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L/Cpl. John McKechnie
British Army 2nd Battalion, F Company Scots Guards
from:Chapelhall, Glasgow
(d.16th May 1915)
John McKechnie was the elder brother of my grandfather James, sons of Walter and Christina. John was born at Airdrie Hill Farm, New Monkland, Lanarkshire on 6th March 1890. He became a member of the Chapelhall Boys' Brigade, the Chapelhall Cricket Club and the U.F Choir. He was a baker by trade.
In late 1914 John enlisted with the Scots Guards and was sent to Caterham for his basic training. John was killed at Festubert on the morning of 16th May 1915 aged 25 years.
A letter received by his parents following his death stated that John's body was found some time later by some of his pals who placed his body in a marked grave. However, if this was so this grave was later lost as he has now has no known grave and is commemorated in the Le Touret Cemetery.
John was part of the action that led to the story of the 'Immortal Eighty'. The story goes that one of John's comrades faced a Field General Court Marshal on 26th March 1915 at La Gorgue where he was convicted of desertion and was executed on the 9th April at Laventie. It is recorded that John was called to submit evidence at this Court Marshal. The story continues that following this execution members of his company met at a local estaminet (a cafe) and decided to fight to the last man to regain their honour. Just over a month later, at the attack at Festubert, John's company lost two officers and eighty other ranks, one of who was John, fighting to the last man having been cut off. Although the facts of this action are never likely to be proven due to the fog of war and the possibility of some embellishment by recorders after the action, the sacrifice of these men impacted on the course of the battle, breaking up a German counter attack and leading to the surrender of a local strong point known as the Quadrilateral.
John's younger brother James survived the war, met my grandmother Lucy in London on being demobbed, married her and set up a blacksmith's shop in Old Dover Road, Blackheath. James had a photo of his brother in uniform but this was destroyed when a V2 demolished the shop late in World War 2 killing many people in the street but, luckily for me, all my family survived one of whom was my mum Joan, who was 18 at the time.
