John Gray

Killed in Action on the 09/04/1917 at the 1st Battle of the Scarpe (opening day of the Battle of Arras)

The Royal Scots : the senior line infantry regiment of the British Army, it is often referred to as "Pontius Pilate's Bodyguard". John is listed as 3rd BATTALION on the Coatbridge Memorial. John enlisted in the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion (16139) on the 18/11/1914. He was posted to the 13th Battalion and went to France on the 09/07/1915. John was wounded and invalided and was back in France after recovering in mid October 1916. He was posted to the 1/9th Battalion (5669 then renumbered 352338 on 01/03/1917). The Battalion were part of the 154th Brigade, 51st (Highland) Division when he fell on the opening day of the Battle of Arras (the Arras offensive) : 9th April -16th June 1917 : the Arras offensive. Once again the British are called upon to launch an attack in support to a larger French offensive : the battles of the Chemin des Dames and the hills of Champagne. The opening Battle of Vimy and the First Battle of the Scarpe are very encouraging, but once again the offensive - often known as the Battle of Arras - bogs down into an attritional slog. Final attempts to outflank the German lines at Bullecourt prove terribly costly. John was Killed in Action at the First Battle of the Scarpe, 9th - 14th April 1917 which was the opening phase of the Arras offensive and a parallel phase of the Battle of Vimy, 9th - 14th April 1917. The attack was launched at 5.30 a.m. The Battalion and the Brigade (on the left) took all their objectives according to plan although they were engaged in stiff fighting. By 01.40 p.m. the Brigade had pushed forward. At 06.30 p.m. a message was received that the Brigade had reached the Canadians at Commandant House. SEE PHOTOS x 21 FOR THE BATTALION WAR DIARY APRIL 1917. The War Diary (5) states : "Casualties from the 9th - 12th April - 2 Officers Killed, 1 Died of Wounds on the 10th, 8 Wounded, 69 Other Ranks Killed, 138 Wounded and 27 Missing (see photos)". See Directory for John's elder brother Private Thomas Gray's page. He is also remembered on the Free Church Roll of Honour (see photos). See photos for John's Medal Index Card, his Army Register of Soldiers Effects, his Service Medal and Award Rolls, his CWGC Grave Registration x 2, his Headstone Report, Roclincourt Military Cemetery and the Royal Scots Cap Badge. Finally, SEE PHOTOS x 30 FOR THE 51st (HIGHLAND) DIVISION BOOK 11th February - 17th APRIL 1917, the 51st (Highland) Division Order of Battle x 12 (the Division he was with when he died) and Newspaper clippings x 5 (Coatbridge Express x 3, Coatbridge Leader x 1 and the Airdrie and Coatbridge Advertiser x 1).