World War 1 casualties - missing details

[ardrossanrentboy]

Princes Lane has the Castlehill Vaults run by the Agostini family and I believe they also had an ice cream shop in Glasgow St between Princes Lane (east) and Princes St. Marchetti was also involved with the Palazzo Cafe, Mario is, I think, a cousin of Piero Milani of the Palazzo.

[harrysteell]

I believe some of the Agostini family were interned during the war Aldo sister Lilia who later worked in the ice cream shop and later the Eagle Cleaners shop in Pricesss lane thats all I know, but this is all second hand info,

[geomacintyre]

Many thanks again. I will work my way through these and add.

George

[ardrossanrentboy]

I believe all Italian males above a certain age were interned on the Isle of Man and some were shipped to the U.S.
Vague memories of reading about a shipload of Italians being transported to US and were torpedoed off the west coast of Ireland but after the war it was claimed Churchill had arranged it to try to persuade America to enter the war.

[ardrossanrentboy]

SS Arandora Star used as a prison ship to transfer Italian and German internees to Canada torpedoed off the Donegal coast in 1940. check this link to Wikipedia for more details ... many bodies washed up in Ireland and the Western Isles and given local burials.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Arandora_Star

[Paul243]

Hi, just so you are aware there are some activities planned to commemorate the Start of WW1 next year and there will be appeals for stories/memorabilia from that era that can be displayed to reflect how the Great War effected those in North Ayrshire. We are hoping schools will be involved and of course any individual or group wanting to get involved please respond to the Herald over the next couple of weeks, or if you want to let others know what you are doing please respond to the appeal. Perhaps the results of the appeals may shed some light on the information you may be missing. As far as I am aware schools are involved in researching casualty names as well.

[geomacintyre]

Thanks Paul. Will keep an eye on this. If you need/want to see my list let me know. It is in Excel format.
George

[Angus MacRae]

Well done for finding these details on the Rev James B Orr. He was the minister of Shettleston Free Church, and enlisted as a private when the war started. His name is also commemorated in St Giles Cathederal on a memorial to the chaplains, ministers and divinity students from the Church of Scotland, United Free Church and Free Church of Scotland. I assume he was a son of the Rev Samuel Lyle Orr who was minister of Saltcoats and Ardrossan Free Church (the Saltcoats church was on Bradshaw Street).

[Penny Tray]

The following is an intimation in the 8 August 1917 edition of the Glasgow Herald -

ORR: Killed in Action,on 31 July, Rev. James B. Orr, Shettleston Free Church, Captain R.S.F., beloved husband of Jean Livingstone Young, Glendye, Stevenston, and son the late R. C. Orr, Esq., and Mrs.Orr, 9 Winton Circus, Saltcoats.

The 1 May 1914 edition of the Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald previously intimated the death of an R. C. Orr, 74 years of age, Winton Circus - formerly of West Kilbride.

[MarkDingwall]

I am very keen to obtain a picture of Capt Rev James Barbour Orr.

Additonal info I am aware of.

Ordained as Minister of the Shettleston congregation of the Free Church of Scotland in 1913.

On 7 March 1914 he was initiated into Enniskillen True Blues Loyal Orange Lodge No 110, which was part of District 24 in Glasgow and met in Candleriggs Orange Hall. A report of the lodge meeting appeared in the Belfast Weekly News.

Rev Orr enlisted in September 1914 as a Private in the 9th Battalion of the Highland Light Infantry, which was known as the Glasgow Highlanders.

In 1915 Rev Orr obtained his commission becoming a Second Lieutenant. He went to France in October 1916 where he was quickly promoted to the rank of Captain and served in the 4th Battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers. When on leave in February 1917 he married Miss Joan Livingstone Young of Glendye, Stevenson, at Saltcoats and Ardrossan Free Church of Scotland in Ayrshire.

Following his death, his commanding officer wrote: ‘He was a particularly useful officer, the men were devoted to him and would have followed him anywhere. He was killed while gallantly leading his men forward in the front line of attack’. His adjutant said: ‘He was one of the ablest and best officers that were with the Battalion. A most popular man with all ranks, an officer whom the men loved and would follow anywhere’.

A few days after his death, the Commission of the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland, met in Edinburgh. The Moderator, Rev John Macleod, minister of Urray, referred at the outset of the proceedings to the death in action of Captain Rev James B Orr who he said ‘was a member of a family devoted to the Free Church and unremitting in their zeal and service. Mr Orr was an earnest Evangelical Preacher, and had been a painstaking Pastor during his short ministry at Shettleston, and his untimely death was a great loss to the Free Church cause there and in the West of Scotland generally. He was the first of their ministers who had fallen and it was fitting that they should express their deep sympathy with the friends of the deceased in their great sorrow’.

[Penny Tray]

I am very keen to obtain a picture of Capt Rev John Barbour Orr.

Mark,

The Reverend's name on the Saltcoats War Memorial, and the intimation of his marriage in the local paper give his name as JAMES as opposed to JOHN. If it is indeed a photograph of James you're searching for you might want to edit the first sentence in your topic.

[MarkDingwall]

Whoops! Thanks Penny for the correction!