CHALMERS, William
| Service Number: | 2370 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 2nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Kemnay, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Kemnay HGPS, Aberdeenshire, Scotland |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Died of wounds, Belgium, 12 November 1917, age not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery Plot XXVII Row A Grave 7 , Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Lijssenthoek, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 14 Jul 1915: | Involvement Private, 2370, 2nd Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Orsova embarkation_ship_number: A67 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Jul 1915: | Embarked Private, 2370, 2nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Orsova, Sydney |
Help us honour William Chalmers's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Geoffrey Gillon
2nd Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F.
He was 33 and the son of William and Elizabeth Chalmers; husband of Agnes Chalmers, of "Sinside," Invershin, Sutherland, Scotland. He is remembered on the Kemnay war memorial
Kemnay (Gaelic: Ceann a' Mhuigh) is a village 16 miles (26 km) west of Aberdeen in Garioch, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Biography contributed by Geoffrey Gillon
Emigrated aged 25.
Home: Sydney, N.S.W.
Enlisted: 8.5.15 Sydney, Australia.
Curiously there is a record which shows his next of kin as his mother, not Elizabeth Chalmers, but Mrs E McGregor, Sambank Cottage, Kemnay. [Perhaps his father had died and his mother re-married?]
Biography contributed by Geoffrey Gillon
Kemnay has four memorials to commemorate the Great War, the first is a granite monolith erected in 1922, which bears a roll of honour to 65 people who lost their lives in WWI and a further 10 that lost their lives during WWII. This monument stands at what was once the entrance to Kemnay Railway Station, on the corner of Station Road and Grove Road.
The second memorial is located within Kemnay Primary School hall and consists of an oak panel in three sections. The central panel features a painting of an Angel walking through war ravaged countryside and about to release a dove of peace from the palm of her right hand. The panels to either side contain photographs of all but one (James A L Durno), of 61 people that gave their lives in the Great War. This panel suffered considerable water damage during the late 1980s at which time the panels containing the photographs had to be renewed in oak plywood. Regrettably, the remedial work was not of the highest standard and in particular, the lettering bears little resemblance to the quality of the original work. The school memorial was rededicated on Saturday 10th November 1990. The third memorial is in the form of a stained glass window located in Kemnay Parish Church of Scotland. The fourth War Memorial is located in the St. Bryde Lodge Of Freemasons (No. 991), in St. Brydes Road, Kemnay and commemorates seven Freemason Brothers.
The Kemnay war memorial is currently at the village centre opposite Littlewood Court, Riverside Road, Kemnay, Gordon, Grampian, AB51 5NL,
Scotland.
It is a rustic column on a three stepped base. A St. Andrew’s Cross and a Celtic Cross are on the front face. It was unveiled and dedicated on 24 September 1922, attended by: Lt-Col the Hon Robert Bruce and the Rev. James Smith, St George's-in-the-West Parish Church, Aberdeen.
Also commemorated on the Kemnay war memorial is Major Francis Robert Gregson of the British Army, City of London Yeomanry (Rough Riders) who was attached 4th Australian Division. He died aged 62 on 15 May 1917 in France
Click images to start slideshow.