Pte
Alexander Campbell
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1897 |
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Place of birth: Moulin, Pitlochry, Perthshire, 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: S/16336 |
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Enlistment place: Pitlochry, Perthshire, Scotland, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Black Watch (Royal Highlanders), 8th. Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 12/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Wallemolen, Passendale, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 20 |
Memorial
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Tyne Cot Memorial Panel: 95 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal — 11/06/1920 |
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Victory Medal Medal — 11/06/1920 |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Alexander Campbell was born in Moulin, Pitlochry, Perthshire around 1897 and was the youngest son of James and Isabella Campbell. Alexander enlisted in Pitlochry and by the early autumn of 1917 he served as a private in the Black Watch (Royal Highlanders), 8th Battalion, part of the 26th Brigade, of the 9th (Scottish) Division.
On the 12th of October 1917 the Division participated in the First Battle of Passchendaele. It attacked at zero hour, 5.25 a.m. with one Brigade. The 26th Brigade attacked with the 8th Black Watch on the right and the 10th Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders on the left. The 7th Seaforths and the 5th Cameron Higlanders were in support.
As soon as the men attacked “A” Company came under heavy fire near Adler Farm, but managed to capture and consolidate the farm. However they failed to advance much further. “B” Company on its right captured a pillbox (V.28.c.3.0) and then dug in, in front of a belt of wire, which the barrage had failed to destroy. The line which “B” Company now occupied proved untenable, as the position was subjected to machine-gun fire from the flanks and to sniper fire coming from behind the wire. Consequently “B” Company was forced to retreat to positions between the cemetery and the road.
“C” and “D” Company on the left flank also encountered heavy resistance. After “C” Company had been shelled by friendly artillery its advance was checked near a German Trench, where the Company was held up by sniper and machine-gun fire. Finally “D” Company, who advanced to the left of “C”, came under fire from the direction of Oxford Houses. A party was sent forward to try and clear a pillbox (V.25.b.8.1), but all members quickly became casualties. When Oxford Houses finally fell, the Company was able to reorganise and consolidated a line from Oxford Houses to V. 27.c.5.5.
The Battalion had been designated to capture the first objective. Once they had consolidated this line, the 7th Seaforths and the 5th Cameron Higlanders were to take over the attack. However owing to weak allied artillery support and the determined resistance of the Germans, the attack was checked before the first objective was reached.
Private Alexander Campbell was killed in action on 12 October 1917. He possibly fell while his Battalion advanced west of the hamlet of Wallemolen. The 20-year old has no known grave and is remembered on panel 95 of the Tyne Cot Memorial.
On the 12th of October 1917 the Division participated in the First Battle of Passchendaele. It attacked at zero hour, 5.25 a.m. with one Brigade. The 26th Brigade attacked with the 8th Black Watch on the right and the 10th Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders on the left. The 7th Seaforths and the 5th Cameron Higlanders were in support.
As soon as the men attacked “A” Company came under heavy fire near Adler Farm, but managed to capture and consolidate the farm. However they failed to advance much further. “B” Company on its right captured a pillbox (V.28.c.3.0) and then dug in, in front of a belt of wire, which the barrage had failed to destroy. The line which “B” Company now occupied proved untenable, as the position was subjected to machine-gun fire from the flanks and to sniper fire coming from behind the wire. Consequently “B” Company was forced to retreat to positions between the cemetery and the road.
“C” and “D” Company on the left flank also encountered heavy resistance. After “C” Company had been shelled by friendly artillery its advance was checked near a German Trench, where the Company was held up by sniper and machine-gun fire. Finally “D” Company, who advanced to the left of “C”, came under fire from the direction of Oxford Houses. A party was sent forward to try and clear a pillbox (V.25.b.8.1), but all members quickly became casualties. When Oxford Houses finally fell, the Company was able to reorganise and consolidated a line from Oxford Houses to V. 27.c.5.5.
The Battalion had been designated to capture the first objective. Once they had consolidated this line, the 7th Seaforths and the 5th Cameron Higlanders were to take over the attack. However owing to weak allied artillery support and the determined resistance of the Germans, the attack was checked before the first objective was reached.
Private Alexander Campbell was killed in action on 12 October 1917. He possibly fell while his Battalion advanced west of the hamlet of Wallemolen. The 20-year old has no known grave and is remembered on panel 95 of the Tyne Cot Memorial.
Sources 3
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26 Infantry Brigade: 8 Battalion Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/1766/2). https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14303 Further reference |
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McCarthy C., Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account, (London, Uniform, 2018), pg. 132-133. Sources used |
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Wauchope A.G., A history of the Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) in the Great War : 1914-1918, (London, The Medici Society, 1925), pg. 44-47. 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/1627940 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=ad4be2b4-b45a-4875-a489-e66c0373bf40 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/5427381 |