Gallant Fintry man

Military Medal awarded to Pte Cameron

A brave former Fintry farmworker, who inflicted “great slaughter” on the enemy, received a gallantry honour, the Observer reported.

The Military Medal was awarded to Pte James Cameron whose father, Mr Duncan Cameron, was shepherd with Mr Peter Jardine and lived at Culcreuch Cottage, Fintry.

Pte Cameron enlisted on July 10, 1915, having worked as a ploughman in the service of Mrs Inglis, Kepdarroch Farm, Gargunnock.

The 20-year-old contracted trench fever in April, 1916, and was in hospital for six months, at times in a critical condition. He recovered and re-entered the trenches in December of the same year but in September, 1917, was wounded in the leg, and was in a convalescent camp in France at the time the Observer reported on the medal award.

Explaining the reason for the honour his captain, A Brown, spoke of Pte Cameron’s “magnificent work” on September 16, 1917, adding: “During an enemy attack he inflicted great slaughter on the enemy with his Lewis gun and although wounded in the leg, he carried out his gun when his position could no longer be held, firing as he moved. He established a new position and carried on throughout the attack.”

Another Military Medal recipient was Sapper William Cameron, Royal Engineers, attached to the North Staffordshires.

The 20-year-old, from Ashfield, who served his apprenticeship as a plumber with Messrs J McLaren & Sons, Dunblane, joined up two years earlier and had been at the Front for more than a year.

His parents, Mr and Mrs Alex Cameron, had two other sons in the Cameron Highlanders, one of whom was a sergeant who was wounded in France during the first year of the war.

Capt NL Way explained that Sapper Cameron received the medal after he volunteered to assist a party in front which had been caught under heavy shell fire.

“He displayed great gallantry and after the work of the company was finished he volunteered to assist the wounded at the dressing station for several hours,” added the captain.

Sapper Cameron was so far the second soldier from the village to be awarded the Military Medal. Cpl Donald McGilvray, Black Watch, was the other.