WWI Research - Alexander McKenzie born 1896 Stevenston, Ayrshire - FOUND!

[q98]

Good luck mate.

Jim

[ibi]

Hi Scott

The source of the info on ....

   McKenzie Alexander  00-11-1914  Ardrossan, 57 Kilmahew Street 
   McKenzie Alexander    00-11-1914  Saltcoats, Canal Street

....is the Glasgow Herald/Evening Times Roll of Honour, but these can't be your man as this Roll of Honour commemorates those who died in WWI.


I assume that you've had a look at the Medal Cards on Ancestry.  There's a very tempting entry for an Alexander McKenzie who transferred to the MGC on 26Oct1915, but he'd first served in the 1/6th Gordons, - the Banff and Donside Territorial Bn, - and there's a thread on http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com (The Great War forum) that identifies him as having been born in Dyce.


The local paper is the Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald.  While they do have some indexes these, so far, are only BMD related.  You're quite correct that may well be a reference to a local man having signed up with ......


... the 'natural' regiment for a man from N Ayrshire would be the Royal Scots Fusiliers.  Given that he enlisted early on it's more than likely that he went for his local regiment; but then, if his parents were from "McKenzie country" he may have gone for a regiment local to that area.  If they were from Ayrshire, then the RSF has to be the favourite.


Medal cards are reasonably reliable in terms of showing transfers, and there's no records where an RSF man transferred to the MGC (actually I think there was one, but it was one of the small proportion where an address was shown on the back and it wasn't anywhere near N Ayrshire!).


I can confirm that there are no obvious matching pension records or service records.  As regards the former only a small proportion of men received a pension, and most often only if they had been wounded, - that included being gassed.  These records have survived in their entirety, being stored in a different archive from the service records which were partially zapped by the Luftwaffe in WWII.

Some expert somewhere may be able to identify for you which company of the MGC served at Hill 60, Ypres, and Mons.   BTW, see http://www.ww1battlefields.co.uk/flanders/hill60.html for info on that location.

It could be worth researching this action further to see what info is available on MGC Cos. involved.

If an MGC Coy. can be identified then there may be a surviving War Diary for the unit.   At the battalion level there is a high survival rate of war diaries, with an ever increasing number coming on line via TNA, but I have no experience as regards war diaries for the MGC.

A query on http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com could be worth a punt.

Orraverybest

David

[mckenzieclan]

Good luck mate.

Jim

Thanks Jim, I appreciate your ideas..

[mckenzieclan]

Hi Scott

... the 'natural' regiment for a man from N Ayrshire would be the Royal Scots Fusiliers.  Given that he enlisted early on it's more than likely that he went for his local regiment; but then, if his parents were from "McKenzie country" he may have gone for a regiment local to that area.  If they were from Ayrshire, then the RSF has to be the favourite.


Medal cards are reasonably reliable in terms of showing transfers, and there's no records where an RSF man transferred to the MGC (actually I think there was one, but it was one of the small proportion where an address was shown on the back and it wasn't anywhere near N Ayrshire!).


I can confirm that there are no obvious matching pension records or service records.  As regards the former only a small proportion of men received a pension, and most often only if they had been wounded, - that included being gassed.  These records have survived in their entirety, being stored in a different archive from the service records which were partially zapped by the Luftwaffe in WWII.

Some expert somewhere may be able to identify for you which company of the MGC served at Hill 60, Ypres, and Mons.   BTW, see http://www.ww1battlefields.co.uk/flanders/hill60.html for info on that location.

It could be worth researching this action further to see what info is available on MGC Cos. involved.

If an MGC Coy. can be identified then there may be a surviving War Diary for the unit.   At the battalion level there is a high survival rate of war diaries, with an ever increasing number coming on line via TNA, but I have no experience as regards war diaries for the MGC.

A query on http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com could be worth a punt.

Orraverybest

David

Thanks David,

I have spent several hours looking at more Alexander McKenzies that I ever thought were possible.  Nothing stood out for me...

I will examine both Royal Scots Fusiler's as well as possibly linking MGC Coy. to those battles to further whittle own my list of suspects.

Thanks for the ideas... I appreciate everyone's help...

Sc ott

[mckenzieclan]

OK, after some googling on the Royal Scots Fusiliers, I ended up finding and purchasing a downloadable copy of this book.

http://youroldbooksandmaps.co.uk/the-royal-scots-fusiliers-ww1.html

An interesting item turned up during my RSF quick research.

One Coy of the RSF was the Ardeer Company, whcih can be summarized as such.

The Ardeer Company
August 1914 : in Ardeer. This Company had been formed in 1913 as a local guard by the Nobel's Explosive Works. It appears to have been disbanded in November 1914, having handed over guard duties to the Scottish Rifles, although it continued to appear in the Army List.


From my great grandfathers short Bio I have, it is indicated that he worked at the Nobel Explosive Factory before WWI.

In the lists downloaded, there is a McKenzie, A.W. listed as a Lt.

I am not aware of any middle name for my Gr. Grand-father but it is a possibility.

If anyone can help me interpret the list please send me a PM, and I can email the .pdf.

I will also update my posts on 1914-1918 board and Threetowners.

Thoughts, advice?

Scott

[q98]

EXCELLENT find Scott. This may be exactly the break you were awaiting.

Ardeer was in the sand-dunes of Stevenston and, over the decades, employed generations of the same families; eg. my grandfather, my father, myself, my brother.

Suggest searching  www.ayrshireroots.com  "Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald" BDM notices OR to save you registering, I'll check on your behalf tonight. 

Jim

[q98]

Scott

Check out the following links which MAY provide additional info:

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t950.html
http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/AYRSHIRE/2001-04/0986537605

They contain interesting reading.

Jim

[mckenzieclan]

Yes, those are both interesting.

I had read the first link before, but not the second...

I do have an account on Ayrshireroots....

I searched for a marriage announcement, but no luck.

The once notice for Alexander McKenzie that does show up in the war years is the death notice for Alexander McKenzie (1903) that would be my Gr Grandfather's, Grandfather....

Still searching...

Scott

[q98]

That Death Certificate/Extract MAY provide you with his 2nd forename. Check the following:
Scottish Patronymics
(Naming Customs)

The general custom, to which there were some variations, was to name children as follows:

Eldest son named after paternal grandfather
Second son named after maternal grandfather
Third son named after father
Fourth son named after father’s oldest brother
Fifth son named after father’s second oldest brother OR mother’s oldest brother

Eldest daughter named after maternal grandmother.
Second daughter named after paternal grandmother.
Third daughter named after mother.
Four daughter named after mother’s oldest sister.
Fifth daughter name after mother’s second oldest sister OR father’s oldest sister.
Younger children would be named after earlier forebears, but the pattern in their case was less settled.
("In search of Scottish Ancestry" by Gerald Hamilton-Edwards, Phillimore, 1983 Edition).
Always be aware, this was not a hard and fast rule, but a common practice.