A cool Miss South Africa image:
War Memorial Dingwall Police Station Ross and Cromarty Scotland
Image by conner395
1,000 views on 17th October 2013
This plaque commemorates the loss of three serving Ross & Cromarty Constabulary officers, whose Chief Constable allowed them to enlist in the Armed Forces during World War One.
In some instances/forces, an officer would have had to resign his position to join up, but these 3 Constables clearly went off to war, while still serving police officers.
Sadly, like many of their generation, they did not return.
The plaque reads:
THIS TABLET IS ERECTED
IN MEMORY OF THE MEMBERS OF THE
ROSS-SHIRE CONSTABULARY
WHO DIED FOR THEIR COUNTRY
IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1918
PC WILLIAM MACDONALD
PC ALEXANDER GORDON
PC DONALD MORRISON
——–
WILLIAM JAMES MACDONALD, born at Cromarty, was 18 years and 6 months old when he joined the Ross & Cromarty Constabulary on 10th March 1913 after previous employment as a Farm Servant. On 1 July 1913 he was transferred to Stornoway and was upgraded to 2nd class Constable one month later. Thirteen months later he was promoted to 1st Class Constable. On 2 March 1915 he returned to the mainland when transferred to Invergordon. On 23 November 1915 he as PC45 received the Chief Constable’s approval to join the Army for the duration of the War, and served in the 3/5 Seaforth Highlanders.
Having survived the 2nd Battle of Ypres and the Battle of the Somme and others in the short time he served, Force records show he was killed in action in France on 11th May 1917 in the Arras offensive.
The Commonwealth War Graves database gives the date of death as 15th May, and that he was the son of John and Elizabeth Macdonald, of Mains, Cromarty, Ross-shire.
The ARRAS MEMORIAL commemorates almost 35,000 servicemen from the United Kingdom, South Africa and New Zealand who died in the Arras sector between the spring of 1916 and 7 August 1918, the eve of the Advance to Victory, and have no known grave. Grave/Memorial Reference: Bay 8.
His father, John MacDonald, who was the ploughman on Lord Ross’s Estate, was a first cousin of the late Major General Sir Hector MacDonald who has a memorial in Dingwall.
Note: William Macdonald (no details) is also listed on the CROMARTY War Memorial.
Photographs of Constable William J Macdonald kindly provided by his niece (Jean, Hampshire)
————
ALEXANDER GORDON joined the Ross & Cromarty Constabulary aged 21 years and 10 months on 1st June 1914.
A native of Petty, near Inverness, he was permitted by the Chief Constable to join the 3/4 Seaforths on 28th September 1915, for the duration of the war.
He was killed in action on 8th December 1916 in the Somme and is buried in ADANAC MILITARY CEMETERY, MIRAUMONT (Grave/Memorial Reference: II. H. 15.)
———–
DONALD MORRISON was 21 years of age when he joined the Ross & Cromarty Constabulary on 29th June 1914.
Born at Ardlair, Gairloch, he began his police career at Invergordon before being transferred to Evanton on 17th April 1915.
There is no record of when he joined the Army but obviously the Chief Constable had approved his joining up for the duration of the War.
The force records show that on 13/07/1917 intimation was received that he had been killed on active service in France on 28/4/1917. The most likely possibility in the Commonwealth War Graves database is Corporal Donald Morrison of the 6th Seaforth Highlanders (whose father was then living in Fearn) who was lost in action between 23/04/1917 and 25/04/1917 in the Arras Offensive.
Note: Cpl D. Morrison (no details) is also listed on the FEARN War Memorial
Extract from Ross-shire Journal : dated 08.06.1917
"THE LATE CORPORAL D. MORRISON, SEAFORTHS, KILDARY
"Mr and Mrs Morrison, Meddat, Kildary, have received intimation that their son, Corpl. Donald Morrison, Seaforths was killed in action in France on the 23rd April by shell fire. His platoon officer, writing to his mother, says:
‘He was killed along with two of his comrades, but had no suffering, as death was instantaneous. He was a most excellent soldier; very popular, and will be missed by all, and I offer you my most sincere sympathy.’
"A young man, 28 years of age, of handsome appearance and powerful physique, before joining his county regiment he was in the Ross-shire Constabulary, and he was stationed at Invergordon, Cromarty, and Evanton, where he was deservedly popular among all classes. Much sympathy goes out to his sorrowing parents, and brothers and sisters."
Image automatically curated and published by www.free-mail.co.za – CLICK HERE to learn more about WP Robot for WordPress.
Have you tried: Diving with Sharks?