TRESTA MAN KILLED NEAR BAPAUME 1918 Private George Johnston, Service No S/19326, 1st Battalion Gordon Highlanders, was killed during the Battle of Bapaume, August 30th, 1918. He was 25 years old. George was the son of George and Mary Ann Johnston, Tresta, Shetland. George enlisted with the 1st Battalion in Aberdeen. The 1st Battalion were initially part of the 8th Brigade of the 3rd Division, but had transferred to 76th Brigade during 1915. During 1916 and 1917, the 1st Battalion had been involved in various engagements on the Western Front, including Delvill Wood, the Ancre, Scarpe, Polygon Wood and Cambrai. With the German Offensive of 1918, they had been engaged at St Quentin and then Bapaume. On the 30th of August, the 76th Brigade attacked Ecoust and Longatte, which were outposts of the Hinenburg Line. They had been resolutely defended since 1917. Both villages were allocated to the 2nd Suffolks and 1st Gordons being ordered to establish a defensive right flanks. Just prior to George being killed the Battalion were at Douchy on the 25th of August. It was noted that they had rested all day - heavy rain fell. The following day was recorded as a fine day. The Battalion then moved in the evening to the trenches in front of Hamlincourt. On the 27th, during the day, the German had shelled intermittently about where the Battalion were. On the evening of the 28th, the Battalion moved forward from the trenches and relieved the 2nd Grenadiers in the front line south west of Ecoust. Next day, they pushed out patrols to keep in touch with the enemy - one platoon of the left coy advanced too far and was practically wiped out by machine gun fire from the flank. The Battalion was to co-operate with the 8th West Yorks (62nd Div) in a small operation, but owing to the very limited time for assembly purposes the venture did not take place. On the 30th, the day George was killed, the Battalion advanced in conjunction with the 2nd Suffolk Regiment who took Ecoust on our left, but owing to the troops on left having to fall back under a heavy counter attack our left coy was left in the air and they suffered heavy casualties - on the right the Battalion reached its objective with very few casualties. The Battalion dug in and consolidated the position. The Brigade were relieved that night. In an interview with Rosemary Baxter, whose mother knew George, she recalls her mentioning that in 1954 a survivor of the Somme - Alfred Georgeson - told her that Geo. (Pronounced Joe) had been shot by a sniper as he was lighting a cigarette. Alfred was also in the Gordon Highlanders. George is buried at H.A.C. Cemetery Ecoust-St Mein, Grave Reference I.C. 19. It is situated to the north east of Bapaume, and to the west of Cambrai. He was a former pupil of the Anderson Educational Institute. George was awarded that Victory Medal and British War Medal. His younger brother, Private Bert Johnston, Black Watch, died on 1 September 1917, age 22 years. Sources Shetland Family History Society Commonwealth War Graves Commission Rosemary Baxter 1st Battalion Gordon Highlanders War Diary, August, 1918. (National Archives Kew) Photos George Johnston (ROH), Medal Card (N/A), Photograph of Graveside (Find a Grave), Map (Linesman)
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 22:43:54 +0000
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