210384 Pte. William Johnston British Army 6th Battalion Black Watch from:Upper Kebbaty, Midmar, Aberdeenshire William Johnston.
At the beginning of the First World War in 1914 when he was 18 years of age he volunteered for duty. He was at first assigned to the 13th Battalion of the Scottish Horse but then re-assigned to the 6th (Perthshire) Battalion of the Black Watch as 268693 Private William Johnston/Rifleman.
My Father seldom spoke of what he saw or of what he did, however my research has shown that one conflict he took part in was at the Battle of The Ancre (Beaumont Hamel), 13th-14th November in 1916.
On the 29th October 1918 the 6th Battalion was withdrawn from the front line and at the time of the Armistice was located in the Cambrai area. At 10.15am on the 10th of December 1918 William Johnston crossed the Belgium frontier into Germany as part of the Army of Occupation. He had scribbled this fact down on a page of a tiny German diary which he had acquired and which he kept in his cigarette case. This case had been quite intricately engraved by a fellow soldier using only a needle and a piece of leather.
It was about this time, as he passed through Belgium, that he joined the church, his Army Chaplain wrote to his Minister at Midmar to let him know of this.
It's not known for how long Dad remained in Germany but then, according to Army Form Z.11 (found in small cardboard box containing his medals), on the 29th August 1919 at the Dispersal Unit at Kinross he was demobbed from the Army and returned to the family home now at Upper Kebbaty in Midmar in Aberdeenshire.
When he left for the War in 1914 he was told his job would be waiting for him when he returned, needless to say and in common with thousands and thousands of other returning young soldiers, this was not the case. So in order to complete his grocers apprenticeship he had to find another position in another shop to allow him to do so. He got a reference from his last employers, the Northern Co-operative Society, and then found such a position with Mr Brown who had a General Merchants business in the village of Pitmedden in Udny, here he became known as "Broon's loon"!
This proved to be the most fortuitous of moves because whilst there he met and courted the miller of Udny's daughter, Lizzie Gibson, whom he married on the 24th December 1924.
The only wartime possessions he had, and left, were, his Bible which he carried throughout the War; a metal cigarette case which is mentioned above; and his two medals.
My Father died on 2/2/1988.
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