Date of birth: 08/11/1891

Place of birth: Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom

Profession: Labourer

Country: Scotland, United Kingdom

Force: British Expeditionary Force

Rank: Lance Corporal

Service number: 19447

Enlistment date: 24/05/1915

Enlistment place: Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom

Units:  —  Royal Scots Fusiliers, 6/7th Bn.  (Last known unit)

Date of death: 22/08/1917

Place of death: Frezenberg, Zonnebeke, Belgium

Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.)

Age: 25

1914-15 Star Medal

British War Medal Medal

Victory Medal Medal

The 15th (Scottish) Division attacked in the early morning of the 22nd of August 1917. The Division had two Brigades under her command, the 44th Brigade on the left and the 45th Brigade on the right. Lance Corporal William Blackwood participated in the attack with the Royal Scots Fusiliers 6th/7th Battalion, part of the 45th Brigade. The front of the 15th Division ran from the vicinity of Pommeren Castle to the Roulers Railway, behind the Frezenberg Ridge. Two Battalions of the 45th Brigade, the 11th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders on the left and the 13th Royal Scots on the right, would attack with the Royal Scots Fusiliers 6th/7th Battalion in close support. Four platoons of the 6th/7th Battalion were attached to the 13th Royal Scots or 11th Argyll and Sutherland, and detailed to clear certain German strong points and garrison them. At 4.45 a.m., zero hour, the British artillery opened a barrage. Only five minutes later the Germans commenced a heavy fire. The Germans kept up a very severe barrage between the Black Line, the first objective running from the front of Beck House to the Roulers railway, and the Frezenberg ridge. At zero hour plus 35 minutes the German barrage seemed to be slacking off and the Battalion advanced to the Black Line. C and D companies advanced over the ridge to the right of Douglas Villa and A and B to the left of Low Farm. All companies arrived at the Black Line at zero plus 55 minutes, which had already been secured by the 11th and 13th. A company dug themselves in behind Low Farm and B company went into a trench left of A company. C company took up position on the Black Line. Later that day all the companies would move up to the Black Line, where they would remain until they were relieved. The Platoons attached to the 13th and 11th didn’t have any success. The clearing parties came very close to the well defended German strong points of Vampir Farm, Borry Farm and Beck House. One Platoon reached Gun Pits but was forced to withdraw. All the platoons got pinned down by German fire in front of the strongpoints and all of them had to pull back to the black line owing to casualties. The Battalion remained in the area till the 26th of August. During this period the Royal Scots Fusiliers 6th/7th Battalion suffered over 200 casualties from heavy artillery fire. During their time in the trenches at Frezenberg 27 men were killed, 23 went missing and 165 men were wounded. Lance Corporal William Blackwood was one of the men who were killed in action during the attack of the 22nd of August 1917.

6/7 Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/1947/2). https://nationalarchives.gov.uk Further reference

Buchan J., The History of the Royal Scots Fusiliers (1678-1918) (London and Edingburgh, Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd, 1925), pg. 388-389. Sources used

McCarthy C., The Third Ypres Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account )London, Arms & Armour Press, 1995), pg. 58-60. Sources used

Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/845144

Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=5d10c364-e096-4f7d-9d08-193fbd7f7420

Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/372991