2nd Great Grandfather
6th Generation
Born - 15 January 1887 - Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Died - 21 October 1968 - Kirkcaldy, Fife, ScotlandWilliam was born in Gallowgate, Camlachie in Glasgow in 1887, his birth certificate has his father as an Iron Worker. His father would have been employed at the local steelworks – William Beardmore and Company. It was a British engineering and shipbuilding conglomerate based in Glasgow, It was active from 1886 to the mid-1930s and at its peak employed about 40,000 people.
The family had moved to East Nelson Street by the 1891 census, his father still worked in the Ironworks. By 1901 William was 14 and also worked in the Ironworks as an Ironworks labourer. By this time William was 1 of 11 children of John and Margaret. (Elizabeth, Mary, Lena, William, John, Violet, Margaret, Florence, Annie, Bartie and Josephine)
I have no record of William in 1911 however I do have records of his sister’s Lena, Violet and Florence all emigrating to Brisbane, Australia in 1911. His brother’s John and Bartie also emigrated.
William married Jeannie McNeill on 6th December 1912 in Bon’ess, Carriden. My great gran Janet was born 40 days later!! Shortly after they were married they moved to Denbeath as the next documents I have for William are the records of his time served in WWI
This is William’s medal card
His regimental number was 31825, he joined the Kings Shropshire Light Infantry on 30th September 1914 (2 months after the war started) and served until 8th February 1919. He was awarded the British & Victory medals.
William joined 2nd Battalion KSLI in Salonika on 18 August 1916 (Fighting against the Bulgarians and their allies in the Balkans).The Balkan campaign was a theatre of World War I fought between the Central Powers (Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Germany and the Ottoman Empire) and the Allies (Serbia, Montenegro, France, the United Kingdom, Russia, Italy, and later Greece). William stayed there for the duration of the war. He was medically discharged at the end of the war with Myalgia, a chronic and severe muscle pain, caused by trench life. This reduced his ability to work to 30% and he received a pension straight away. I have copied some of his military documents below.
His brothers John & Bartie also served in WW1 but with the Australian Military as they had previously emigrated to Australia.
In the 1921 Census William was living at 84 East High Street, Buckhaven with his wife Jeannie and children, Janet (9), John (7), Elizabeth (18 months) and Helen (5 months) – The gap in years would have been the war years.
William and Jeannie had 13 children between 1913 and 1933. William lived until 1968 – he was 81 years old, my mum remembers him living in Simon Crescent. Many of his siblings also lived until their 80’s, I come from good stock!
Marie's Genealogy 