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18th (4th Glasgow) Battalion, Highland Light Infantry
18th (4th Glasgow) Battalion, Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment) was raised in Glasgow on the 26th of February 1915 by the Lord Provost and City as a Bantam Battalion with troops who were under the normal regulation minimum height of 5 feet 3 inches. After initial training close to home, they moved to Girvan and then to Gailes in May 1915. In June they joined 106th Brigade 35th Division at Masham, North Yorkshire. The Battalion was adopted by the War Office in July, and in August they moved to Salisbury Plain for final training. They were ordered to Egypt in late 1915, but the order was soon cancelled and they proceeded to France on February 1916, the division concentrated east of St Omer. They were in action during the Battles of the Somme at Bazentin Ridge, Arrow Head Copse, Maltz Horn Farm and Falfemont Farm. The division received new drafts of men to replace losses suffered on the Somme, but the CO. soon discovered that these new recruits were not of the same physical standard as the original Bantams, being men of small stature from the towns, rather than the miners and farm workers who had joined up in 1915. A medical inspection was carried out and 1439 men were transferred to the Labour Corps. Their places being taken by men transferred from the disbanded yeomanry regiments, who underwent a quick training course in infantry methods at a Divisional depot set up specifically for that purpose. On the 23rd September 1917 the 18th HLI was brought up to strength by absorbing the HQ and two Squadrons of the Glasgow Yeomanry and were retitled the 18th (Glasgow Yeomanry) Battalion. In 1917 they were in action during The pursuit to the Hindenburg Line, at Houthulst Forest and The Second Battle of Passchendaele.In 1918 they fought in the First Battle of Bapaume, and the Final Advance in Flanders including The Battle of Courtrai and The action of Tieghem. Hey crossed the River Scheldt near Berchem on the 9th of November and by the Armistice they had entered Grammont. They moved back to Eperlecques and many of the miners were demobilised in December. In January 1919, units of the Division were sent to Calais to quell rioting in the transit camps. The last of the Division were demobilised in April 1919
30th Jun 1915 Death in Camp
25th Sep 1915 Assault Made 
26th Sep 1915 Attack Made
16th Oct 1915 The Derby Scheme
1st Dec 1915 Derby Scheme Armlets
11th Sep 1915 Last day of Derby Scheme Recruitment
10th Jan 1916 Group System Reopens
9th February 1916 Call Ups
25th Jan 1918 Reliefs
6th November 1918 A violent counter preparation was put down by the enemy
If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
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These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War.
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Those known to have served with18th (4th Glasgow) Battalion, Highland Light Infantry during the Great War 1914-1918. - Bloy Alfred Isles. Pte. (d.20th July 1916)
- Bright James. Pte. (d.14th March 1916)
- Broom MM. Richard Edwin. Cpl.
- Christie Laurance Speedie. Pte. (d.3rd June 1918)
- Cottam James William. Pte.
- Darcy James. Pte.
- Elder Robert Hamilton. Pte. (d.18th July 1916)
- Flynn Hugh. Pte. (d.15th Nov 1916)
- French William S.. L/Cpl. (d.4th Oct 1916)
- Gibson Malcolm. Pte. (d.18th Jul 1916)
- Gray Alexander. Private (d.31st July 1917)
- Hayes Edward. Pte. (d.26th Mar 1918)
- Hendry David Douglas. RQMS.
- Hislop Alexander. Pte. (d.14th March 1916)
- Houston John.
- Kennedy Francis. Pte. (d.30th September 1918)
- Lynch Patrick. Pte (d.9th Sep 1916)
- McMinn Duncan Munro. Pte. (d.6th Nov 1918)
- McQuade John. Pte. (d.6th Nov 1916)
- Mees Hugh Macdonald. Pte. (d.2nd March 1916)
- Orme Robert. Pte. (d.21st Jul 1917)
- Ower Hay. L/Cpl. (d.30th September 1918)
- Prentice James Millar. Cpl. (d.22nd July 1916)
- Robb Lewis J.. Pte. (d.19th July 1918)
- Sawers William Sime. Pte. (d.25th Aug 1917)
- Smith Peter Alexander. Pte. (d.26th Oct 1917 )
- St.George-Yorke MC. Frederick. 2nd Lt.
- Tassie John. L/Cpl (d.25th Aug 1916)
- Wallace James. L/Cpl. (d.15th July 1916)
- Woodburn William A.. Pte. (d.17th Oct 1918)
All names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed,
please Add a Name to this List
Records of 18th (4th Glasgow) Battalion, Highland Light Infantry from other sources.
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2nd Lt. Frederick St.George-Yorke MC. 18th (4th Glasgow) Btn. Highland Light Infantry The supplement to the London Gazette dated 7th of June 1915 details that Frederick St. George-Yorke was made temporary Second Lieutenant in the 18th (4th Glasgow) Battalion of the Highland Light Infantry on 27th April 1915.
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Pte. Duncan Munro McMinn 18th (4th Glasgow) Btn. Highland Light Infantry (d.6th Nov 1918) Duncan McMinn served with the 18th (4th Glasgow) Btn. Highland Light Infantry. His brother, John McMinn, died on 7th of November 1918 in Calais, France.
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Pte. Alfred Isles Bloy 18th (4th Glasgow) Battalion Highland Light Infantry (d.20th July 1916) Alfie Bloy was twenty when he died during the Battle of the Somme.
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Cpl. James Millar Prentice 18th (4th Glasgow) Battalion Highland Light Infantry (d.22nd July 1916) James Prentice, born in Leeds England, descendant of a long line of Prentices from Alloa, Clackmannanshire, Scotland, was the son of William Prentice and Jane Dempster, the brother of Georgina Prentice and Jane Mclauchalan Prentice.
Prior to enlistment in the Highland Light Infantry he was an iron-moulder living in Milton, Glasgow. Here, he married Margaret Calander Burt (previously Grey) on 17th July 1913. They have one child, William, born May 1915.
James was killed in action in France on 22nd of July 1916 while with the 18th HLI. His son William died from the measels April 1917. Wife Margaret re-married Dec 1918. James Millar Prentice is the older brother of my paternal grandmother, Jane Mclauchlan Prentice.
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L/Cpl. Hay Ower 18th Btn. Highland Light Infantry (d.30th September 1918) Hay Ower served with the 9th and 18th Battalions Highland Light Infantry in WW1. He died 30th of September 1918 age 38 years and is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial in Belgium.
Husband of Ann Ower of 17 Keyden St., Kinning Park, Glasgow.
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Pte. Lewis J. Robb 18th (4th Glasgow) Battalion Highland Light Infantry (d.19th July 1918) Lewis Robb was my father's brother who was only 6 months old when Lewis died of wounds sustained on the battlefield. Legend has it, Lewis was running cables for the Signal Corps when he sustained and subsequently died of his injuries. He was survived by his mother Maggie, father George, sister Helen and my father George. Only 18 years of age, he was taken too young.
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L/Cpl. James Wallace 18th Btn. Highland Light Infantry (d.15th July 1916) James Wallace was under 5ft 3 inches tall, and was married to Mary Williamson. His son James was born in 1912. Two daughters, Mary and Margert, both died in 1915 and 1916 respectively. His wife gave birth to a third daughter six weeks after his death, Eliza Jane Wallace, who was born on 27th August 1916.
James was one of four men killed and three wounded (one of the wounded died of his wounds on 27th July 1916) when the Germans sent twelve shells over in the area of Montauban.
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L/Cpl. William S. French 18th Btn. Highland Light Infantry (d.4th Oct 1916) William French was killed by a mortar along with three men and one officer at Roclincourt, France.
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Pte Patrick Lynch 18th Battalion Highland Light Infantry (d.9th Sep 1916) I believe Pte Lynch to be my grandmother's older brother, Patrick, based on date of death and the relative's information given in his soldier's will.
I did, however, during my research, find a picture of him on the Evening Times Roll of Honour in the Mitchell Library in Glasgow and the resemblance to my grandmother is undeniable.
I believe one of her other brothers, Joseph served in the Navy during WW1 and he survived the war.
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Pte. James William Cottam 18th Battalion Highland Light Infantry James Cottam was invalided out of the HLI after loosing a leg during the Battle of Passchendaele. Like many of his generation he never spoke of his experience. Later he was reunited with Nellie and they married on Boxing Day 1920.
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Cpl. Richard Edwin Broom MM. 2nd Btn. Duke of Cambridges Own (Middlesex) Regiment Richard Edwin Broom previously served as Private 55071 in the 18th Battalion of the Highland Light Infantry.
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Pte. Hugh Macdonald Mees 18th Battalion Highland Light Infantry (d.2nd March 1916) Hugh Mees was born in 1898 and died a week short of his 18th birthday. He worked as a bottler with Teacher's Whisky in Glasgow. He is buried in St Vaast Cemetery in Richebourg-L'Avoue
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Pte. Malcolm Gibson 18th Btn.(4th Glasgow) Highland Light Infantry (d.18th Jul 1916)  Private Malcolm Gibson No 5287, 18th Battalion Highland Light Infantry [4th Glasgow] was my great grandfather, born 18th July 1887 in Camlachie Glasgow, Lanarkshire. His parents were David Gibson and Janet Gibson Nee Allan, Malcolm was the middle child of Six children. His siblings are:
- David Darling Gibson born 1873
- Janet Gibson born 1886
- William Allan Gibson born 1890
- Georgina Gibson born 1898
- Christian Gibson born 1901
Before Malcolm went to war, Malcolm married Jessie Fyfe on 29th October 1909, at Greenhead Court Hall Glasgow.
When Malcolm first married he was working for the council lighting department as a street lamp lighter in the days of gas lighting. Then he did various labouring jobs until about 1913 when he was then working as an Engineer’s machinist.
Malcolm and his wife Jessie had at least 4 children
- Marion Gibson Born 1910
- Mary Gibson Born 1912
- Jane H Gibson Born 1913
- David Gibson Born 1914 –
{David was my grandfather who later joined the Highland Light Infantry as a cook and survived the D Day landings in WW2}
The last address that Malcolm and Jessie lived in before the war was 24 Kirkpatrick Street, Camlachie, Glasgow.
Malcolm went off to war and never returned because he died in action in on the 18 July 1916, this saddened me because the day he was killed was his 29th birthday.
Malcolm Gibson is remembered with honour at the Thiepval Memorial, Departement de la Somme, Picardie, France.
I think this means his body was not located to be buried in a grave.
The medals he had earned included the Victory and British medals. Roll D104 B4 249
When my grandfather was 4 years old the family moved to Liverpool.
We grew up hearing stories of my great grandfather dying a hero in WW1 we had been told his name was on a memorial in St Cyprian’s church, Edge Lane, Liverpool. Now its derelict. We asked about what happened to the memorial stones in October 2013 and my dad’s cousin Jimmy Powell asked a minister who used to be vicar at St Cyprian’s he remembered it and tracked it down to Liverpool cathedral vaults my cousin took a photo of the relevant stone to my great grandfather Malcolm Gibson.
It appears family nominated their relatives and the church had these names put on their memorial stones. I cannot be certain this is the case but my family adopted the stone with M Gibson on it. This kept his memory alive and I started my family tree with Malcolm Gibson. There are 5 memorial stones. A new home is now being sought for these memorial stones.
I am proud to share my great grandfather’s story, another brave man who died for his country and our freedom. He was never forgot him but much his history was lost now I have found him again I want to share him to be remembered for all time, with gratitude and love from his family.
Unfortunately we don't have a photo of Malcolm or the 18th Battalion of Highland Light Infantry [4th Glasgow ] I did have one of his father so I wonder did they look alike.
If anyone has photo's of his colleagues please share them we would all get joy from them.
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Pte. James Darcy 18th Btn. Highland Light Infantry
James Darcy fought in the First World War and was awarded the medal militaire. During the Irish Uprising I believe he refused to return to Ireland and was posted to Indian North West Frontier returning to Ireland during the civil war fighting on the side of the Free Staters.
My grandad fought three wars having to pawn his medal militaire but managing to keep hold of the certificate of which the family still have. All that from a man who stood five foot tall.
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Pte. Hugh Flynn 18th Btn. Highland Light Infantry (d.15th Nov 1916) Pte. Hugh Flynn served with the Highland Light Infantry 18th Battalion. He was executed for desertion on 15th November 1916 and is buried in Habarcq Communal Cemedtery Extension, Habarcq, France.
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Pte. John McQuade 18th Btn. Highland Light Infantry (d.6th Nov 1916) Pte. J. McQuade servd with the Highland Light Infantry 18th Battalion. He was executed for desertion on 06/11/1916 and buried in Habarcq Communal Cemetery Extension, Habarcq, France.
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Pte. James Bright 18th (4th Glasgow) Battalion Highland Light Infantry (d.14th March 1916) James Bright served with the 18th Battalion, Highland Light Infantry. He was born in Dublin and enlisted in Glasgow.
James was killed in action on the 14th March 1916.
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John Houston 18th Btn. Highland Light Infantry I have only just found this out, my grandfather John Houston was gassed and buried for 3 days, he died from the complications of this in 1945.
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Pte. Edward Hayes 18th Btn Highland Light Infantry (d.26th Mar 1918) Edward Hayes was 18 when he died. Born Jarrow in 1898 he was the son of James and Hannah Isabella Hayes (nee Thompson) of Jarrow. Edward Hayes age 12 at School is living with his parents James and Hannah Isabella Hayes and family at 7 Chaytor Street, Jarrow on the 1911 census.
Edward is buried in Bray Military Cemetery and is commemorated on the Triptych in St. Paul's Church Jarrow.
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RQMS. David Douglas Hendry 18th Btn. Highland Light Infantry David Douglas Hendry served with the 18th HLI.
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