Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Thiepval Memorial, Picardie | Pier and Face 15 C. | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.129 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 41C GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
Son of Norman MacWatt, of Alloa.Education & Career :
CAPTAIN NORMAN IAN MACWATT went to Wellington College from 1906. He was in the Hopetoun and was made a School Prefect.
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 2nd Battalion Seaforth Highlanders |
2nd Battalion August 1914 : at Shorncliffe. Part of 10th Brigade in 4th Division. Moved on mobilisation to York area (including Darlington and Strensall) before moving to Harrow. 23 August 1914 : landed at Boulogne. |
| Action : The Battles of the Somme 1916 |
The Battle of the Somme 1st July - 18th November 1916 is inevitably characterised by the appalling casualties (60,000) on the first day, July 1st 1916. Having failed to break through the German lines in force, and also failed to maximise opportunities where success was achieved, the battle became a series of attritional assaults on well defended defence in depth. The battle continued officially until 18th November 1916 costing almost 500,000 British casualties. German casualties were about the same, and French about 200,000. The Somme could not be counted a success in terms of ground gained or the cost, but it had a strategic impact as it marked the start of the decline of the German Army. Never again would it be as effective whilst the British Army, learning from its experience eventually grew stronger to become a war winning army. The German High Command recognised that it could never again fight another Somme, a view that advanced the decision to invoke unrestricted submarine warfare in an attempt to starve Britain of food and material, and in doing so accelerated the United States declaration of war thus guaranteeing the eventual outcome. 287 Brethren were killed on the Somme in 1916.
Gazetted to the Seaforth Highlanders in 1911. He returned to England suffering from gas in May, 1915, and went out to France again in February, 1916. He was reported wounded and missing in July, 1916 and later posted as missing presumed killed.
They formed part of 10th Infantry Brigade.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Radnor No. 2587 E.C. | East Kent |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
18th March 1914 | 15th April 1914 | 20th May 1914 |
Listed as a Lieutenant resident in Shorncliffe, shortly before the war and at his initiation. He was 21 years old. His war service is accounted for showing w.s. in 5 column years and an annotation that he had "Died (date unknown)."
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley