William Ireland Gowans was born at 5 Doune Quadrant, Kelvinside on 29th January 1892. He was the second of six children born to his parents William and Ida Margaret (nee Ireland).
William (father)’s job was “woollen merchant” and on his death in 1918 we have slightly more detail, “Wholesale warehouseman, 111 Union Street, Glasgow”. His firm was called William Gowans and Co Limited.
He was also a leading figure in the Glasgow Angus ad Mearns Benevolent Society whereby people from that region of Scotland now prospering in Glasgow came together to send aid back to their home area.
William (son) attended Glasgow High School where he was a cadet.
The Gowans’ stayed at Doune Quadrant until at least 1898 (although the Valuation Roll for 1895 gives their address as 6 Doune Quadrant, not 5 as on William’s birth record).
By the time of the 1901 Census the family lived at Woodmyre, Collylinn Road which can be identified as number 16. (When his father died, William’s younger brother Samuel took the Woodmyre name to his home, 5 Gartconnell Drive.)
In the 1911 Census, Ida (mother) is away from home but William (father) is listed. William (son) is a salesman for a woollen merchant (probably his father) and Alexander, two years younger, is an insurance clerk. Samuel and Ida (daughter) are at school. They have a servant, 23-year old Agnes Harrison.
For information about William (son)’s war service I am indebted to contributors to this forum especial thanks to the person with username “sotonmate”.
William had completed a 4-year period as a reservist with 5th Scottish Rifles in 1913. When Britan declared war in 1914 he joined up within a month (5th September) and joined the 9th Battalion, Highland Light Infantry, as a private.
On 4th November the battalion boarded a ship from Southampton to France and joined the British Army in France (the BEF) from 5th December.
At Festubert on 17th April 1915 he was injured by shrapnel in his knee (The Scotsman of 28th April):
He was treated in various hospitals in France before being sent back to Britain on 15th May and arriving at No 1 Scottish General in Aberdeen on 17th May.
He was discharged on 12th July 1915 for convalescence and rejoined the HLI as part of the 6th (Reserve) battalion at Catterick Camp in Yorkshire. Given his experience he was considered a potential officer so at the end of 1916 he was sent to No 10 Officer Cadet Battalion at Gailes Camp in Ayrshire.
From there he went to East Boldon in County Durham to join 3rd (Reserve) Battalion of the Northumberland Fusiliers and in March 1917 he joined 25th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers, as a Second Lieutenant. (This battalion was also known as the 2nd Battalion Tyneside Irish).
The battalion was in and out of the frontline including a major attack at the Battle of Arras where it suffered hundreds of casualties. On 12th October 1917 it moved up to the front line again, this time north of Poelkapelle, itself north-east of Ypres. This map shows where that is, relative to Dunkirk and the coast:
This is Poelkapelle village in September 1917 when it was captured by the British:
The day after the battalion moved into the front line, the 13th October 1917, the war diary says, “Heavy shelling by enemy during day and night.” The word “Casualties” is written next, but is crossed out.
William died on this date, the only death in the battalion, so presumably the result of shelling.
William has no known grave, possibly as a result of having been buried but the location being lost. He is commemorated on the Tyne Cot memorial.
William’s brother, Alexander (Lex), was also in the army:
