William McCaa

William McCaa was born in Cumnock about 1885, the son of William McCaa and his wife Elizabeth Ritchie. In 1901 census the family is at Garallan Smithy in the parish of Cumnock.
William McCaa 48 blacksmith
Janet McCaa 23 dau
William McCaa 15  son apprentice blacksmith

He was a farrier staff sergeant in the Royal Field Artillery and died on the troopship Kinfauns Castle on the 11th January 1918. He was on his way home having been invalided and was buried at sea.

 He is remembered on the Memorial Panel at Basra in Iraq and on the Cumnock War Memorial and on Dalbeattie War Memorial.

He left a wife Thomasina McGhie of 8 Burn Street, Dalbeattie. She was a maid at Garallan House when they married in 1915 at Dalbeattie. They don't appear to have any children.

payments to his widow

Here is his entry on CWGC

The family on Cumnock Connections tree

His brother James Ritchie McCaa, also a farrier, enlisted in the Lifeguards in 1897 at the age of 18 and served through the war. His service record survives. In all he served 22 years and 55 days.
He married Amy Briggs in London in 1915 and was living in London in 1923.