More about William Dick Galloway

Served at Gallipoli.

Petty-Officer, William Galloway, Royal Marine Light Infantry, has been killed in action.  He was a son of Mr and Mrs Wm. Galloway, 22 Baldovan Terrace, Dundee.  P.O. Galloway enlisted three years ago in the R.N.D., with whom he served through the Gallipoli expedition.  Subsequently he went to France, and had been there for eighteen months.  About a month ago he was transferred to the R.M.L.I.  P.O. Galloway was 21 years of age, and prior to enlistment was a machineman with Francis East & Co., Ltd., Maryfield Chair and Cabinet Works, Dundee.

Dundee Courier 15^th April 1918

William D Galloway was the son of Mr William Galloway and Mrs Mary Galloway of 22 Baldovan Terrace, Dundee and he worked as a Machine man. In September 1914 he was one of the first local men to volunteer to join the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve onboard HMS Unicorn for service in the Royal Naval Division. After initial Naval Training at the Crystal Palace in South London, in November, he was drafted to the Drake Battalion which was reforming after operations in Antwerp. However, in December, he returned to the Crystal Palace Depot before being sent to Blandford Camp for advanced military training. On completion he joined the Collingwood Battalion which landed in Gallipoli in late May 1915 and took part in the Third Battle of Krithia on 4 June 1915. This was their first and last action because, as they advanced towards the enemy line, they were caught in heavy Turkish artillery and machinegun fire. The number of dead and wounded was very high and the Battalion was disbanded two days later. The survivors were distributed to the other RND battalions to replace their losses. William Galloway was transferred to the Howe Battalion and survived the rest of the Gallipoli campaign. When the Allies withdrew from Gallipoli the Howe undertook Garrison duties in the Aegean. In May 1916 the Battalion sailed for Marseille and prepared for fighting on the Western Front. In November the RND took part in the final battle of the Somme and captured the village of Beaucourt, an objective from the first day in July. After this battle he received home leave in December. In February 1917 he was hospitalised with a fractured left wrist and evacuated to the Stobshill Hospital in Glasgow. After recuperation he rejoined the Howe in October whilst it was serving at Passchendaele. After this the RND moved to defend Welsh Ridge from heavy German attack over Christmas and New Year. In January 1918 he was confirmed as a Leading Seaman. The Howe Battalion was disbanded in February but his record does not show which unit he was transferred to. Several hundred Howe men were transferred to the Royal Marine Light Infantry (RMLI). At some point during the retreat from the March German Offensive William Galloway died from wounds received in action. He is buried in the Gezaincort Communal British Cemetery, Somme, Northern France. The Peoples Journal of 21 September 1918 reports him as a Petty Officer in the RMLI and dying of wounds at Casualty Clearing Station in France.

Iain Stewart and Iain Birnie