Cpl
John Gebbie
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 08/01/1895 |
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Place of birth: Cambuslang, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, 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: Corporal |
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Service number: S/2155 |
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Enlistment place: Cambuslang, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Seaforth Highlanders, 7th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 12/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Varlet Farm, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 22 |
Memorial
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Tyne Cot Memorial Panel: 133 |
Distinctions and medals 4
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1914-15 Star Medal — 01/12/1919 |
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British War Medal Medal — 21/05/1920 |
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Military Medal and Bar Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal — 21/05/1920 |
Points of interest 2
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place |
My story
John Gebbie was born in 1895 in Cambuslang, Glasgow, Scotland. At an early age John and his brother Andrew were adopted by the Aird Family, after his mother had passed away in 1899 and his father in 1900. John enlisted in Cambuslang late 1914 or early 1915 and disembarked in France in May 1915. He served as a Corporal in ‘C’ Company, of the 7th Battalion Seaforth highlanders, part of the 26th Brigade, of the 9th (Scottish) Division.
On 12 October 1917 during the Battle of Passchendaele, the 7th Seaforth Battalion’s objective was to continue on from the attack towards the Wallemolen Cemetery-Inch Houses line and if possible to reach the German positions further to the Northeast. The Black Watch had already achieved the subsidiary objective of taking control of Adler farm.
By mid-day Gebbie’s Battalion had pushed past Inch Houses and headed towards Varlet Farm, with the 12th Royal Scots acting as a supportive unit to the rear of the attack. Gebbie occupied positions to the right of the farm with ‘C’ company.
As the 7th Seaforths advanced they began to receive heavy fire from Germans pillboxes on both their flanks. Many casualties were sustained, forcing the Seaforths and Royal Scots to fall back to the Wallemolen Cemetery-Inch Houses line. John was one of the men who fell during the attack on Varlet Farm. The 22-year old Corporal has no known grave and John is commemorated at Tyne Cot memorial.
On 12 October 1917 during the Battle of Passchendaele, the 7th Seaforth Battalion’s objective was to continue on from the attack towards the Wallemolen Cemetery-Inch Houses line and if possible to reach the German positions further to the Northeast. The Black Watch had already achieved the subsidiary objective of taking control of Adler farm.
By mid-day Gebbie’s Battalion had pushed past Inch Houses and headed towards Varlet Farm, with the 12th Royal Scots acting as a supportive unit to the rear of the attack. Gebbie occupied positions to the right of the farm with ‘C’ company.
As the 7th Seaforths advanced they began to receive heavy fire from Germans pillboxes on both their flanks. Many casualties were sustained, forcing the Seaforths and Royal Scots to fall back to the Wallemolen Cemetery-Inch Houses line. John was one of the men who fell during the attack on Varlet Farm. The 22-year old Corporal has no known grave and John is commemorated at Tyne Cot memorial.
Sources 5
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"Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account", McCarthy C., London, Uniform, 2018, pg. 132-133. 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/839720/gebbie,-john/ Sources used |
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The Long, Long Trail https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/ Sources used |
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War Diary Seaforth Highlanders, 7th Bn. http://www.nmarchive.com/ Further reference |