William Simpson Thomson

William Simpson Thomson

3/4th Battalion, Gordon Highlanders

Died 25th September 1915 age 17

Private W. Thomson – Gordon Hrs. 

This is a common name, and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission record 11 instances of a Private W. Thomson (or Thompson) of the Gordon Highlanders who was killed in World War 1. It is not possible to be exactly sure who this is, but a likely match is William Simpson Thomson, born 21 April 1898 at Greenburn Cottage, Torphins, son of Alexander Smith Thomson, Quarry Labourer, and Annie Farquharson who had married at Birse. In 1901 the family were living in Torphins and William was the fifth of six siblings. By 1911 the Thomsons had moved to Hawthorn Cottage and he was attending school. 

William Thomson enlisted at Aberdeen in June 1915 (no. 3963) in the 3/4th battalion Gordon Highlanders, a territorial battalion formed in February that year. He must have seen very little of the war before being killed in action only weeks later on the first day of the Battle of Loos, 25 September 1915. 

On 24 September the 4th battalion was entrenched in Sanctuary Wood, preparing to participate in a major offensive commencing in the early hours of the following morning.  Following coffee at 1.30am, the men moved into position and a preparatory bombardment began at 4.05am. After some initial success in penetrating the German front line, it proved impossible to retain control of the ground that had been gained. Heavy artillery fire intercepted the supply of ammunition and bombs, and the battalion was forced to withdraw to the position from which it had set out.  Casualties were heavy, and William Thomson, aged 17, appears to have been one of them.

The Aberdeen Evening Express, on 1 November 1915, reported under the heading “Glassel Man Missing” – “Official intimation has been received by Mr and Mrs Alexander Thomson, Woodbank Cottage, Glassel, that their son, William S. Thomson, 4th Gordon Highlanders, has been missing since 25th September. Private Thomson joined the 3/4th Gordons early in June, and left for France a few months later. Prior to enlistment he was employed at Mrs Duncan’s sawmills, Inchmarlo, near Banchory”.

According to a report in the Aberdeen Daily Journal on 2 November 1915, Private Thomson’s father had by then moved into the slightly gentler employment of gardener at Glassel House and Learney, and was now living at Woodbine* Cottage, Glassel.

He is commemorated at the Menin Gate, Ypres. 

Sources
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Soldiers Died in the Great War
Register of births
Censuses 1901 and 1911
Aberdeen Evening Express 1 November 1915
Aberdeen Daily Journal 2 November 1915
Aberdeen Weekly Journal 5 November 1915
Aberdeen Evening Express 29 November 1916 – timing unexplained
*Woodbine is probably correct, not Woodbank.