Family come forward
Brothers’ bravery is honoured
A pair of rosy- cheeked unknown soldiers have been identified.
But sadly there was to be no long lives for Gordon and Douglas Waugh, Girvan brothers who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Both were killed in the heat of the battle for Europe, but their story can now be told publicly for the first time.
We’d put out a last- chance appeal for help in identifying them so they could be included in a special village Remembrance event a week past Sunday.
All other channels had failed until the story flushed out their nephew at the eleventh hour.
And researcher Heather Shuckburgh of Lendalfoot said: “The ink was hardly dry on the copy of the Ayrshire Post and we had our answer after someone read the story.”
She had discovered the two wartime images in the thrift shop of Ballantrae Rural Initiative Care in the Community.
And Heather was desperate to include them in the Memory Box Remembrance Campaign at St Colmon Church in Colmonell.
But in a rare victory for good old print, online and social media avenues failed.
Thanks to Heather and friend Lorna Conaghan of the Girvan & District Great War project who contacted her, the puzzle was solved.
Heather received an email from Alexander Tudhope currently living in Spain and the son of David and Barbara Tudhope ( nee Waugh).
The two photographs which appeared in the Ayrshire Post were confirmed as being Alexander’s uncles.
Gordon and Douglas Waugh were the sons of Thomas and Elizabeth Waugh from Girvan.
Gordon served in the Parachute Regiment and Douglas in the Royal Artillery. Both died in 1943 within three months of each other.
Gordon was first to die, rather dramatically on July 13 aged just 19.
He was killed parachuting on to the Plain of Catania in Sicily in Operation Fustian in the battle for Primasole Bridge.
Operation Fustian was an airborne forces operation undertaken during the Allied invasion of the island in July 1943. The operation was carried out by Brigadier Gerald Lathbury’s 1st Parachute Brigade, part of the British 1st Airborne Division. Their objective was the Primosole Bridge at the Simeto River.
Douglas fell aged 22 trying to capture the Greek island of Kos on October 4.
His cousin Douglas, who lives in Girvan, is named after his uncle and had sent Alexander a Whatsapp message that morning after seeing the article in the Ayrshire Post.
Accompanied by Lorna and Richard Conaghan, of the Girvan & District Great War Project, Heather had the pleasure of going to meet Douglas in Girvan last Friday and was immediately struck by the strong family resemblance.
Douglas shared lots of photographs, cards and documents with Heather, Lorna and Richard. And by total coincidence he told them that earlier this year he visited the war cemetery in Catania – the first- ever visit by any of the family.
Heather said: “The joy didn’t finish there and I was then contacted by Robert Green, another nephew of Gordon and Douglas Waugh, who lives in Scarborough, and he was sent the photographs.
“It was a very moving exchange and brought home to me the power of love, family and sacrifices made in our name.”
Those lost photographs will be returned to the family at the close of the St Colmon Exhibition.