Great War Officer’s Passchendaele casualty 1914-1915 Star trio and Memorial Plaque awarded to Private, later Second Lieutenant J. Gibson, 9th (Dumbartonshire) Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders who saw service on the Western Front from 19th February 1915, being commissioned on 24th January 1917. He would be killed in action on 12th October 1917 with 1/10th Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in an action where the Germans raised a white flag and then attacked. Having no known grave is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial.
1914-1915 Star; (2324 PTE. J. GIBSON. A. & S. HIGHRS.) British War Medal and Victory Medal; (2. LIEUT. J. GIBSON.) Great War Memorial Plaque; (JAMES GIBSON)
Condition: Nearly Extremely Fine
James Gibson was born in Lanarkshire and would move to Helensburgh where his father was the Manager of the Bank of Scotland, he would live in the Bank of Scotland Buildings, 36 West Clyde Street, Helensburgh. He would be educated at Hermitage Higher School and for a short time would work at the office of Donaldson Shipping before joining up at the outbreak of war.
Initially serving as a Private (No. 2324) with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders on the Western Front from 19th February 1915, he would be commissioned on 24th January 1917, serving as a Second Lieutenant with 9th (Dumbartonshire) Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. He would be killed in action on 12th October 1917 and having no known grave is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial.
A copy of the war diary shows he was killed going over the top, which mentions the infamous Pill Box at Burns House, The 5th Camerons War Diary gives a lot more detail about this attack. It says that the German garrison showed a white flag and were allowed to come out. Then one of them threw a grenade and a German officer shot a Corporal of the Argylls. At that, the whole garrison (with the exception of two Germans) of about 40 men was shot down. In trying to stop this, an officer of the King’s Own Scottish Borderers was unfortunately killed.