Date of birth: 21/06/1895

Place of birth: Bishopbriggs, Dunbartonshire, Scotland, United Kingdom

Profession: Agriculture Student

Country: Scotland, United Kingdom

Force: British Expeditionary Force

Rank: Lieutenant

Service number: /

Enlistment date: 04/09/1914

Units:  —  Royal Scots Fusiliers, 3rd Bn. attd. 2nd Bn.  (Attached)

Date of death: 31/07/1917

Place of death: Sanctuary Wood, Zillebeke, Belgium

Cause of death: Missing in action

Age: 22

1914-15 Star Medal

British War Medal Medal

Victory Medal Medal

Lindsay William was 2nd Lieutenant of the Royal Scots Fusiliers 3rd Battalion. Later he was attached to the 2nd Battalion, 90th Brigade, 30th Division. On the 29th of July 1917, they reached their starting point in Stern Street without any casualties. Two days later, on July 31st 1917 at 3.50 a.m., they started to move forwards behind the 16th Manchesters. After reaching the Menin Road, the 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers were split into several sections. Section I, on the left, lost direction in Sanctuary Wood. They advanced east of Château Wood (J.13.a.6.8) where they got in position, not knowing they were in the wrong area. All four guns were in action, firing on small parties of the enemy. After discovering they were on the 8th Divisions front, they got to the southern side of the Menin Road. Three gun teams were lost out of sight, owing to heavily shelling and machine gun fire. Subsequently they got back with a few wounded. The other three sections had as main objective the so called ‘B’ battery (J.19.b.2.8), which some of them reached. But they encountered heavily shell fire and machine gun fire. The total number of casualties of the 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers was about 50 men. Probably, Lindsay William was hit by shell or machine gun fire. According to letters of his comrades he was mortally wounded below the knee and they were unable to find a strecher bearer. At that time he should have been 200 yards from his objective.

2 Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers, (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/2340/1). https://nationalarchives.gov.uk Sources used

McCarthy Chris., Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account (London, Unicorn Publishing Group, 2018). Sources used

War Diary Royal Scots Fusiliers 3rd Bn. http://www.nmarchive.com Sources used

Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/1619005

Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=08d62052-5fbc-4c2d-9c65-42d2f123f32d

Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/2666965