James Voy Robertson M.M

JAMES VOY ROBERTSON was born on 4th February 1881 in the afternoon at 74 Pomarium Street, Perth. He was the son of Ebenezer ROBERTSON and Janet Coupar MELVILLE who were married in February 1867 at Perth. His father Ebenezer was a wagon fitter. James’ grandaughter Margaret tells us that Ebenezer is still a family name. (Note: the roll of honour incorrectly gives his year of birth as 1884).When the census was recorded a month later on 3rd April 1881, James, his two elder sisters Janet and Jane, and his parents were still at 74 Pomarium Street. Perth. The household also included a lodger William BRUCE aged 60 who was employed as a Plane Marker

By 1911 James is married, described as 5’ 51/4 with a fresh complexion, grey eyes and brown hair. and living at Honeyhill, which was a cottage on the Scone estates, with Elizabeth his wife and their two children, James born 1908 and Daniel born 1910. James and Elizabeth had been married four years and he was employed as a forester. Margaret, Daniel’s daughter tells us that there were two more children, Isabella and Robert.

James Robertson was awarded the Queens South Africa medal, with Transvaal clasp and the Kings South Africa Medal 1901 and 1902 clasps. In total he served for three years in South Africa, 1899-1902. His enlistment was for short service with a total of 6 years, before he was transferred to the reserves on 25th February 1905 and finally discharged on 25th February 1910.

While it should be noted, that our research shows in the 1891 census more than one Robertson family lived at Pomarium Street, and although the medals and clasps match the roll of honour, the official records cannot conclusively confirm it’s the same James Robertson. But Margaret confirms that it is and the records held with the family include a tiny clasp.

On 1st October 1914 James attested at The Queens Barracks, Perth and on the 2nd October he was posted to the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion, aged 34. As James was too old to enlist in the regular battalions, he was posted to the 3rd Battalion which was mobilized at Perth on the 8th August 1914 and sent to Nigg, Ross-shire for the defence of the North Sutor Fort. Over the following months large drafts of ex-soldiers like James continued to arrive from Perth.  His medal card shows his first overseas posting was on 1st December 1914. There is no specific mention of this date in the regiment’s history, but is recorded that between 16th November 1914 and 3rd December 1914 two hundred and eighty reinforcements were sent from Perth to France to join the 1st Battalion.

The image used for the Scone Roll of Honour shows James wearing ‘hospital blues’.

A form of hospital uniform (which) had been introduced even before the Boer War but in the early years of the Great War the need to ensure that convalescing soldiers had a uniform they could wear in public became quite important; if they stepped out in civilian clothes there was always the risk they might attract the attention of zealous patriots who went round handing out white feathers to men not in uniform whom they suspected were not doing their ‘bit’ for King and Country. The Hospital Blues uniform was therefore available for convalescing troops in Britain; some were issued for France, but the emphasis on issue was on the Home Front because of the problems of interaction with the public. It consisted of a white shirt, a bright red woven tie and a blue jacket. The soldier also wore his Service Dress cap with regimental insignia; where no cap was available, soldiers often wore their regimental badge on their lapel. The uniform was worn with pride as it showed that not only was the man in the armed services, he had served overseas and been wounded.”

The Scone roll of honour suggests that he returned to France in 1917 and he may have been recovering at home in the period between his first time in a theatre of War in December 1914 and when he returns in 1917.

He was gazetted on the 25th January 1918 for receiving the Military Medal, by this time his rank was Corporal.  At some point between 25th January and his death on 10th October 1918, he was promoted to sergeant.  By October 1918 he is serving in Ireland again with the 3rd Battalion. Following the 1916 Easter Rising, it was decided to relieve all Irish Battalions, so half the 3rd battalion left Nigg on 9th November and arrived at Aghada on 11th November 1917. On 24th March the Battalion moved to the Curragh and were quartered in Rath camp

When returning on leave aboard RMS Leinster, he died with over 500 other passengers when the ship was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine UB-123, on 10 October 1918, while bound for Holyhead. He is buried at Grangegorman Military Cemetery, Dublin where the “Leinster” graves are in several trenches in the different denominational plots.

The final leave pass and report In the Perthshire Constitutional of James fate on RMS Lenister

thanks to Richard McKenzie, Archivist, James granddaughters, Margaret and Lillian who both still live in Scone, and Merle Palmer. Scone remembers are interested in contacting other families with links to the service personnel named on our War memorial.

Updated 1st October 2014