Historian’s hunt for the stories of forgotten heroes

AN HISTORIAN is appealing for local help in her quest to complete another chapter of The Angus Great War History.

Retired banker Margaret Thorburn returned to the village of Glamis where she grew up to present the community with a 120-page book detailing the family history behind the names of the men on the local war memorial.

Ms Thorburn struck upon the project after completing her own family tree and other genealogical research, and decided to start her research in the community where her father was formerly the manager of the local branch of the Royal Bank of Scotland branch.

Her completed Glamis research was added to the collection of the Angus Folk Museum in the village, and a summary presented to the Black Watch Museum in Perth.

The Scottish Genealogy Society also published the Glamis booklet and completion of this project saw her turn her attention to another Angus community and uncover the background of the men of Kirriemuir remembered on the monument at the Hill.

Her mission was to complete the Kirrie research in time for Remembrance Day.

But despite months of hard work, she is still missing the full history of 10 men named on the monument.

The names cover historic regiments including The Black Watch and Gordon Highlanders but also overseas sons from New Zealand, Australia and Canada.

The missing pieces of the Kirrie jigsaw relate to J. Throw (Black Watch), J. Duncan (Gordon Highlanders), W. Brown (Scottish Rifles), W. Ballentine and J. Robb (Canadian Expeditionary Force), J. Lawson, D. Lindsay and D. Smith (all Anzac), F. Ballie (RAF) and J. Edgar (RAMC).

“I have quite a lot of information which may or may not relate to some of the men, but what I’m really looking for are details of their date and place of birth, plus the name of their parents,” she said. That will help me confirm whether I’m on to the right person.”

Anyone with information that could help should contact her via The Courier at angus@thecourier.co.uk