More about William Wilton McIntosh

Son of J. McIntosh of Dundee. For reasons unknown this man is not listed on the original Dundee Roll of Honour.

William McIntosh    6509023   Royal Garrison Artillery

A Gunner Killed.

Gunner W. M’Intosh, R.G.A., who has been killed in action, was a son of Mr and Mrs McIntosh, 23 Kinloch Street.  The news is contained in a letter from an officer, who writes :–“Your son was struck by a splinter of shell and killed instantly.  He could have known no pain, and we laid him to rest beside his gallant captain and several of his brave comrades in a military cemetery.  His life was given nobly in the best of all causes, and was not given in vain.”  Deceased, who was 22 years of age, was formerly employed in Rashiewell Jute Works, Dens Road.  He enlisted in 1915, and had been in France two years.  Two brothers are serving—John, in the R.A.F.; and David, in the R. E.

Dundee Courier 23rd October 1918

65090 Gnr William Wilton McIntosh  115 Siege Bty RGA

William was born in Tealing  and residing at the family home at 23 Kinloch Street Dundee when he enlisted at Dundee on 17 January 1916.  He was immediately placed on the Reserve until mobilised on 1 March 1916 to the Royal Garrison Artillery .

He arrived at the RGA Depot at the Citadel Plymouth on 2 March 1916 to begin his training as a Heavy Artillery Gunner after which he is posted to 199 Heavy Battery RGA in UK.  On 25 Feb 1917he embarks at Southampton landing at Le Havre in France on 26 Feb 1917.  He spends a short time at the RGA Base in France before joining the 2^nd London Heavy Battery in the field on 1 March 1917.   During his time with this unit he has one admission to a Field Ambulance with Abdominal Pain which resolves spontaneously and the at the end of November 1917 he is again admitted with a pyrexia which is found to be Trench Fever and he is evacuated via the Medical Chain of evacuation to Middlesex War Hospital in Clacton on Sea in Essex

Having recovered from this he is again posted to the BEF arriving in France at the beginning of March 1918 and joins 115 Siege Battery RGA in the field near Ypres on 13 March 1918.  It is whilst serving with 115 Battery that he is struck by a shell splinter which was said to have killed him instantly and he was buried near where he fell.   After the Armistice his remains were exhumed and he was re -interred in Hooge Crater Cemetery on the Menin Road where he now lies.

There is an interesting post script to his story in that he had 2 brothers also serving in the Great War and one brother, David,  later wrote to the IWGC seeking details of where William was buried as he was about to visit the battlefields with a Red Cross party.   So it seems,  William was remembered and his grave visited by family after the conflict.