Sjt W E Henderson Royal Scots d.20/06/15 Greece

[christine liava'a]

Remembering Today:

Sjt William Ewart HENDERSON, 59 5 Bn, Royal Scots, who died aged 23 on 20.06.15. East Mudros Military Cemetery, Greece

Cemetery: EAST MUDROS MILITARY CEMETERY

Country: Greece

Locality: Lemnos

Location Information: Mudros is on the island of Lemnos in the north-east Aegean. East Mudros Military Cemetery is situated on rising ground, about kilometre north east of the village of Mudros, next to the Greek Civil Cemetery.

Historical Information: Because of its position, the island of Lemnos played an important part in the campaigns against Turkey during the First World War. It was occupied by a force of marines on 23 February 1915 in preparation for the military attack on Gallipoli, and Mudros became a considerable Allied camp. The 1st and 3rd Canadian Stationary Hospitals, the 3rd Australian General Hospital and other medical units were stationed on both sides of Mudros bay and a considerable Egyptian Labour Corps detachment was employed.

After the evacuation of Gallipoli, a garrison remained on the island and the 1st Royal Naval Brigade was on Lemnos, Imbros and Tenedos for the first few months of 1916. On 30 October 1918, the Armistice between the Entente Powers and Turkey was signed at Mudros. East Mudros Military Cemetery was begun in April 1915 and used until September 1919.

It contains 885 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, 86 of them unidentified, and one Second World War burial. There are also seven non war naval graves and 32 burials of other nationalities in the cemetery, 29 of them Russians who died in the evacuation of Novorossisk in 1921, who are remembered on a memorial plaque set into the boundary wall.

No. of Identified Casualties: 810

Name: HENDERSON, WILLIAM EWART

Initials: W E

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Serjeant

Regiment: Royal Scots

Unit Text: 5th Bn.

Age: 23

Date of Death: 20/06/1915

Service No: 59

Additional information: Son of W. F. and Margaret Henderson, of 37, Falcon Avenue, Edinburgh.

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference: I. C. 62.

Cemetery: EAST MUDROS MILITARY CEMETERY

[michaeldr]

I wish we knew more about William Ewart Henderson; a 23 year old Serjeant with the service number 59. In the absence of further information however it seems most likely that Sjt Henderson was wounded on the Gallipoli peninsula, evacuated to medical facilities on Mudros and died there.

Ray Westlake’s book ‘British Regiments at Gallipoli’ includes the following information:

The Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment)

1/5th Battalion (Queen’s Edinburgh Rifles) (TF)

Arrived Lemnos 13th April 1915.

Two companies sailed for Gallipoli 3.30 pm 25th, landed 12.30 pm at ‘V’ Beach, Helles –“It was one rain of death”

Remainder of Battalion arrived 3rd May 1915

After being involved in further fighting, including Fir Tree Wood on 7th May, the Battalion is found to be reduced to the strength of 2 companies

Draft of 3 officers and 98 other ranks arrived 27th May

Into the firing line near Fir Tree Wood again on 3rd June

To ‘rest camp’ at ‘X’ Beach 9th to 13th June

Night of 13th, back to firing line again

Enemy attacked during night of 18th June and occupied part of line held by troops on the right of Battalion.

‘Y’ Company counter attacked at 4.00pm on 19th and regained position, but at a cost.

Total casualties – 20 killed, 40 wounded