A selection of Scottish, Welsh & Irish headstones this post, beginning with the Scottish regiments, and three unknown men of the Black Watch.
The most northern of the Scottish regiments, the Seaforth Highlanders, the man on the right given a date of death of 13th December 1917.
Cameron Highlanders, an unknown officer on the right,…
…and Gordon Highlanders, a lance corporal killed on 1st July 1917 on the left, and another of those unique and utterly tragic headstones, this time marking a mass grave of thirty unidentified Gordons, on the right.
Unknown Highland Light Infantry casualties, a serjeant on the right.
Unidentified men of the Royal Scots Fusiliers (left) and the oldest regiment in the British Army, the Royal Scots (centre & right). The man on the far right is an unknown Royal Scots lieutenant and, similar to one we saw last post, why this headstone doesn’t say ‘An Officer of the Great War’ I know not. I suppose it’s just another of the many variations we have seen in these posts so far.
Unidentified Scots Guardsman,…
…and unknown men of the King’s Own Scottish Borderers & Argyle & Sutherland Highlanders.
Unidentified soldiers from three Irish regiments, from left, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, Royal Irish Rifles, & Royal Dublin Fusiliers,…
…and two Welsh regiments, a man of the Welch Regiment on the left, and two men of the Royal Welch Fusiliers, including, on the far right, a company serjeant major. Another Welsh regiment, the South Wales Borderers, is mentioned on the rather unusual combined headstones, known and unknown men buried together, with which we finish below.
‘Known unto God’
This has been a fascinating set of posts M, I have wandered around a number of CWGC over the years but never really questioned the differences on the headstones, so many questions as to why the commission did things the way they did.
Some very poignant ones too makes me shudder to think of 30 men in one plot who knows in what condition they were found. So sad when an individual is partially known by his regiment or rank but unable to identify them.
I will look at these headstones more carefully next time I visit.
Well I am really pleased to hear it M. I wasn’t sure how interesting these posts would be but I thought it was a neglected subject, so I thought I’d give it a go.