L/Cpl 57568 William Robertson

The 1901 Census shows the family living at 209, South Street, St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. His father, Alexander, is aged 34, born in Cameron, Fife in 1867 is a joiner, whilst his mother, Agnes, is aged 36, born 1865 in Edinburgh and has no occupation listed. At the time of the Census, they have two children, William aged 4, born 1897 and Agnes aged 1, born 1900  both born in St Andrews, Fife.

After the 1901 census they had a daughter Annie, born about 1904, and a son Alexander in about 1906 (information from the family gravestone).

 

Unfortunately, the 1911 Scotland census is not available, but the family at some point moved to Marine Place.

 

Before enlisting in June 1915 William was employed by the Forgan Company, golf club manufacturers, as a club maker.  Forgan of St. Andrews is the oldest golf club manufacturer in the world, dating back to the earliest years of what would later become the Royal and Ancient Golf Club.

 

He enlisted in Dundee and served originally as Private 713 Highland Divisional Cyclist Company. He was subsequently transferred to No.3 Company of the 18th Battalion, The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 57568 and was promoted to Lance Corporal. 

 

William was wounded in action on 23rd April, 1917. 

The Battalion War Diary records:

On that day the Battalion had occupied old German Trenches at Heninel in the Arras sector of the front. In the evening, it moved to a sunken road to support an attack by the 18th and 19th Battalions of the Manchester Regiment. Elements of the Pals were to provide mopping up parties for both the Manchester Battalions, who were to move forward at 18.00 hours. However, as the orders were not received until 17.45, it proved impossible to join the Manchesters in time for their attack and the mopping up parties followed from where they presumed that the assaulting waves had left.

By this time, the German retaliatory barrage had begun, and the British Front Line was so heavily shelled, that the Battalion took up position in the shell holes in front. As the situation was chaotic, some troops on the right flank had begun to pullback, it was decided to withdraw to the British front line under cover of darkness to consolidate. Eventually, by morning the position became clearer, and the Battalion was able to move forward to occupy the old front line which had been vacated by the Germans, who had retired over the next crest.

Altogether the Battalion’s losses were four officers and one hundred and one other ranks, killed, wounded, or missing. 

William died from his wounds nine days later, on 02nd May 1917, aged 20, at No.10 General Hospital, Rouen.

He now rests at St Sever Cemetery Extension in Rouen , France where his headstone bears the epitaph:

"THY WILL BE DONE"

During the First World War, Commonwealth camps and hospitals were stationed on the southern outskirts of Rouen. A base supply depot and the 3rd Echelon of General Headquarters were also established in the city.

Almost all of the hospitals at Rouen remained there for practically the whole of the war. They included eight general, five stationary, one British Red Cross and one labour hospital, and No. 2 Convalescent Depot. A number of the dead from these hospitals were buried in other cemeteries, but the great majority were taken to the city cemetery of St. Sever. In September 1916, it was found necessary to begin an extension, where the last burial took place in April 1920.

The Cemetery and the Extension adjoin each other but have separate Registers.

During the Second World War, Rouen was again a hospital centre and the extension was used once more for the burial of Commonwealth servicemen, many of whom died as prisoners of war during the German occupation.

The cemetery extension contains 8,348 Commonwealth burials of the First World War (ten of them unidentified) and in Block "S" there are 328 from the Second World War (18 of them unidentified). There are also 8 Foreign National burials here. The adjoining St. Sever Cemetery contains 3,082 Commonwealth burials of the First World War. There is also 1 French burial and 1 non war service burial here.

The extension was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield. 

He was reported Wounded in the St. Andrews Citizen on 5th May 1917, stating that he had been wounded on 23rd April in the left hip by a machine gun bullet, and that before enlisting he was a club maker with Messrs. Forgan & Son.

 

His death was reported in the same newspaper on 12th May 1917:

 

Further details were provided on 19th May 1917:

 

Soldiers Effects and Pension to his mother Agnes.

The War Gratuity of £8-10  also went to his mother Agnes.

 

His father died in 1935 aged 69, and his mother in 1945, at the age of 81.

 

William is commemorated on the St. Andrews Memorial,

 

And on the family gravestone in St. Andrews Eastern Cemetery: