Pte
Hamilton Neilson
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1899 |
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Place of birth: Peebles, Peeblesshire, 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: 335078 |
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Units: — Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment), 13th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 22/08/1917 |
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Place of death: Vampir, Zonnebeke, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 18 |
Memorial
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Tyne Cot Memorial Panel: 14A |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 2
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Hamilton Neilson was born in 1899 in Peebles, Peeblesshire. He was one of the eight children of Hamilton and Mary Neilson.
Hamilton enlisted in Peebles and joined the Royal Scots, 13th Battalion, which was part of the 45th Brigade of the 15th (Scottish) Division. The Division participated in the Battle of Passchendaele and on 22 August 1917 it attacked to the West of Zonnebeke with two Brigades, the 44th Brigade on the left and the 45th Brigade on the right. The attack of the 45th Brigade was carried by the 13th Royal Scots and the 11th Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders. They had to capture and consolidate three German strongpoints dubbed, Potsdam, Vampir and Borry Farm.
At 4.45 a.m., zero hour, the British barrage and the attack commenced. By 5.30 a.m. the men had reached Potsdam and Vampir, but they were held up by machine-gun- and sniper fire, coming from these strongpoints. The Battalion suffered heavy casualties, due to the relentless machine-gun fire. In the meanwhile the advance of the 11th Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders had been checked in front of Beck House and Borry Farm. The Royal Scots were still able to capture some buildings along the Ypres-Roulers railroad, but any further advance proved neigh to impossible. At 1 p.m. it was decided to fall back to consolidate a line. By 2 p.m. the Battalion was forced to retreat a bit further, as allied shells were falling short on their positions. From 2 p.m. on, the situation remained unchanged.
Hamilton Neilson was reported missing on the 22nd of August 1917. He was later declared to have dead. He was only eighteen years old. Hamilton has no known grave and is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial panel 14A.
Hamilton enlisted in Peebles and joined the Royal Scots, 13th Battalion, which was part of the 45th Brigade of the 15th (Scottish) Division. The Division participated in the Battle of Passchendaele and on 22 August 1917 it attacked to the West of Zonnebeke with two Brigades, the 44th Brigade on the left and the 45th Brigade on the right. The attack of the 45th Brigade was carried by the 13th Royal Scots and the 11th Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders. They had to capture and consolidate three German strongpoints dubbed, Potsdam, Vampir and Borry Farm.
At 4.45 a.m., zero hour, the British barrage and the attack commenced. By 5.30 a.m. the men had reached Potsdam and Vampir, but they were held up by machine-gun- and sniper fire, coming from these strongpoints. The Battalion suffered heavy casualties, due to the relentless machine-gun fire. In the meanwhile the advance of the 11th Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders had been checked in front of Beck House and Borry Farm. The Royal Scots were still able to capture some buildings along the Ypres-Roulers railroad, but any further advance proved neigh to impossible. At 1 p.m. it was decided to fall back to consolidate a line. By 2 p.m. the Battalion was forced to retreat a bit further, as allied shells were falling short on their positions. From 2 p.m. on, the situation remained unchanged.
Hamilton Neilson was reported missing on the 22nd of August 1917. He was later declared to have dead. He was only eighteen years old. Hamilton has no known grave and is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial panel 14A.
Sources 6
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"The Royal Scots : 1914-1919", Ewing J., Edinburgh, Oliver and Boyd, 1925, pg. 447-459. Sources used |
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Ancestry https://www.ancestry.co.uk/ Sources used |
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CWGC https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/832028/neilson,-hamilton/ Sources used |
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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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McCarthy, C., "Passchendaele: the Day-by-Day Account", London, Unicorn Publishing Group, 2018, pg. 62-63. Sources used |
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War Diary http://www.nmarchive.com/ Sources used |