OF THE 9th (SCOTTISH) DIVISION. THE BATTALION CASUALTIES ON THE 25/09/1915 (NON COMMISSIONED OFFICERS + MEN) - "A" COMPANY : 29 KILLED, 66 MISSING, 45 WOUNDED, 22 GASSED (TOTAL = 162), "B" COMPANY : 66 KILLED, 70 MISSING, 33 WOUNDED, 6 GASSED (TOTAL = 175), "C" COMPANY : 28 KILLED, 46 MISSING, 46 WOUNDED, 7 GASSED (TOTAL = 127), "D" COMPANY : 37 KILLED, 17 MISSING, 50 WOUNDED, 9 GASSED (TOTAL = 113). TOTAL : 160 KILLED, 199 MISSING, 174 WOUNDED, 49 GASSED = 577. OFFICERS - HQ : 1 KILLED, 1 WOUNDED, 1 GASSED, "A" COMPANY : 4 KILLED, "B" COMPANY : 3 KILLED, "C" COMPANY : 2 WOUNDED, "D" COMPANY : 1 KILLED, 2 WOUNDED. TOTAL : 9 KILLED, 5 WOUNDED, 1 GASSED = 15. John was Killed in Action on the opening day of the Battle of Loos along with many other men from the Memorial. He was 1 of 99 men from the Coatbridge Memorial who fell during and from injuries from the Battle of Loos. 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. The main Grave photo donated by Mick McCann at the britishwargraves.co.uk. John is also remembered on the East United Free Church Roll of Honour (see photos). See photos for John's Medal Index Card, his Newspaper clipping, his Birth Registry, his mention in the De Ruvigny's Roll of Honour, another photo of John's Grave, his CWGC Grave Registration x 2, his Headstone Report x 2, his Army Register of Soldiers Effects, Cambrin Churchyard Extension Cemetery, his Service Medal and Award Rolls x 2, the Highland Light Infantry Cap Badge and John's Pension Records x 2. Finally, I have the 10th (Service) Battalion War Diary from May 1915 to May 1916. If information is required please contact me.

Photos

War Diaries

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

Creative Commons License

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