Private J. Ewan – Gordon Hrs.
There are two likely candidates for this entry: James Esson Ewen (not Ewan), whose parents were both from Kincardine O’Neil though there is no record of him having lived in the parish, and Joseph Ewen (not Ewan) who was from Glassel. Both deserve to be remembered, but it is difficult on present information to know which of them is intended to be commemorated here.
James Esson Ewen
1st battalion Gordon Highlanders
Died 14 December 1914
This may be the more likely of the two possibilities, because the mis-spelling of the name on the war memorial replicates a mis-spelling in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission record, though that may be no more than coincidence.
James Esson Ewen is an all-too-rare instance of a soldier who served in the ranks whose records were not destroyed by incendiary bombing in 1940. He was born at Heatheryhaugh in the parish of Strachan near Banchory on 28 April 1894. His father was Alexander Cooper Ewen, a shepherd, and his mother was Jessie Anderson who were both born in Kincardine O’Neil. They married at Logie Coldstone on 24 November 1871. This establishes a link with the parish, though the family’s connections later were with Banffshire, Rhynie and Huntly. In the 1901 census they were living at Rochomie in the parish of Rathven in Banffshire. James was then aged 6 and the youngest of a family of 6 including, in the household on census night, four sisters and a brother.
By 1911 young James had left home and, up to 9 November 1911, he was employed as a farm servant by a Mr Craigie at Pennan Farm, Aberdour, East Aberdeenshire. Mr Craigie advised the army that that James had come from his father to work for him two or three years previously, he had last seen him on 9 November that year, and James had left, as they “could not agree about wages”. Mr Craigie appears to have borne no ill feelings towards his former employee, rating him as sober and honest, and “a nice obliging young lad”. James Ewen was 18 years three months old and single when he joined up in 1912 for six years’ service in the 1stbattalion Gordon Highlanders (no. 3/5915).
He did not survive even to the first Christmas of the war that was supposed to be over by Christmas. He was mobilised on 8 August 1914 and spent the last few weeks of his life, from 7 October, in France. In November the battalion was in trenches near Ypres, having already participated in heavy fighting in the early weeks of the war, and been subjected to shelling and aerial bombing. The weather was characterised by heavy rain and sleet, and there were several cases of frostbite. On 9 – 10 December they moved to fresh billets at Westoutre, and on 11 December were joined by a draft of 202 NCOs and men. The writer of the war diary records “This and the two preceding drafts included some very old soldiers, one of whom had fought with the battalion at Tel-el-Kebir. Several others were obviously unsuited for a winter campaign in the trenches. The majority of the younger men appeared to have received practically no military training before being sent out, their service varying from 3 to 10 weeks”. On 12 December three officers were sent out to reconnoitre ground in front of the German trench near Maedelstraede farm, two miles east of Kemmel, with a view to an attack, and one was killed. Next day the battalion marched to Kemmel in heavy rain. At midnight that night they received orders to attack at 2.30am.
The battalion war diary contains a detailed timeline of the action that day. It began with a wholly ineffective artillery bombardment at 7am in which many shells fell short of the German lines and “some even in the rear of our reserve”. When the first two platoons of “B” and “C” Coys advanced at 7.45am, they were met with very heavy rifle and machine gun fire from the other side, despite which they pushed on as best they could. “The sodden nature of the ground and the fact that the men had been standing for several hours in trenches deep in mud rendered a rapid advance impossible”. They were then followed at a distance of 50 yards by the remaining platoons and “D” Coy, leaving “A” Coy to man the trenches from which the attack had been launched. The attacking companies soon disappeared from view and it was impossible to tell how they were progressing. An orderly was sent out to find out but this was unsuccessful. By 9 am telephonic communications with Brigade HQ had entirely failed. News came at 10.55, via an ammunition carrier, that the advance parites were 50 yards short of the German lines unable to advance and this message was sent, by orderly, to Brigade HQ. A reply was received at 2.30pm that there was to be a further bombardment between at 3.30 and 4pm, under cover of which a fresh effort was to be made, and that two companies of the Middlesex Regiment were being sent up as a reserve.
The reserves did not arrive. The commanding officer on the spot considered that it would be “highly injudicious” to send the remaining reserve company, practically the only garrison of the fire trenches, into a further attack. Finally after 4.15 pm messages began to be relayed from the junior officers in command of the advance parties that they were unable to advance as the German trenches were strongly held, and these detachments were withdrawn. It was noted that “B”, “C” and “D” Coys had lost more than 75% of their officers and 50% of their men – some killed, some missing.
By far the largest number were missing, and it looks like James Ewen was one of them. His body was not immediately (or perhaps ever) recovered, as his record bears the following bleak note more than a year later on 26 February 1916: “The Army Council has decided that this soldier is to be regarded for official purposes as having died on or since 14 December 1914”. In further fighting over the same ground in 1917, the skeletal remains of the Gordons who fell in the action on 14 December 1914 were recovered and buried – most were unidentifiable.
Pte. Ewen’s personal possessions were to be sent to Agnes Ewen living in Merkland Road Aberdeen, but it was his father who in 1922 acknowledged receipt of the 1914 clasp sent to him in recognition of his son’s war service. He is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) memorial.
Alexander Ewen outlived his son by 36 years, dying at the age of 89 in 1940 at Grange in the county of Banff.
Sources
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Soldiers Died in the Great War
Registers of births and marriages
Census 1901 and 1911
National Archives – Service record: WO363 E589 p.465; 1st Gordons War Diary WO95/142-1
http://www.thegordonhighlanders.co.uk/Pages/Diary.htm
thelonglongtrail – Winter Operations 1914-15
Joseph Ewen
4th Gordon Highlanders
Died on 22 May 1916 age 16
A possible alternative is that this was Joseph Ewen, Private 4023 in the 4th Gordons, who died of wounds at the tender age of 16 on 22 May 1916 and was a son of Joseph C. and Harriet F. Ewen of Easter Beltie, Glassel. Given his age at date of death, this soldier must have lied about his birth date, as the lower age limit for enlistment was 18.
The 1901 Census disclosed that the Ewen family were then living at Damhead, Alford. Joseph C. senior was employed as a Horseman on a farm, having been born in Monymusk. His wife, Harriet and their eldest child Jane age 6 were born in Aboyne, but younger children Martha aged 4 and young Joseph C. aged 1 were both born in Alford. In the 1911 Census, Joseph was a schoolboy and the family were still in Alford but at Balnellan, Greystone, where Joseph senior was now a farm grieve. They later settled at Easter Beltie, Glassel.
In May 1916 the 4th Gordons were serving as part of the 154th Brigade in the 51st (Highland) Division in the Pas de Calais region on the Western Front, moving around Écurie, Elron and La Sablière. The unit war diary is unenlightening as to what happened to Private Ewen, or when he sustained the wounds from which he sadly died on 22 May 1916.
He is buried or commemorated at St Pol. Communal Cemetery Extension, and his commemorative stone bears the inscription: “FROM MEMORY’S PAGE WE’LL NEVER BLOT THREE LITTLE WORDS FORGET ME NOT”.
Sources
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Soldiers Died in the Great War
Registers of births and marriages
Census 1901 and 1911
National Archives – War Diary of the 4th Bn. Gordon Highlanders WO95/2886_1; Medal card WO372/7/2141.
