Keeping things right

Our recent 1918 commemorative supplement has been very well received. However, there are two errors which we would like to correct here.

Firstly, we should have included Lieutenant Hugh McDonald McKenzie in the list of 1918’s VCs. On October 30 1917, Dundee hero Lieutenant McKenzie was leading a section of four machine guns accompanying the infantry in an attack at Meesheele Spur. Noticing that an advancing company had been held up by a group of German machine guns which were causing severe casualties, he rallied the infantry, organised an attack and captured the strong point.

Finding that the position was swept by machine-gun fire from a pillbox which dominated all the ground over the troops that were advancing, McKenzie made a flanking frontal attack which captured the pillbox. He was killed while leading the attack and awarded the VC posthumously in early 1918.

Our feature on Courier Country’s naval war in 1918 should have included an explanation on Submarine Mining at Broughty Castle - mines were laid in the Tay Estuary to damage enemy shipping. In 1889–1891 a magazine was built within the western enclosure which also led to a major remodelling of the gun emplacements. The castle remained in military use until 1932, and again between 1939 and 1949. The last defence-related alteration was made in the Second World War when a defence post was built within the top of the main tower.

Many apologies to our valued contributors for these errors.