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Alister William Jamieson Fc Married Married Geraldine Alice d'Aguilar F/Mc | |||||||||||
| Gerald Alister Jamieson [CFT #389] Born: 1876 Died: 1916-Feb-28 |
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| b Mooltan, Punjab, India d Bombay. Died of wounds. Buried in Bombay 1st husband. Due to his father’s frequent postings Gerald’s education was erratic. He was one term at Cheltenham, 9 months at Dulwich and rather longer at Neuenheim College near Heidelberg, a school set up in 1843 to offer a very British education with plenty of sport and stiff upper lip. Whilst there he lodged with a lady who became so fond of him that upon her death, she left him a beautiful oak and mahogany cupboard. As he was already dead his mother said that they were under no obligation to send it, but they insisted and it was sent to Alton House in Ross. Gerald went to the RMA Woolwich from 1894 to 1896, passed all his exams and was gazetted 2nd Lt. in September 1896. He joined the Royal Garrison Artillery as one of 5 officers to serve with 22nd Company stationed in India. He was promoted Lieutenant in September 1899 and in 1901 joined the 9th Bengal Lancers known as Hodson’s Horse, which saw the start of 10 years of service with the Indian Cavalry. The following year he joined the 16th Bengal Lancers but unfortunately became ill and was granted 6 months – later extended to 12 months – home leave. 1903 saw him back in India, soon to be appointed Quartermaster just prior to being promoted Captain in September 1905 whereupon he became Commandant of the 7th Mule Corps and later the 54th Camel Corps. Whilst in this role he was required to find additional camels which he achieved by the novel use of a motor car. The vehicle in question was a 10 hp Adams which obviously fitted the bill because in only 7 days he obtained some 970 more camels which were quickly entrained for Lahore. It was there in the Cathedral that he married Ruth Margaret Davy Cobbold #388 on 21st February 1910. Gerald had met Ruth when following the death of her husband #237, her mother #238 had taken her out to India to visit her brother Monty Cobbold #391 who was in the Black Watch but later transferred to the Gurkhas. Gerald and Ruth were only married for 6 years, the two children, Frances #1792 and Alister #1791 being born at Indian hill stations. In 1912 he sustained a leg injury which led to his transfer to IXth Bhopal Infantry where he became first a Double Company Commander and later 2nd in command of the Regiment. He took a period of leave between April and October 1913 but was getting excellent confidential reports on his work. In August 1914 war with Germany was declared and the Indian army was to send a number of expeditionary forces to France, one of which included the IXth Bhopal Infantry. Having recalled many members of the Regiment from leave with some difficulty, part embarked in a convoy of seven ships for Aden and subsequently for Alexandria and the other half disembarked at Marseilles on 26th September and was soon travelling north carrying out some training on the way. Gerald had been promoted Major on 21st September 1914. The Regiment arrived in Belgium during the First Battle of Ypres. Within a month Major Jamieson and No 2 Company were in the thick of the war fighting alongside the Royal West Kents, the Wiltshires and the KOYLI. Heavy losses were sustained including the death of both the Regiment’s Lieutenant Colonels and Gerald took over temporary command. The 10th November saw the Regiment in Estaires for a well-earned period of rest. The IXth Bhopals were visited by Field Marshal Lord Roberts who had been born in India on 12th November just two days before he died of pneumonia at St. Omer. Maj. H C Carlton took over command from Gerald and on 21st November they received a visit from the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VIII. The following day the Regiment moved back into the trenches and there followed a long period of intense fighting with heavy casualties, occasionally relieved by spells of training and even road repairing. The Second Battle of Ypres started on 22nd of April 1915 and it was on the 27th that Gerald was wounded. He was evacuated back to Osborne House which had been converted into a hospital for officers. His family rented half the Battenberg’s House in Southsea where his 4-year old daughter Ann was taken for a drive by the proud 14-year old Lord Louis in his first car. The IXth Bhopals remained on the Western Front until 5th June before sailing for Suez where Major Jamieson re-joined from England on 10th November. He remained at the Suez camp with Captain Smith and 400 rifles until on the 5th December when the Regiment moved to Basra. On 6th January they marched the 20 miles to Sheikh Sa’sd and on 13th January they took part in the Battle of Wadi which became well known for an act of conspicuous bravery by Sepoy Chatta Singh who won a VC for rescuing his Commanding Officer who was lying wounded and helpless in open ground under constant enemy fire. Sadly, it was also at this battle that Gerald sustained the wound from which he was going to die. He was evacuated to Bombay arriving probably in January but died from the effects of blood poisoning on 28th February 1916. Major Gerald Alister Jamieson was buried in the Sewri Cemetery in Bombay. The cemetery which is still in use today is known as the Sewri Christian Cemetery and a private head stone was erected which probably still exists in the cemetery. In 1962 the bodies of British personnel buried at Sewri were exhumed and re-buried in a mass grave in Kirkee War Cemetery in Pune. He is commemorated on Face G of the Kirkee 1914-1918 Memorial and on the All Saints Church, Kenly, Roll of Honour and on the Dulwich and Cheltenham College war memorials. Abridged from research completed by David Jamieson, his grandson in London, May 2019. |
1: 1911 Frances Edith Ann Jamiesonc H 2: 1916 Alister Charles Jamiesonc W/C | ||||||||||
| 2 Children | |||||||||||
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