Private William John Whan (Whann)

Private William John Whan (Whann)

1st Battalion Scots Guards
Service No: 11030

826

2

4

1

84

Click here for a frameable A4 print

Personal details

Family Information

Son of Robert Whan and Mary McKernan Whan of Straits, Lurgan Rd, Banbridge, Co. Down. Previously at Coolreaghs in Lissan Lower, Tyrone. Coolreaghs lies just north of Cookstown. From the 1901 Ireland Census - Address - Coolreaghs, Lissan Lower, Tyrone - Robert Whann aged 40, Mary Whann aged 45, Emily Whann aged 15, Adopted Child Edith Johnston aged 15, Lizzie Whann aged 12, William James Whann aged 9, William's grandfather James McKernan aged 69. From the 1911 Ireland Census - Address - Coolreaghs, Lissan, Co. Tyrone - Robert Whan aged 50, Mary Jane Whan aged 50, Emily Whan aged 24, William Whan aged 19, Thomas Whan aged 9, Herbert Whan aged 4, boarder Elizabeth McCormack aged 21, Mary Hayes aged 20. William's Pension was refused by his father. Pension states "does not wish to claim".

Born / Resided

Cookstown, Co. Tyrone / 29 North Square, Coatbridge

Died

Killed in Action on the 27/09/1915 at the Hulloch area during the Battle of Loos

Enlisted

Glasgow 1914

Employed

Iron Worker with William Baird and Company / Agricultural Labourer aged 19

Age

23 / DOB - 07/01/1892

Buried / Remembered

Loos Memorial (Panel 8 and 9), 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 in Le Havre on the 14/08/1914 and were part of the 2nd Guards Brigade, Guards Division. William was Killed in Action on the 3rd day of the Battle of Loos. Hulluch area: At 4.40pm, under cover of a thick smoke screen, 2nd Guards Brigade advanced to Chalk Pit Wood and the Chalk Pit. A further advance to the buildings at Puits 14 bis was halted by machine-gun fire from Bois Hugo. SEE PHOTOS x 6 FOR THE BATTALION WAR DIARY SEPTEMBER 1915. Scottish Regiments lost a huge amount of brave men at Loos. The 1st Battalion Scots Guards lost 474, of which 14 officers. 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. William was 1 of 99 men from the Coatbridge Memorial who fell during and from injuries from the Battle of Loos. William is listed as WHAN on the CWGC site. The name changes from WHAN to WHANN in various records (see photos). William was a member of Loyal Orange Lodge 133, Coatbridge District 22. See photos for William's 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. William is also remembered on the Gartsherrie Works, Maxwell Parish Church and the First Presbyterian Church, Cookstown Rolls of Honour and on the Cookstown War Memorial (see photos) and also in the St. Augustines Parish (book) Roll of Honour. There's another Cookstown man on the Memorial, William's friend Private Samuel Falls (see Directory). The 2 men lived next to each other in Coatbridge, worked together, were in the same Orange Lodge, enlisted in the same Regiment together and they both fell together on the same day. Neither has a known grave. Able Seaman David McGowan lived at North Square as well, also an Iron Worker and was in the same Lodge as Samuel and William (see Directory for David's page). I asked a good friend in work from Cookstown to place a Poppy at William's name on the Cookstown Memorial along with 2 more men (Samuel Falls and Joseph Sloan). By an amazing coincidence he is my friend Gavin's Great Uncle. The family never knew any of this. Gavin laid a Poppy at the Cookstown Memorial to his Great Uncle (see photos). From County Tyrone to Coatbridge and France William will be forever remembered. See photos for William's Medal Index Card, his listing in the Ireland Casualties WW1, his Pension Records x2, the Scots Guards Cap Badge, the family listing on the 1911 Ireland Census, William's listing in the Scotland National Probate Index 1917, his Army Register of Soldiers Effects, his Service Medal and Award Rolls x 2, his CWGC Grave Registration, William's name on the Loos Memorial Panel List and his name on the Loos Memorial. Finally, SEE PHOTOS x 25 FOR THE GUARDS DIVISION BOOK 27/09/1915 - 30/09/1915, PHOTOS FOR 22 PAGES FROM THE MOST UNFAVOURABLE GROUND BOOK REGARDING THE BATTALION and DIVISION 27/09/1915 (fantastic book on the Battle of Loos kindly signed by the author Niall Cherry) and the Guards Division Order of Battle x 12 (the Division James was with when he fell), 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, one of myself at the Scots Guards Panel at the Loos Memorial (William listed middle right) and William's signature on the Ulster Covenant 1912 (signed in Coatbridge).

Photos

William John Whan (Whann) Medal Index Card

William John Whan (Whann) newspaper clipping

William John Whan (Whann) remembered at home

William John Whan (Whann) additional photo

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

Details of William --see Cookstown War Dead +
Wesley Wright, cookstown, 12/03/2019 4:45PM

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