John McVittie

Reg. no. 305414          Private          8th Highland Light Infantry attached

                                                            5th Battalion Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)

                                                            19th Brigade, 33rd Division  

Killed in Action                                20 July 1916, High Wood

Commemorated                               Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France

 

Personal Background

No link to St. Boswells has yet been discovered and any help in solving this would be most welcome.

The John McVittie with this regimental number was born in 1892 in Cambusnethan in Lanarkshire.  The 1901 census shows his father, also John, was born circa 1862 in Ireland and was working at the Dalziel Steel Works.  Mother, Bridget, nee McKeever, was a local girl, from Coatbridge, born circa 1863.  The family home was at 17 Overjohnston, Dalziel.  They had 7 other children, Rose Ann, born in 1883 who died of typhoid in 1901, Matthew, born 1890, Francis, 1894, Thomas, 1896, Joseph, 1898 and David, 1901.

John appears in the Census for English Buildings, Wishaw in 1911, at which time their father was still at the ironworks, as were John and younger brother Francis, while brother Matthew was a coalminer. 

The Register of Soldier's Effects shows that the initial payment of monies due to him after his death was sent on to his father, John, on 2 November 1917, but the War Gratuity was paid two years later, on 17 December 1919, to his mother, Bridget, which suggests that his father had died during that two year period.

There is no apparent link to St. Boswells in 1911. In the same Census for Bathgate, there was a John McVittie, baker, born Dingleton, Melrose. and also one living in Hawick. The one from Hawick is reputed to have survived the war and emigrated to Canada where he died in the 1960s.

The one born and brought up at Dingleton was the son of Robert and Elizabeth (Colterd) McVittie.  His father was a mason/dyker and died between 1891 and 1901, when John was still a young boy - born around 1890.    He had at least 8 siblings, the eldest of whom was Lizzie.  In 1898 Lizzie married John Drummond, a joiner, born in St. Boswells and the son of Robert Drummond, who for many years worked at the Hunt Kennels in the village.  Although at the time of his marriage John was working in Portobello, his parents remained in the village and he and Lizzie may have returned at some point. 

John himself moved up to Bathgate, where in 1911 he was working as a baker, and he married in July 1916.  At this point his address is the same as in 1911, but his occupation is listed as Steeldresser.  His wife, Elizabeth Tennant, gave birth to a son, James, in November that year, but it has been found that she was widowed at some point and her death certificate suggests she remarried, possibly in the early 1920s, though a quick search of the indexes was unable to find this event.  However, a family tree on Ancestry suggests that this John McVittie survived the war and emigrated to America with his wife, and they subsequently divorced, but it is difficult to know how accurate this is.

 

 

 

Military Background

Between 15 - 18 July 1916, the 5th Battalion Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) were in trenches from the cemetery to the windmill east of Bazentin Le Petit.  In the evening of 18 July, the Battalion moved to Mametz Wood and on the next day received orders, as part of the 19th Brigade, to take High Wood on 20 July.

 

The Battalion left Mametz Wood at 12.15 and marched by platoons on the road to a point a little farther on than the crossroads north of Bazentin Le Grand.  The bank of this road facing north east had been trenched and wire put out in front, but paths had been cut through and scouts guided the Battalion through this trench line, held by the 22nd Manchesters.  The Battalion formed up in lines of sections in file facing High Wood;  "C" Company on the right, "B" Company on the left.  "A" Company in support and "D" Company in reserve.  The lines of sections then advanced, being preceded by the scouts.  The allied shelling was fairly light at first, but as time went on it intensified, until a tremendous bombardment was directed on the wood.

 

The Germans replied with shrapnel, but in the dark it was impossible to tell the effect of it.  At 03.25. the Battalion had arrived about 50 yards from the south west side of the wood and formed up ready for the assault, keeping the same formation.

 

At 03.35. the guns being due to lift, the assault began and sections rushed through the wood, reached the other side and began to dig in.  In the wood they encountered some machine gun teams which were put out of action, and parties of Germans near the dugouts.  One of these was bombed and in others about 30 prisoners taken.  The Battalion was now mixed up with Royal Fusiliers and a good number of 1st Cameronians.

 

At about  06.00 a heavy bombardment was opened on the wood by artillery, under cover of which a second counter attack was made on the left.  As the strength of the Brigade was a mere handful, the Germans obtained a footing, but the southern and eastern sides remained in British hands.  After the bombardment was over, about 23.00, the Brigade was relieved and what was left of the 5th Cameronians - 1 officer and 198 other ranks - returned to Mametz Wood.  On that day 19 other ranks were killed, including Private McVittie, 217 were missing and 153 wounded.  The efforts to take High Wood had begun on 5 July 1916 and continued unsuccessfully until 15 September 1916, when it was finally captured.