Remember the heroes who gave up their lives Author’s plea as centenary marking the end of WW1 approaches
A battling Paisley historian is urging Buddies to remember ‘ the last of our fallen heroes’ as the centenary marking the end of WW1 approaches.
Author Jim Smith, 76, who himself is fighting cancer, said the November 11, 2018, will come as a poignant time for Renfrewshire’s proud military families.
Jim of Foxbar was diagnosed in January 2016 just as he finished his marathon work Paisley’s Fallen in the War 1914-18.
He spent more than seven years researching and documenting the title which contains the names and details of Buddies who made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of their country in the Great War.
And he said the tragic tale of two soldiers who died the day the guns finally fell silent, would remind modern generations of the horrors of war.
Jim said: “On the 11th of November 2018 we will commemorate the centenary of the end of the First World War.
“This cruel and violent war saw the use of poisonous gas, machine guns, artillery and other horrendous weapons that were specifically designed for mass killing.
“Paisley’s death toll during this bloody carnage was 2,491 with approximately twice as many wounded. Of the many Buddies who lost their lives, two succumbed on this momentous day.
“The first of these was Hugh Fisher who was born at 10 Broomlands Street and was the son of Grace Sweeney, who was employed as a bleacher and a resident of Johnstone.
“Hugh had enlisted at Stirling and served as a Driver (T/341990) with the Royal Army Service Corps, 66th Horse Transport Company.
“We know nothing of how Hugh died but as he died on the 11th of November 1918 in Egypt where an Armistice was already in force.
“We can only surmise he died of wounds or illness. Aged 48 he was buried in plot F.155, Kantara War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt.”
Jim also paid tribute to another brave soldier who died on the final day of the Great War.
He said: “Our second Paisley man to die on this day was Hector Cameron Cook.
“He had been born at Nethercraigs and was the son of Daniel and Martha Johnstone Cook, residents of 5 Braids Road, Paisley.
“Hector had been educated at the South School and was a member of St Barbara’s Episcopal Church.
“He had been employed with Pollock & Cochran at Thrushcraigs in Paisley prior to his enlisting.
“Aged just 17 he enlisted during November 1915 and served as a Private ( 26269) with the 16th (Service) Battalion (2nd Glasgow) Highland Light Infantry.
“On the 11th of November 1918, just three short years after enlisting and aged just 20 he died at the 6th General Hospital, Rouen. Buried in plot LL. 17, St Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen, Seine-Maritime, France, of influenza.”
Jim described WW1 as the “war to end all wars” which lasted 4 years, 14 weeks and 2 days.
The worldwide human cost of the Great War, including civilians, is estimated at 16.55 million deaths with 20.2 million wounded.
The United Kingdom’s military dead was 908,000 with 1,700,000 wounded.
Amateur sleuth Jim, a former chairman and current member of the Renfrewshire Family History Society, has seen his book “Paisley’s Fallen in the War 1914-18; Revised and updated” published to wide acclaim.
It has been sent to primary and secondary schools, local libraries, Paisley Central Library and the Mitchell Library.