Pte 57551 Robert Fairweather MacDonald

Before Robert’s birth the family lived in S. Ellen Street (1881) with his grandmother Cecelia Sturrock, his father employed as a tenter in a jute factory, and at 9 N Wellington Street (1891).  A tenter tended a power loom in a mill. Tenters had their own union, founded in the 1880s.

In 1900 Dundee had over 100 working jute mills and almost half the city’s population worked in jute or jute-related industries. Until the late 19th century Dundee produced almost all the jute cloth that was used anywhere in the world.

 

At the time of the 1901 Census Robert was 9 and at school, he was living with his parents and three siblings at 18 Ellen Street, Dundee. His father is 45, a power loom tenter, his mother is 50. His siblings are listed as; Charles, 19, is a van man, Jessie, 16, is a jute factory worker and Alexander, 13, is a message boy.  

Robert enlisted in Dundee and served originally as Private 835 in the Army Cyclist Corps. Following a transfer he was serving in the 18th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 57551 when he was killed in action on the 09th April 1917, aged 25, during the Battle of Arras.

Details of the circumstances the 18th Battalion had to contend with on that day are illustrated below:

The battalion formed the left assaulting battalion of the brigade, the 2nd Wiltshire Regiment being on the right, the 19th Manchester Regiment being in support and 2nd Battalion Yorkshire Regiment furnishing “moppers -up” for the two assaulting battalions. The brigade advance was timed to begin at ---- hour after “Zero”, suited to conform with the movements of 56th Division and other divisions on our left further north (near Arras). This battalion’s objective was the front-line system Lion Lane on the left (exclusive) to Panther Lane on right (exclusive). This sector included the strongpoint known as “The Egg”.

The brigade advanced at prearranged time, i.e., 11.38 a.m, from position of assembly trenches south of Neuville Vitasse to German front line. This necessitated an advance across the open of at least 2,000 yards. This area up to Neuville Vitasse- Henin road was crossed in artillery formation; after this, owing to machine-gun fire and considerable resistance from German posts forward in the sunken roads, it was found necessary to deploy. During the whole movement across the open the advancing columns had been under considerable artillery fire from guns of all calibres. On gaining the position immediately in front of German line it was found that the wire was practically uncut; this wire formed two strong belts in front of German trenches. Two small gaps were eventually discovered and Second-Lieut H.F.Merry gallantly led a bombing party through them, but his three remaining men were killed as they reached the German trenches.

From the moment the battalion was “held up” in front of German wire Capt. R. W. Jones, the senior company commander on the spot, at once began the work of consolidating in front of German wire. The battalion held on in this position for the remainder of the day, until relieved by the 16th Manchester Regiment about 3 a.m. on the 10th of April, all the time under intense machine-gun and rifle fire.

Between 9th-10th April, 1917, the 18th King's lost 2 officers 2nd Lt. F. Ashcroft and 2nd Lt. H.G. Ewing and 59 other ranks killed. 8 other officers were wounded.

Robert now rests at Wancourt British Cemetery, France with a headstone which contains the inscription at the top "Known to be buried in this Cemetery" and contains an epitaph which  reads:

“THEIR GLORY SHALL NOT BE BLOTTED OUT”

The epitaph comes from Ecclesiasticus 44 verse 13 and was chosen by Rudyard Kipling. These headstones commemorate casualties whose graves in a cemetery were destroyed or who were known to buried in the cemetery but the exact whereabouts within the cemetery were not recorded. 

Wancourt was captured on 12 April 1917 after very heavy fighting and the advance was continued on the following days. The cemetery, called at first Cojeul Valley Cemetery, or River Road Cemetery, was opened about ten days later; it was used until October 1918, but was in German hands from March 1918 until 26 August, when the Canadian Corps recaptured Wancourt. At the Armistice, the cemetery contained 410 graves, but was very greatly increased in the following years when graves were brought in from small cemeteries and isolated positions on the battlefields south-east of Arras. Including HENIN NORTH CEMETERY, HENIN-SUR-COJEUL, about 800 metres North of the village, contained the graves of 29 British soldiers who fell on 9 April 1917, almost all of whom belonged to the 2nd Wilts or the 18th King's Liverpools. The cemetery now contains 1,936 burials and commemorations of the First World War. 829 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to 76 casualties known or believed to be buried among them, and to 20 who were buried in Signal Trench Cemetery whose graves were destroyed in later battles. The cemetery was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

His death was reported in the Dundee People’s Journal on 09th June 1917:

“Pte. R. F. Macdonald, Liverpool Reg’t., (killed). - Deceased was a native of Dundee and his sister resides at 26 Pitfour St.  He enlisted in the Highland Cyclist accompany in November 1915, and was subsequently transferred to the Liverpool Regiment, and went to the front with his battalion.  Pte. Macdonald was for some time employed at the Albert Hotel, Cupar.  He has a brother serving in the Black Watch.”

 

The Albert Hotel in Cupar (Fife) is 12 miles south of Dundee across the Tay.

 

 

Robert's Army effects and a War Gratuity of £5-10s went to his sister Ann.

 

The pension card in the name of his father Alex Macdonald at 25 Kinnaird Street, Dundee, does not specify the amount awarded.

 

Probate, giving Robert’s address as 26 Pitfour Street, Dundee, was granted to his eldest  sister Ann “Donaldson or MacDonald”, nominatrix in his will dated 03rd June 1916, effects £193-19s-4d.  It is likely that Robert made his will before he shipped overseas.

 

Robert is commemorated on the following Memorials:

Dundee Roll of Honour

Scottish National War Memorial