More about Martin Cairns

For reasons unknown Martin is not listed on the original Dundee Roll of Honour.

S/7759 Pte Martin Cairns 7 Seaforth Hldrs

Martin was born on 17 Nov 1896 to parents James Cairns and Mary Cairns, (nee Duffy), at 225 Overgate Dundee

His service number indicates he enlisted to Kitchener’s New Army and specifically to the Seaforth Highlanders New Army 7^th Battalion probably in the first few months of the War.  This assumption is likely reality as he entered France and Flanders on 29 July 1915 with his Battalion as part of 26 Brigade in the famous 9^th Scottish Division.   The timelines are appropriate as this would have given enough time for his basic Military Training and his embodiment within the New Army 7^th Seaforth Highlanders.

These timelines are also notable in that this would have placed him present in his Bn for the Battle of Loos where 9(Scottish) Div suffered considerable casualties,  amongst the worst of any Division on that field of Battle

Martin would appear to have survived this ferocious battle as he is noted to have been wounded at the battle of the Somme on 26 July 1916 where his Bn were fighting a number of actions around the general area of Delville Wood

Martin  met his final battle later on the Somme at the Battle of Tilleloy near the Butte de Warlencourt where his Bn were tasked with capturing the important “Snag Trench”  as an integral part of the aim to tackle the German held Butte de Warlencourt

An excerpt of this action is as follows

In the III Corps area the 9th Division on the right had to capture Snag Trench, then the Butte de Warlencourt and the Warlencourt line. The Tail ran back from Snag Trench to the butte and the Pimple at the west end of Snag Trench, with the help of enfilade fire from the 15th Division to the left. Little Wood and the butte were bombarded with smoke by 4 Special Company RE. In the 26th Brigade on the right, the 7th Seaforth Highlanders was caught by machine-gun fire and also by friendly artillery fire which was landing short of the “Snag Trench” target, as soon as it attacked and with the reinforcement of the 10th Argylls managed only to push on for 200 yd (180 m) and dig in during the night..  .

Martin has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the missing of The Somme.

Martin Cairns   S/7759   Seaforth Highlanders

Mrs D. Hayter, 48 Constable Street, received intimation yesterday that her brother, Private Martin Cairns, Seaforth Highlanders, had been killed in action on 12th November.  He was nineteen years of age, and enlisted in the beginning of last year, and had been at the front for about eighteen months.  Previous to enlisting he was employed as a waiter with Mr David Gray, wine and spirt merchant, Wellgate.

Dundee Courier 23rd November 1916