More about Peter Cathro Munro

Peter died of accidental injuries received in Salonika. For reasons unknown this man is not listed on the original Dundee Roll of Honour.

Peter Cathro Munro was born on 16th May 1873 at 64 Dudhope Street Dundee to parents Peter Munro a fruiterer and his wife Isabella Munro nee Keith.  Before his enlistment Peter Cathro Munro was a Packing Case Maker with Langland and McAinsh of Seagate in Dundee.  He was a married man with children at home in 56 James Street, Dundee.  

He enlisted on 8 March 1915 directly to the Royal Engineers specifying his carpentry skills. However he was subsequently allocated to Railway Troops RE ultimately being posted to the British Salonica Force in 1916, and he had been serving in Salonica with the 117th Railway Operating Company, Royal Engineers for some 2 years when he was accidentally injured in February 1918 sustaining a fracture of the spine which transacted his Spinal Cord.  This resulted in Paraplegia.  The Board of inquiry into the accident exonerated him of any blame in the incident which then made his injuries attributable to service.  A copy of some of the testimony to the BOI is attached

He was treat initially in  76 Field Ambulance and subsequently in 21 Stationary Hospital and then 28 British Gen Hospital where he was listed Dangerously ill.  He was later evacuated back to Malta in the first instance, on HMHS Braemar Castle where he was again admitted to the Military Hospital and listed Seriously ill thereafter before he was further evacuated to UK and it was after arrival in UK where he was admitted to the specialist spinal unit at Ralston Hospital in Paisley where in  4th November 1918 he succumbed to Septicaemia.   In these days prior to antibiotics being discovered many paraplegic patients would suffer chest or urinary tract infections which could progress to Sepsis as was the case for Peter.

Peter was survived by his wife, Agnes Amelia and six Children,  Elizabeth born 1900,  David born 1903, Agnes born 1904,  Helen born 1908, Isabella born 1910 and Winifred born 1913.  All still at 56James Street, Dundee.  A final and somewhat sad reflection here is that Peter was of an age whereby he could have likely avoided service yet his apparent sense of duty saw him enlist.  

Having died in UK Peter body was repatriated to Dundee and he is interred locally in Eastern Cemetery Dundee