Great Uncle David

[Lachlan09]

This is Peter Montgomery ("Peter" of the letters), Annie's husband, father of Wee Davie and Wee Jessie, brother in law to David Robertson. He was a Private in the 2/th Batt Royal Scots (TF). As a piper, he was also a stretcher-bearer. The 2/7th was the reserve battalion of the 1/7th Royal Scots, the active service battalion which was famously involved in the Gretna Rail Disaster 22 May 1915, in which half of the battalion was travelling in one train, the other half in a following train, en route for Liverpool Docks and the Dardanelles Campaign. The first half's train was smashed into by first a local train, then the London-Glasgow express. Only 60 of the train's 500 passengers were fit for parade afterward. The remaining half battalion journeyed onto to Helles, Gallipoli, to be reinforced by mass drafts from the 2/7th.

Granddad wasn't called upon and went with the 2/7th to Widford Camp, Chelmsford, Essex in 1916. Whilst there, they gained celebrity in being the troops who guarded the Zeppelin shot down at nearby Billericay in 1916. The battalion moved to Ireland in 1917 for policing duties (a posting they did not relish as they felt empathy for Irish people who were in many ways like them) and upon his battalion being disbanded in 1918, finished his service in the 4th Reserve Batt Royal Scots where he was part of the regimental police.

[Briandhay]

Musselburgh DCM could well have been Henry Shaw, Royal Engineers, at Messines Ridge. My Great-Grandad.

[Lachlan09]

Interesting possibility, but I think in this instance the dates may be a problem as David wrote his letter on 17/3/16, was killed on 3/5/17 and Messines Ridge was June 1917.