Is there someone from Alloa?.....

KiwiChris · Post by **KiwiChris** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 12:32 am

I am looking for information about a William Grant who was killed in action 24/5/1916 and whose newspaper cutting photo I have found in my great grandfather's WW1 pocket bible.

Both men served in the Australian army although my great grandfather was born and lived in New Zealand and the person I believe to be the William Grant in the photo was born in Alloa, and his father is given as James Grant from Viewforth Alloa on the Commonwealth War Graves site.

I believe he was born 1884. I have requested his records from the Australian Archives which will hopefully tell me more.

I have no idea why this man was so important to my great grandfather that he would have carried this photo through the war with him but thought I would try and find out more about the man so that I could include his story with my great grandfather's story in my family history information.

Is there some kind person in Alloa who could help me to find out more? Is there a war memorial in the town and does he appear on it?

Thanks
Christine in New Zealand.

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 10:01 am

Hi Christine

Welcome to TalkingScot !!

Fortunately GRANT isn't that common a surname in the Lowlands.

If you search on www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk for the birth in Alloa of a William GRANT between 1880 and 1895, you will find only one, father James !

Obviously you need to tie this record in with the age etc. that you get from the AIF records, but the year that you quote matches

Were I a betting man .............. $\:D/$

The 1891 and 1901 census records for Alloa, assuming that this is the correct man, will give you the names of his many siblings.

My grandpa carried about in his wallet a WWII cutting, - relating to the death in Flanders of his brother with the 5th (Angus) Bn The Black Watch.....

David

Post by **Tracey** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 10:49 am

Hello Christine

Is there a war memorial in the town and does he appear on it?

William's nationality is given as Australian on www.cwgc.org

Name: GRANT
Initials: W
Nationality: Australian
Rank: Second Lieutenant
Regiment: Australian Infantry, A.I.F.
Unit Text: 8th Bn.
Date of Death: 24/05/1916
Additional information: Son of James Grant, of Viewforth, Alloa, Scotland.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: I. 25.
Cemetery: Y FARM MILITARY CEMETERY, BOIS-GRENIER

..................and he enlisted in Melbourne so im not too sure if he would be named on a Scottish War Memorial ?

http://www.awm.gov.au/database/roh.asp
Grant, William
Number:
Rank: 2nd Lieutenant [2 Lt]
Unit: 8th Bn Australian Inf
Service: Army
Conflict: 1914-1918
Date of Death: 24/05/1916
Place of Death:
Cause of Death:
Memorial Panel: 53
Cemetery or Memorial Details: FRANCE 276 ""Y"" Farm Military Cemetery Bois-Grenier
Next Of Kin:
Place Of Enlistment: Melbourne, VIC
Native Place:
Notes: GRANT, 2nd Lt. W. 8th Bn. Australian Inf. 24th May, 1916. Son of James Grant, of Viewforth, Alloa, Scotland. I. 25.
Source: AWM145 Roll of Honour cards, 1914-1918 War, Army

So another question looming i think

Tracey

Post by **AndrewP** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 11:54 am

No new informtion fom the Scottish National War Memrial site either.

http://www.snwm.org/

Surname GRANT
Firstname William
Service Number
Date Death
Decoration
Place of birth
Other 8 Bn.
SNWM roll AUSTRALIAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE
Rank 2nd Lieut
Theatre of death Unknown

That site sources its data from the records kept in the Scottish National War Memorial at Edinburgh Castle, and gives no clues to War Memorials around the country.

All the best,

Andrew Paterson

Tom-W · Post by **Tom-W** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 2:46 pm

I found this in the Scotsman 1st July 1916

Alloa Australian Officer Killed
Ex-Provost Grant, Alloa. has been notified that his youngest son, Lieut. William Grant, of the Australian Imperial Forces, has been killed in action. Lieut. Grant, who was 31 years of age, was in business in Melbourne as a plasterer when war broke out, and he enlisted as a private. Senior Chaplain J. Miles, of the Australian Imperial Forces, in conveying the sympathy of the battalion to ex-Provost Grant, said his son was a fine type of a soldier, an excellent comrade, and one who had endeared himself to his fellow-officers and won the confidence of his men.

HTH

Tom

Tom-W · Post by **Tom-W** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 2:59 pm

Also found a death notice in the same issue:

Grant – Killed in action on 24th May, Lieut. William Grant, of the Australian Imperial Forces, aged 31, youngest son of Ex-Provost Grant, Alloa.

Tom

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 3:51 pm

Tom-W wrote:I found this in the Scotsman 1st July 1916

Alloa Australian Officer Killed
Ex-Provost Grant, Alloa. has been notified that his youngest son, Lieut. William Grant, of the Australian Imperial Forces, has been killed in action. Lieut. Grant, who was 31 years of age, was in business in Melbourne as a plasterer when war broke out, and he enlisted as a private. Senior Chaplain J. Miles, of the Australian Imperial Forces, in conveying the sympathy of the battalion to ex-Provost Grant, said his son was a fine type of a soldier, an excellent comrade, and one who had endeared himself to his fellow-officers and won the confidence of his men.

HTH

Tom

Tom

Many thanks for that !

His father was a plasterer!, and he appeared as an apprentice to that trade in the 1901 census.

David

Caroline · Post by **Caroline** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 4:02 pm

Hi Christine,

If you go to this site http://www.icetoglass.org.uk/modules.ph ... age&pid=43 it tells you a little bit about the family. There are still members of the family living in Alloa.

Caroline

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 4:06 pm

Caroline wrote:Hi Christine,

If you go to this site http://www.icetoglass.org.uk/modules.ph ... age&pid=43 it tells you a little bit about the family. There are still members of the family living in Alloa.

Caroline

Caroline

As a matter of interest did you know about this site already?

If not how did you find it ?

David

A few minutes later .... I see that a Google on "grant alloa provost" shows the site as the No.1 hit

dww

Caroline · Post by **Caroline** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 4:23 pm

DavidWW wrote: As a matter of interest did you know about this site already?

If not how did you find it ?

David

I knew about the site from my partner who works for Alloa Council. He knows the actual house mentioned on the above link through some research he has done on the Bauchop family who worked on a 16th century bridge outside Alloa that he has recently renovated

Caroline