Introduction

In 2014 the centenary of the outbreak of World War One, Cumnock History Group began researching the names on the Cumnock War Memorial plus other men and women with Cumnock connections mentioned on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission or in the Cumnock Chronicle of the time. The research is not limited to those who died but also to men and women who served, using family history information.

The group would like to appeal to individuals with knowledge of family members for photographs of the soldier, either in uniform or not, and photos of medals or other memorabilia eg letters sent home from the Front. If you would be prepared to share these on this site, please email the web manager info@cumnockhistorygroup.org The group is willing to share any copies of documents found with the soldier's descendants.

Wednesday 4 June 2014

James McMillan

James McMillan was born  in 1898.  He died on 21 March 1918 in France.
Cumnock Chronicle by Bobby Grierson added March 2018

His service record survives.



 He was a butcher aged 18 of 73 Townhead St. when he enlisted on 25 Feb 1916 at Ayr. He was sent to France on 29 Nov 1916.

 His father provided the names of his family on 1 July 1919.




 He was 18yrs and 7 months on enlistment, 5 ft 6 1/8in, chest 35 1/2 in, and weighed 130 lbs

 He was in hospital in 1917 for 6 weeks with trench feet.


I had a job finding the family in the 1901 census. The record does not give his birthplace, just residence of 73 Townhead St  in 1916-1919. I solved this by getting the birth record for Janet Mcmillan in 1907 hoping she was born in Cumnock. She was and it gave me her mother's maiden name and date and place of their marriage, Galston in 1894. I found them in Townhead St, Cumnock (misrecorded by ancestry) but no James with them. He was living with mother's parents in West Lanfine in Darvel in the parish of Galston.  I do like it when I can account for everybody!



Cumnock Connections tree

CWGC

He is on Cumnock War Memorial and the Arras Memorial in France.

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