Pte James POLSON 5Seaforth Highlanders died18.1.15

[Guest Pete Wood]

Name: POLSON

Name: James

Initials: J

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Private

Regiment: Seaforth Highlanders

Unit Text: 5th Bn.

Age: 19

Date of Death: 18/01/1915

Service No: 2912

Additional information: Son of James and Jessie Polson, of West Watten, Watten.

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference: East of ruin.

Cemetery: DUNN OLD CHAPELYARD

SDGW simply says Died.

But I know there is more to this than meets the eye. The fact that James Polson is buried at home, and someone from the village next to his is buried alongside him (James M Budge Miller) - and who died only two days later.

SDGW shows that a large number of men from the 5 Seaforths also died on this day and over the next few days.

I am a bit of a train buff and I've read Lyn MacDonald's book 1915. So at first I thought it might have been the train crash at Gretna - but this didn't happen until July 1915.

But something, like an illness (?) was taking place. Around a dozen young men died in January, from this Battalion, at home. Live firing exercise....?

What do you know....??

I think that Malcolm, Lee or Jock B might also have one or two thoughts, also.....

[Guest Pete Wood]

According to a website which you can see here, Caithness Archives, James Polson was 19 years old and died in Bedford Hospital.

He had a brother, who was KIA and a MM winner:

Polson Alex 14975. Sgt. MM. 1st Royal Scots Fusiliers. 8th Bde, 3rd Div. Born, Home Watten. Enlisted Wick Nov 14. Wounded 26/09/17. Killed in action 03/10/18. 21 yrs. Canal du Nord, Hindenburg Line. Parents; James & Jessie, West Watten.

The same website also lists James Miller (who is buried near James Polson). It says Miller died in Bedford Hospital..... from MEASLES.

So I think we now have our cause of death.

[Jock Bruce]

2912 Pte James Polson enlisted in 5th Seaforth in Dec 1913.

I'll stick my neck out and say on the 22nd [on the basis I know that 2911 and 2914 were both from Watten and both enlisted that day]. He was almost certainly an agricultural worker.

He was one of 15 men from the 5th who died at Bedford in Jan 1915, nearly all as a result of the serious outbreak of measles suffered by the Highland Division in late 14/early 15. The divisional history notes that deaths were far more common among men from the remoter areas of Scotland.

Jock

[Guest Pete Wood]

Agricultural worker he was, Jock.

This morning I spoke to the only listed Polson family in the village, who are "distant relations" of James (and his brother Alex), but who confirmed that they "worked on the land."

Mrs Polson is going to try to find out more from other relatives who have moved away from Watten and Wick.

[Guest Pete Wood]

Well it turns out that Mr Brian Polson is a near relative.

James and Alex were the brothers of his grandfather.

Here goes the list of brothers and sisters, starting with the first born:

Donald (the eldest, born in 1896 and the Brian P's grandfather)

Sinclair

William

Alex KIA 03/10/18

James Died of measles in Bedford Hospital 18.1.15

George

Elizabeth

John

Annie

James (born after WW1 and named after his brother who we have remembered)

Jessie

Sadly the medals for the two soldier brothers can't be found. No photos have survived either.

Brian believes that all the other brothers were exempt from military service as they were agricultural workers.

The family farm was at Bowermadden, and the farm is today owned by Tommy Rosie.

Apparently, the local vicar wrote a book about the Caithness soldiers, which features the Polsons, called "Sword of the North."

[christine liava'a]

MacEchern, Dugald. The sword of the North : Highland memories of the great war. Inverness : R. Carruthers, 1923.

[Jock Bruce]

MacEchern, Dugald. The sword of the North : Highland memories of the great war. Inverness : R. Carruthers, 1923.

I had a look last night - there are no photographs or additional information - these two are simply listed under 'Watten Men who Fell'.

The Rev Dugald was the parish minister of Bower, the next door parish to Watten - my mother sums up the book as 'if you weren't from Bower he wasn't interested'. This is a bit unfair - although the info on 'The Boys of Bower and their Kinsmen' is the most detailed section of the book there are other gems.

But she was one of his parishoners and has strong views on the man - 'a dour old ******' being one of her more charitable utterances.

Jock Bruce

[Jock Bruce]

A bit more on the Polsons

James, the man who appeared on the Remembering Today feature, joined the 5th Seaforth in 1913. And we know he was an agricultural worker from West Watten.

At the time West Watten was farmed by Maj JJC Davidson, who was 2 i/c of 5th Seaforth (and had been OC of K (Watten) Coy of the old Sutherland Highland Rifle Volunteers) and was later CO of 1/5 Seaforth from Sep 14 to Jan 16.

So one factor in James Polson (and other young men from Watten) joining the TF prewar may have been that the local big farmer was a keen Territorial.

His brother Alex enlisted in Nov 14, at which time he was employed by JJC Davidson - but as far as I can tell he enlsited directly into the RSF. I.e. not only did he not enlist in his employer's unit, but he enlisted in a regiment from the other end of Scotland. Maybe enlistment was an escape ??

Once I start to work through the local papers I might turn up more.

Jock