James Douglas Gibson was born on 26th August 1889 in China. On the war memorial he is called J Douglas Gibson, suggesting he might have been known as Douglas, but in the absence of definite information I have stuck to James.
His father was a missionary in Swatow, now Shantou; his name was James Campbell Gibson DD (Doctor of Divinity).
Shantou is circled in red, level with Taiwan. It is about 150 kilometres east-north-east of Hong Kong.
James’s mother was Agnes Gillespie (nee Barclay). James was the youngest child of three (siblings Agnes and Thomas), all born in China.
His parents clearly wanted the children to be educated and brought up in Scotland because in the 1901 Census, Agnes (mother), the three children and a servant (29-year old Isabella Robertson from Tobermory) were living at Kirnan on Collylin Road. This is now number 15. Collylin Road was built in the late 1890s so it’s possible the Gibsons were the first occupants.
James attended Glasgow Academy from age 8 to 18 (1897 to 1907) and was vice captain of the rugby team in his final year. After Glasgow Academy, James went to Glasgow University to study engineering in 1907. While he passed exams in 1909 he took a different path. He preferred to learn on the job as a junior civil engineer during the day and studying in the evening at the Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College (known from 1912 as the Royal Technical College, now the University of Strathclyde).
The Royal Technical College on George Street in 1909
Records show that in session 1911-12, he took classes in Structural Drawing, Mechanics, and Mechanics of Structures; in session 1912-13 he enrolled for classes in Strength of Materials and Theory of Structures; in session 1913-1914 he attended a class in Surveying and Levelling, and in session 1914-15 he studied Reinforced Concrete Construction.
In his day job, from June to October 1910 he was assistant to the manager of a yard making reinforced concrete pipes for Clydebank and District Water from Burncrooks Reservoir to Cochno Filters (about 9.5 miles).
From November 1910 to November 1914 he was an apprentice to Messrs Warren and Stuart (2.5 years in office, 1.5 years on work). Around this time he also joined the Officer Training Corps at Glasgow University.
From November 1914 he worked for the Clyde Navigation Trust on the reconstruction of Kingston Dock. For younger readers, this was located on the south bank of the Clyde (larger red circle) – Central Station is visible on the right of the map below and the Kingston Bridge would be built nearly sixty years later close to the line of the ferry at the north-west corner of Kingston Dock (smaller red circle).
This is a photo of the work, undertaken following a fire in 1914 that destroyed a lot of old buildings around the dock and involved replacing the wooden walls of the dock with concrete.
In January 1915 January he applied for associate membership of the Institute of Civil Engineers, and this was granted in March 1915. This would have been somewhat overshadowed by news that James’s mother had died in China on 13th January 1915
In 1915 he joined the Royal Engineers and was commissioned at the end of that year. By 1918 he was a Lieutenant in 401st (Highland) Company, RE (part of 51st Division)
On 21st March 1918 the German army in France launched its great attack, Operation Michel, designed to break the stalemate of trench warfare and provide a decisive breakthrough. Soon British units were in retreat and trying to establish defensive lines further back. Ground that had taken weeks to win and at a cost of tens of thousands of lives was lost in a few days. This map, (from this website link) shows an area just to the south of where James was located, but the series of defensive positions taken up, starting on the right of the map and moving to the left, would be the same story everywhere:
401st Company Royal Engineers was driven back through Beaumetz mixed up with 1/6th Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders. Constant movement in retreat, including at night, would have meant many men were detached and became stragglers who might take hours or days to return to the unit.
On 25 March 1918 James was in Loupart Wood, ringed in red above, just above the centre of the map. The war diary is literally hard to read:
It is written by the officer commanding 401 Company, so probably a major or captain. It says during the night of 24th-25th March the company was assigned to 153 Infantry Brigade and staff of 51st Division HQ showed the troops their new positions. Note that while engineers would have received basic infantry training they would only be used as front-line troops in a major emergency – but this is exactly what this was.
This Google Earth view looking east-south-east show Laupart Wood in the foreground. Our view is from above and behind the British defence, with the German attack coming towards us.
The main party was about 50 strong including two officers, Peebles and Gibson. It seems there was a major attack around 12.30pm on the 25th and the infantry on the engineers’ right flank was driven in. “LT GIBSON took his section and reinforced(?) the right flank” with the other three sections holding on despite heavy enemy fire. “It was here that LT GIBSON was shot through the head. I deeply regret the loss of this gallant officer, he was a splendid type of British manhood.”
This view was kindly supplied by Philippe Debru, originally from a French agency IGN that is using LiDAR technology in mapping. The ‘rides’ through the forest can be clearly seen as well as the craters made by the explosion of shells:
James was buried in Warlencourt British Cemetery. His next of kin is recorded as his sister, Mis AG Gibson of 16 Roxburgh Street, Glasgow.
James’s father died in 1919 and while he is still recorded as the owner in the 1920 Valuation Roll, by the time of the 1921 Census the house had a new owner.
Footnote: James’s father and grandfather
James’s paternal grandfather, also James Gibson, has his own Wikipedia page:
James’s father, who obtained his MA from Glasgow University in 1870 and his DD in 1899, is quoted several times in
His obituary in the London and China Telegraph on 1st december1919 was as follows:
James’s paternal grandparents, his father and mother, brother and sister are all commemorated in Glasgow Necropolis.