William Ferguson

Died of Wounds on the 26/04/1915 at Gallipoli

William arrived in Egypt on the 16/11/1914. His Battalion sailed from Avonmouth on 18/03/1915 and landed via Lemnos at Cape Helles in Gallipoli on the 25/04/1915. They were part of the 87th Brigade, 29th Division. As regular units from the further garrisons of Empire arrived back in England after having received recall orders soon after war was declared, many having waited until a Territorial unit had gone out to replace them, they were formed up into three Divisions, numbered 27th to 29th. The 29th, consisting of units that arrived from the most distant stations, was formed in the Stratford-Warwick-Leamington-Rugby-Nuneaton area of Warwickshire in January - March 1915. Originally intended for France, pressure on Lord Kitchener to launch a ground attack at Gallipoli forced him to deploy the Division there. They embarked at Avonmouth on the 16th - 22nd March 1915 and went via Malta to Alexandria. On the 7th April the first units to have arrived at Egypt began to re-embark for the move to Mudros, the deep water harbour at the island of Lemnos that was going to be used as a forward base for operations at Gallipoli. The Division landed at Cape Helles on Gallipoli on the 25 April 1915. William Died of Wounds the day after the Battalion arrived. SEE PHOTOS x 37 FOR THE BATTALION WAR DIARY APRIL 1915. William's death was reported 1 year after he died (see Newspaper clippings). His death notice in the Advertiser dated 15/07/1916 had this epitaph - "BITTER LOSS AND BARREN GAIN". William is also remembered in the St. Augustine's Parish (book) Roll of Honour. See photos for William's Medal Index Card, his Newspaper clippings x 2, his Army Register of Soldiers Effects, his Service Medal and Award Rolls, his CWGC Grave Registration, his name on the Helles Memorial Panel List, his Memorial Plaque (Dead Mans Penny), William's Pension Records x 2 and the King's Own Scottish Borderers Cap Badge. Finally, SEE PHOTOS x 45 FOR THE 29th DIVISION BOOK FROM JANUARY - JUNE 1915 and PHOTOS x 13 FOR THE 29th DIVISION ORDER OF BATTLE (the Division he was with when he died), a Memorial to the 29th Division situated within Newfoundland Memorial Park, Beaumont-Hamel, Somme, France (a reminder of the costly attack on this ground on the 1st July 1916), a Memorial to the 29th Division on the A45 (situated on the A45 east of Coventry near Stretton-on-Dunsmore, at the spot where units of the 29th Division were inspected by King George V before they departed for Gallipoli) and Newspaper clippings x 4 (Coatbridge Express x 2, Coatbridge Leader x 1 and Airdrie and Coatbridge Advertiser x 1).