Pte
Robert Huntly
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 26/05/1893 |
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Place of birth: Edington Mill, Chirnside, Berwickshire, Scotland, United Kingdom |
General information
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Profession: Day laborer |
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: 25659 |
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Enlistment place: Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — King's Own Scottish Borderers, 6th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 20/09/1917 |
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Place of death: Railway Dump, Zonnebeke, 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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Tyne Cot Cemetery Plot: XXIX Row: G Grave: 12 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal — 20/04/1920 |
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Victory Medal Medal — 20/04/1920 |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Robert Huntly was born at the Edington Mill in Chirnside, Berwickshire, Scotland. He was the youngest son of James and Agnes Huntly. His father, James, was a Miller and then became a Poultry Farmer. Robert worked as a Farm Labourer, before enlisting. By the summer of 1917 Robert served as a private in the 6th Battalion King’s Own Scottish Borderers, part of the 27th Brigade, of the 9th (Scottish) Division.
The Scottish Division participated in the Battle of Passchendaele, which raged between 31 July and 10 November 1917. On 20 September 1917, the 9th Division attacked along the Ypres-Roulers Railroad, towards the village of Zonnebeke. Two Brigades carried the attack. The South African Brigade, north of railroad, and the 27th Brigade, south of the railway bank. At zero hour, 5.40 a.m., the 6th K.O.S.B. advanced on the utter right flank of the Division. Robert’s Battalion was subjected to machine-gun fire coming from pillboxes on the Railway and from the German strongpoint at Potsdam. Nevertheless the Battalion captured Hanebeek Wood by 6.15 a.m. After the Wood had been consolidated the 6th K.O.S.B. reorganised in anticipation of the impending attack on Zonnebeke Redoubt. The second advance began around 7 a.m. and the Redoubt was captured without much difficulty. The 6th K.O.S.B. consolidated a line in front of the Zonnebeke Redoubt.
Private Robert Huntly was killed in action on 20 September 1917, during the attack on Zonnebeke Redoubt. The twenty-four-year-old was buried in the field along the Ypres-Roulers Railroad, just east of Railway Dump. His remains were exhumed after the war and interred in Tyne Cot Cemetery.
The Scottish Division participated in the Battle of Passchendaele, which raged between 31 July and 10 November 1917. On 20 September 1917, the 9th Division attacked along the Ypres-Roulers Railroad, towards the village of Zonnebeke. Two Brigades carried the attack. The South African Brigade, north of railroad, and the 27th Brigade, south of the railway bank. At zero hour, 5.40 a.m., the 6th K.O.S.B. advanced on the utter right flank of the Division. Robert’s Battalion was subjected to machine-gun fire coming from pillboxes on the Railway and from the German strongpoint at Potsdam. Nevertheless the Battalion captured Hanebeek Wood by 6.15 a.m. After the Wood had been consolidated the 6th K.O.S.B. reorganised in anticipation of the impending attack on Zonnebeke Redoubt. The second advance began around 7 a.m. and the Redoubt was captured without much difficulty. The 6th K.O.S.B. consolidated a line in front of the Zonnebeke Redoubt.
Private Robert Huntly was killed in action on 20 September 1917, during the attack on Zonnebeke Redoubt. The twenty-four-year-old was buried in the field along the Ypres-Roulers Railroad, just east of Railway Dump. His remains were exhumed after the war and interred in Tyne Cot Cemetery.
Sources 6
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"Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account", McCarthy C., London, Uniform, 2018, pg. 82-85. Sources used |
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"The K.O.S.B. in the Great War", Gillon S., Edinburgh, Thomas Nelson and sons, 1930, pg 353-355. Sources used |
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Ancestry https://www.ancestry.com/ Further reference |
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CWGC https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/463289/huntly,-robert/ Sources used |
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The Long, Long Trail http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/ Sources used |
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War Diary King's Own Scottish Borderers, 6th Battalion http://www.nmarchive.com/ Further reference |