Pte
George McIntosh
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 03/04/1893 |
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Place of birth: Buckie, Banffshire, Scotland, United Kingdom |
Army information
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Country: Scotland, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 265580 |
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Enlistment date: 10/11/1914 |
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Enlistment place: Keith, Banffshire, Scotland, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Gordon Highlanders, 1/4th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 03/08/1917 |
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Place of death: Lancashire Farm, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 24 |
Cemetery
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New Irish Farm Cemetery Plot: XXV Row: B Grave: 16 |
Distinctions and medals 3
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1914-15 Star Medal |
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 2
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place |
My story
Private George McIntosh served in the Gordon Highlanders 1st/4th Battalion, part of the 154th Brigade, of the 51st (Highland) Division. The Division participated in the opening attack of the Third Battle of Ypres on the 31st of July 1917. Its attack was carried by the 152nd and the 153rd Brigade. They advanced from their frontline, somewhere halfway between the hamlets of Wieltje and Pilkem, at zero hour 3.50 a.m. The Division’s third and final objective was a line across the Steenbeek stream.
The going wasn’t easy as the advance was hindered by several German strongpoints and pill-boxes. Notwithstanding the determined German resistance, all objectives were taken by the 51st Division, including the German positions on the far bank of the Steenbeek. The Division had suffered severe casualties, but the operation had been a success. Although the positions on the other bank of the Steenbeek were abandoned, as they were hard to defend against an extensive German counterattack.
In total three Gordon Highlander Battalions took part in the attack on the 31st, namely the 1st/5th (Buchan and Formartin) Battalion, the 1st/6th (Banff and Donside) Battalion and the 1st/7th (Deeside Highland) Battalion. The remaining Gordon Battalion, the 1st/4th Battalion, did not advance on the day of the attack. The entire 154th Brigade had remained in reserve.
The Battalion moved up the line on the following day. They took up positions in support lines at the old British frontline, West of the frontline at the Steenbeek, on the 2nd of August 1917. Conditions in the line were harsh. The weather was miserable. It rained unceasingly and the bad weather combined with the relentless shelling had turned the terrain in a bog, as the shelling had destroyed large parts of the banks of the irrigation streams. Consequently the rainwater had no way out, inundating lowlands, shell-holes and trenches. The 1st/4th Battalion was constantly plagued by the German artillery, which kept on shelling the British positions, when the German counterattacks proved unsuccessful.
The Battalion’s headquarter was at Lancashire Farm, situated at the Hudleston Road. The 1st/4th Battalion Gordon Highlanders remained in the old frontline till they moved to the frontline along the Steenbeek. The men took up positions on both banks of the Steenbeek on the 4th of August 1917. On the previous day posts had been established by men of the 51st Division, before they were relieved. The Battalion remained in the frontline till the 8th of August, when they moved back to the hinterland.
Private George McIntosh was killed in action on the 3rd of August 1917, when the 1st/4th Battalion Gordon Highlanders were positioned at the old British Frontline. The Battalion suffered a total of 31 casualties on that day. Thirty men were wounded and one man was killed. It’s highly likely Private George McIntosh was that man. He probably fell due to German shellfire. He was initially buried near the Battalion’s Headquarters at Lancashire Farm, alongside the Hudleston Road. A cross was erected on his grave. His remains were reburied later on at New Irish Farm Cemetery. George McIntosh was buried alongside other men who had fallen in the early days of the offensive. His burial return sheet clearly shows that these men were also buried alongside him at New Irish Farm Cemetery.
The going wasn’t easy as the advance was hindered by several German strongpoints and pill-boxes. Notwithstanding the determined German resistance, all objectives were taken by the 51st Division, including the German positions on the far bank of the Steenbeek. The Division had suffered severe casualties, but the operation had been a success. Although the positions on the other bank of the Steenbeek were abandoned, as they were hard to defend against an extensive German counterattack.
In total three Gordon Highlander Battalions took part in the attack on the 31st, namely the 1st/5th (Buchan and Formartin) Battalion, the 1st/6th (Banff and Donside) Battalion and the 1st/7th (Deeside Highland) Battalion. The remaining Gordon Battalion, the 1st/4th Battalion, did not advance on the day of the attack. The entire 154th Brigade had remained in reserve.
The Battalion moved up the line on the following day. They took up positions in support lines at the old British frontline, West of the frontline at the Steenbeek, on the 2nd of August 1917. Conditions in the line were harsh. The weather was miserable. It rained unceasingly and the bad weather combined with the relentless shelling had turned the terrain in a bog, as the shelling had destroyed large parts of the banks of the irrigation streams. Consequently the rainwater had no way out, inundating lowlands, shell-holes and trenches. The 1st/4th Battalion was constantly plagued by the German artillery, which kept on shelling the British positions, when the German counterattacks proved unsuccessful.
The Battalion’s headquarter was at Lancashire Farm, situated at the Hudleston Road. The 1st/4th Battalion Gordon Highlanders remained in the old frontline till they moved to the frontline along the Steenbeek. The men took up positions on both banks of the Steenbeek on the 4th of August 1917. On the previous day posts had been established by men of the 51st Division, before they were relieved. The Battalion remained in the frontline till the 8th of August, when they moved back to the hinterland.
Private George McIntosh was killed in action on the 3rd of August 1917, when the 1st/4th Battalion Gordon Highlanders were positioned at the old British Frontline. The Battalion suffered a total of 31 casualties on that day. Thirty men were wounded and one man was killed. It’s highly likely Private George McIntosh was that man. He probably fell due to German shellfire. He was initially buried near the Battalion’s Headquarters at Lancashire Farm, alongside the Hudleston Road. A cross was erected on his grave. His remains were reburied later on at New Irish Farm Cemetery. George McIntosh was buried alongside other men who had fallen in the early days of the offensive. His burial return sheet clearly shows that these men were also buried alongside him at New Irish Farm Cemetery.
Sources 2
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Falls C., The Gordon Highlanders in the First World War 1914-1919, (Aberdeen, University Press, 1958), pg. 155-157. Sources used |
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McCarthy C., The Third Ypres Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account, (London, Arms & Armour Press, 1995), pg. 35. Sources used |
More information 3
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/452690 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=57510efe-faa1-4f09-889c-6644f108d940 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/2811070 |