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Hugh Reid
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 03/12/1881 |
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Place of birth: Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland, United Kingdom |
General information
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Profession: Carpet Weaver |
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: 273122 |
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Enlistment date: 06/12/1915 |
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Enlistment place: Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment), 12th 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: 35 |
Memorial
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Tyne Cot Memorial Panel: 14 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Hugh Reid was born in Paisley, Renfrewshire in 1881. He worked as a carpet weaver. In 1908 hugh married Marion Smith. They had one daughter, Mary. Hugh enlisted on 6 December 1915. On 4 October 1916 he transferred to the 12th Battalion Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment) part of 27th Brigade, 9th (Scottish) Division.
On the night of 9 October 1917, in a stinging downpour, the battalions of the 27th Brigade arrived at Brake Camp. The men snatched what sleep they could under the flimsy cover of bivouacs, hastily erected on the sodden ground. On 12 October 1917 the 9th (Scottish) Division was to attack German positions southeast of Poelkapelle. The first stage of the attack was to be carried out by the 26th Brigade, which was to advance the line to a point beyond Source Farm. The 27th Brigade, led by the 12th and the 11th Royal Scots, was to carry on the line to Vat Cottages. In the early hours of the 12th, in inky darkness the troops groped their way along the slippery and treacherous tracks. While coming up to the frontline, they came under a heavy barrage of gas and high explosive shells. The shelling along the assembly line was ferocious, and both Highlanders and Lowlanders suffered grievously even before the battle began at 5.35 a.m.
This was the prelude to a disastrous battle. The 12th Royal Scots were sent into battle long before the first objective of the 26th Brigade was reached. They co-operated with the Seaforths in charging and capturing Inch Houses. A mixed group of Black Watch, Seaforths and 12th Royal Scots pressed on as far as the eastern fringes of the hamlet of Wallemolen, but being attacked from both flanks they were forced to withdraw to a line running from the Cemetery to Inch Houses.Any further attack was neigh to impossible. The barrage had been irretrievably lost; the various units were so mixed up that it was impossible to sort them out, and the men were so exhausted that they were unable to carry on. A line was formed in front of a captured pill-box and no further attempt was made to advance. Both Royal Scots Battalions were sadly crippled by the action. The 12th Royal Scots suffered 235 casualties. 235 men were either killed, wounded, taken prisoner or went missing.
Among them was 35-year-old private Hugh Reid. He went missing during the attack on Wallemolen and is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial.
On the night of 9 October 1917, in a stinging downpour, the battalions of the 27th Brigade arrived at Brake Camp. The men snatched what sleep they could under the flimsy cover of bivouacs, hastily erected on the sodden ground. On 12 October 1917 the 9th (Scottish) Division was to attack German positions southeast of Poelkapelle. The first stage of the attack was to be carried out by the 26th Brigade, which was to advance the line to a point beyond Source Farm. The 27th Brigade, led by the 12th and the 11th Royal Scots, was to carry on the line to Vat Cottages. In the early hours of the 12th, in inky darkness the troops groped their way along the slippery and treacherous tracks. While coming up to the frontline, they came under a heavy barrage of gas and high explosive shells. The shelling along the assembly line was ferocious, and both Highlanders and Lowlanders suffered grievously even before the battle began at 5.35 a.m.
This was the prelude to a disastrous battle. The 12th Royal Scots were sent into battle long before the first objective of the 26th Brigade was reached. They co-operated with the Seaforths in charging and capturing Inch Houses. A mixed group of Black Watch, Seaforths and 12th Royal Scots pressed on as far as the eastern fringes of the hamlet of Wallemolen, but being attacked from both flanks they were forced to withdraw to a line running from the Cemetery to Inch Houses.Any further attack was neigh to impossible. The barrage had been irretrievably lost; the various units were so mixed up that it was impossible to sort them out, and the men were so exhausted that they were unable to carry on. A line was formed in front of a captured pill-box and no further attempt was made to advance. Both Royal Scots Battalions were sadly crippled by the action. The 12th Royal Scots suffered 235 casualties. 235 men were either killed, wounded, taken prisoner or went missing.
Among them was 35-year-old private Hugh Reid. He went missing during the attack on Wallemolen and is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial.
Sources 6
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"Passchendaele The Day-by-Day Account", McCarthy C., Uniform, 2018, page 132 - 133 Sources used |
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"The Royal Scots 1914-1919", Ewing J., Oliver and Boyd Tweeddale Court Edinburgh, 1925, page 482 - 485 Sources used |
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Ancestry https://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=1543&h=541888&tid=&pid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=ttB1&_phstart=successSource Further reference |
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CWGC https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/830453/reid,-hugh/ Sources used |
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The Long Long Trail http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/royal-scots-lothian-regiment/ Sources used |
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War Diary http://www.nmarchive.com/war-diary-result/1773-1369/page/0 Further reference |