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John Murray Eaglesome
SRoH : Not in Stewartry Roll of Honour. John Eaglesome was identified as a soldier from Anwoth by Ken Morrison while he was researching a gravestone in Stoneykirk, Wigtownshire. Ken supplied most of the information below.
Private John Murray Eaglesome 285061 9th Welsh Regiment. Killed 19th April 1918 (aged 23). Buried Schoonselhof Cemetery, Antwerp, Belgium. (Ken thinks he may have been a prisoner of war - some records are written in German).
Parents: Matthew and Constance Eaglesome, Hillside, Tredegar, Monmouthshire.
SNWM : Formerly Private 290657 3rd Monmouthshire regiment. This is confirmed on his Medal Index card.
Gives his birthplace as Creetown, Kirkcudbrightshire (Note: the boundary between Anwoth and Kirkmabreck [Creetown] parishes runs through the Bardristane Steading.)
1901 & 1911 Monmouthshire Census, at Tredegar, Bedwelty : Matthew Eaglesome with wife Constance and son John Murray Eaglesome.
Parents marriage : Matthew Eaglesome from Tredegar, Bedwelty, Monmouthshire to Constance Elizabeth Nicholson of Bardristan in 1892 at the bride's home.
John's father Matthew was born in Colmonell, Ayrshire in 1861 but moved to Stoneykirk in the 1860's. Both Matthew's parents died when he was young and he was brought up by his elder brother and sister.
Several of John's uncles emigrated to New Zealand and 3 of his cousins served with New Zealand forces during the war. Two of them were killed : John Murray Eaglesome, Private 28255 2nd Canterbury Regt and Robert James Eaglesome, New Zealand Field Artillery.
Birth : John Murray Eaglesome born in 1893 Anwoth (Bardristan). Father - Matthew Eaglesome (draper) Mother - Constance Elizabeth Nicholson.
Gatehouse link : Born in Anwoth where his mother's family lived.
Robert Edgar
SRoH. Not in Stewartry Roll of Honour. Identified as a soldier from Gatehouse ex Kirkcudbrightshire Advertiser “First Instalment of Stewartry Roll of Honour” 25th December 1914. Private Robert Edgar Scots Guards.
Medal Index card : Pte Robert Edgar 11060 Scots Guards. Went to France 28/12/1914. Awarded Victory, British and 15 Star.
A. Elliot
SRoH. Not in Stewartry Roll of Honour. Identified as a soldier from Gatehouse ex Kirkcudbrightshire Advertiser “First Instalment of Stewartry Roll of Honour” 25th December 1914. A Elliot 11th Hussars.
James Ronald Herdman Faed
SRoH. No mention in The Stewartry Roll of Honour.
Identified from various publications about the Faed family.
Kells War Memorial, New Galloway inscription: Midshipman R.H. Faed H.M.S. Goliath
Chatham Naval Memorial.
St Margaret’s Episcopal Church, New Galloway : plaque records his death. Also at the same church there is a picture ‘The Great Sacrifice’ with names handwritten below it – including James Ronald Herdman Faed (Midshipman RN).
CWGC : Midshipman James Ronald Herdman Faed., Royal Navy. Served on HMS Goliath
Died 13/05/1915. On Chatham Naval Memorial, Kent (Panel 8)
Parents: James & Eleanor Annie Faed, of Medwyn Head, Peebles and also The Bungalow, New Galloway, Kirkcudbrightshire.
1901 Census : James R H Faed (age 1, born London) was in Edinburgh with his mother at the home of his maternal grandparents John and Elizabeth Herdman.
1911 Census : James was at the Royal Naval College at Osborne, Hampshire as a 14 year old naval cadet, born West Dulwich, Surrey. (N.B. he was actually only 11-going-on-12).
Kirkcudbrightshire Advertiser 25th June 1915: It was reported that James Faed had been picked up by HMS Eurylus after he had been in the water for 1½ hours. He was buried at sea later on the day he died.
Midshipman. Known as Ronnie. His parents had homes in both New Galloway and Peebleshire.
James Faed Junior by Stuart Faed : James R H was born in Hampstead, London in May 1899. His father was James Faed jnr.(artist) and his mother was Eleanor Annie Herdman. The family lived at 38 Abbey Road in the artist’s colony of St John’s Wood, London.
His paternal grandfather James Faed snr. (1821 – 1911) was one of the well known Victorian family of artists and engravers who were born and lived at Barlay Mill, Gatehouse of Fleet. His great uncle, the artist John Faed, lived in Gatehouse until his death in 1902.
Although the family lived in London, they spent part of each year in Scotland – in the Highlands and in Galloway. They bought a house ‘The Bungalow’ in New Galloway in 1912. They had also inherited land near Dolphinton, Peebleshire in 1911.
Ronnie went to the Royal Naval College in Hampshire. In 1913, aged 14, he joined the Royal Navy in Dartmouth. By 1914 he was serving as a midshipman on the battleship HMS Goliath which was involved in convoy duty in the English Channel and then the Indian Ocean. He wrote letters home describing his involvement in battles off Zanzibar and Tanganyika.
On 13th May 1915, the ship was sunk off Cape Helles in the Dardanelles by two torpedoes fired from a small Turkish gun boat. The Goliath, which was an old boat sank in minutes. Of the 700 crew on board, 570 drowned including the captain. James was killed and recorded as ‘buried at sea’. He was awarded the Star Victory Medal.
James is one of the youngest (aged 15) to be killed in action during World War 1.
Gatehouse link : His grandfather was James Faed snr. who was part of the famous artist family born at Barlay Mill, Gatehouse.
Cecil Farmer
SRoH. Private Cecil Farmer. Home: Woodfoot, Gatehouse.
Enlisted September 1915, 3rd Royal Highlanders. Transferred to 8th Royal Highlanders. Served on Western Front. Killed at Ploegsteert on 19th March 1916.
Anwoth Church Memorial : Pte. Cecil Farmer Black Watch
Anwoth & Girthon War Memorial, Gatehouse inscription : Cecil Farmer B.W.
Girthon Gravestone : .... also Cecil, his son 8th Black Watch, killed in action19th March 1916, aged 19 years. Father: James Farmer, Woodfoot Mother: Elizabeth Allan.
CWGC : C Farmer, Private S/11606 Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) 8th Battalion. Died 19/03/1916 (aged 19).
Buried Rifle House Cemetery Hainaut, Belgium Grave: IV. C.3
Parents: James & Elizabeth Farmer, Woodfoot, Gatehouse of Fleet.
1901 Girthon Census, at Woodfoot : Cecil Farmer (age 4, born Anwoth), with father James (mason) and mother Elisabeth + 5 siblings.
1911 Girthon Census, at Woodfoot : Cecil Farmer (age 14, born Girthon), with father James (drystone mason) and mother Elisabeth + 6 brothers and 2 sisters.
Kirkcudbrightshire Advertiser 31st March 1916 : Roll of Honour, Farmer - killed in action on Sunday 19th March, Cecil Farmer, Private, Black Watch, aged 19 years, son of James Farmer, Woodfoot, Gatehouse of Fleet.
Kirkcudbrightshire Advertiser 31st March 1916 : Killed - Private Cecil Farmer, Gatehouse. Word was received last Thursday that Private Cecil Farmer had been killed. He belonged to the machine gun section of the Black Watch. The information was sent to his parents, who reside at Woodfoot, near Gatehouse, by the lieutenant of his section, who said that he (Cecil) had been shot through the head, and that his death was instantaneous. Private Farmer had only been a few weeks in France, and during the time he had been in the Army, had become an efficient soldier. He was of a bright and cheerful disposition and very much respected in the district. prior to the war, he had been employed for some years at Auchenlarie.
The congregation were upstanding at Anwoth Parish Church during reference to his death. He had been a member of Anwoth Church.
Kirkcudbrightshire Advertiser 12th August 1921: Unveiling of Gatehouse War Memorial. Wreath laid: ‘In affectionate memory of Eugene and Cecil, from all at Woodfoot.’
ScotlandsPeople website (GROS) : Cecil Farmer was born in 1896. Father James Farmer, Mother Elizabeth Allen from Woodfoot, Gatehouse.
Note: His brothers were Eugene A. and John McL. Farmer. Eugene was also killed during the war.
Gatehouse link : Born and lived at Woodfoot, Gatehouse.
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