11th (Service) Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers
Died 15 June 1918
This is George Skene Illingworth (I. not J.) Ewen. He was born at West Town Tarland on 1 September 1895, forty minutes before his twin sister Annie. The twins were children of John Ewen, Farmer and Isabella (Isie) Ferries, who had been married at Leochel Cushnie in 1878. In 1901 they were at Knocksoul Cottage, Logie Coldstone. John was employed at that time as a general labourer. Five year old George had brothers Alexander and Charles (12 and 9) as well as his twin sister Annie. He may be the fifteen-year-old George Ewen employed as a cattleman on the farm of Alexander Troup at East Pett, Tarland in the 1911 Census, but there were a lot of Ewens in and about Tarland at that time and it is not possible to be sure.
George Ewen gave his address on enlistment as Torphins, and served in the Army Service Corps (no. 2598282) then the 11th (Service) Bn Northumberland Fusiliers (No.55703). The 11th were formed in 1914 as part of Kitchener’s Third New Army, and served initially on the Western Front as part of the 68th Brigade and 23rd Division of the British army.
In autumn 1917, reinforcements from French and British forces were sent to support the Italian army which had been driven back by German and Austrian forces to the Piave River, following the Battle of Caporetto. Some of these men returned to the Western Front to assist in resisting the Spring Offensive of 1918, but the 11th Northumberland Fusiliers remained and took part, in June 1918, in the Second Battle of the Piave River which ultimately resulted in a victory of the Italian army against the Central Powers. It was a significant victory which is reckoned to have marked decisively the beginning of the end of the Austro-Hungarian empire as a political entity, and of its army.
This soldier was killed in action at the age of 22 on the first day of the battle, 15 June 1918. He is buried at Magnaboschi British Cemetery. He is also commemorated on the Tarland memorial.
Sources
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Soldiers Died in the Great War
Registers of births and marriages
Census 1901
Census 1911– he may be George Ewen cattleman age 15 b Tarland, at East Pett in household of Alexander Troup Farmer, No likelier matches in Scotland. But could he have been in England as he enlisted in Bradford?
Aberdeen Weekly Journal 5 /7/1918 “Killed in action on 15th June, Pte George S. I. Ewen, youngest son of the late John Ewen, late farmer, Westtown, Tarland, and of Mrs Ewen, 3 Grove Terrace, Torphins, aged 22 years”.
National Archives – War Diary of the 11th Northumberland Fusiliers WO95/2182/4 August 1915 to October 1917 seems to be the only one available?
http://www-forces-war-records.co.uk
Wikipedia on the Piave
Alexander Morren – The Cromar War Memorial Book at www.cromarhistorygroup.org.uk. This notes an address at 3 Grove Terrace, Torphins.
NB Same name/initials on Tarland memorial but 1/7 Gordon Highlanders. This doesn’t seem right as 1/7 GH were in France June 1918.
