Scottish Victoria Cross Awards Corporal William Anderson, VC, 2Nd Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment, Was Born at Dallas, Elgin on 28
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Scottish Victoria Cross Awards Corporal William Anderson, VC, 2nd Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment, was born at Dallas, Elgin on 28 December 1882. He was the second son of Alexander Anderson, a Labourer, and Isabella (Bella) Anderson, of 79 North Road, Forres, where he was educated at Forres Academy. His siblings were James, Margaret and Alexander. After working as a Conductor at Glasgow Tramways Depot, he moved to London then enlisted in the 2nd Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment on 20 September 1905, serving in India, Egypt and South Africa. His brother, James, served in the same regiment. He was discharged to the Reserve in 1912 and worked at Elder Hospital, Govan, saving money so that he and his fiancee could emigrate to South Africa. However, before they could leave war broke out and he was called up as a reservist. He was mobilised and sent to his old battalion in 1914, where he was known as 'Jock'. Now a Corporal, on 5 October 1914, he embarked for Flanders with the four Companies of the 2nd Battalion. Two weeks later they were taking part in the First Battle of Ypres and involved in some of the fiercest fighting. The regiment was being supplied with 96,000 rounds of ammunition each night. By the end of this engagement Corporal Anderson was in charge of a bombing unit. The aim of a bombing unit was to gain access to an enemy trench, from which they would throw grenades round a corner, immediately following up the explosion with an attack with bayoneting, Captain Rollo and Corporal Anderson bludgeoning, shooting, bombing or taking resting at Fleurbaix in 1914. prisoners. © Alistair McEwen 2014 These were clearly high risk operations with high mortality rates and hence required men of steel. He fought at Estaires in early 1915. On 10 March 1915 the allies bombarded the German defences at Neuve Chapelle, initial success in taking some of the enemy trenches soon turning to bloody stalemate, with fierce infantry attacks by each side. The Yorkshires were, in places, only 30 yards apart from the Germans, hence the situation was ripe for William Anderson’s skills. Early on the morning of 12 March there was a German counter attack on the captured trenches. Although the main attack was beaten off two companies of a sister regiment were overpowered. Anderson mustered his team of bombers and set about the invaders. He was seen on the trench parapet, totally fearless of bursting shells and firing down on the enemy below and throwing bombs. Having used up his own supply, as well as returning German stick bombs which he threw back before the five second time fuse operated, he saw that the Germans had started to give way. Anderson, unstoppable, returned to his wounded companions and took their bombs, which he also used to good effect. "Explosions, shouts and screams were heard for some time. The next time the wounded bombers saw the Corporal was when he herded 60 German prisoners back to 'D' Company position. He had virtually cleared the enemy strong point single handed." Heavy fighting continued and later that day Anderson led yet another bombing attack. From this he did not return, was never seen again and has no known grave. For his actions Corporal William Anderson was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross. The citation in the London Gazette of 22 May 1915 read: "For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty at Neuve Chapelle on March 12, 1915, when he led three men with bombs against a large party of the enemy who had entered our trenches, and by his prompt and determined action saved what might otherwise have become a serious situation. Corporal Anderson first threw his own bombs, then those in possession of his three men (who had been wounded) amongst the Germans; after which he opened rapid fire upon them with great effect, notwithstanding that he was at the time quite alone." William’s younger brother, Alexander, was also to appear in the London Gazette, when in 1917 his gallantry as a Lance Corporal in Mesopotamia saw him mentioned in Dispatches. And it was Alexander who was presented with his late brother’s Victoria Cross on 19 May 1920 in the banqueting hall of Edinburgh Castle by Lieutenant General Sir Francis Davies. In 1969 Alexander Anderson donated William’s VC and other medals to the Green Howards Museum in Richmond, Yorkshire. © Alistair McEwen 2014 William Anderson’s name appears on Le Touret 'Memorial to the Missing' at Pas-de- Calais, some four miles to the north east of Bethune in France. It is carved with those of 234 other members of the Yorkshire Regiment who have no known graves. It was also inscribed on the Forres War Memorial but was not included on the Dallas War Memorial. Lieutenant Colonel William Herbert (Bertie) Anderson, VC, 12th Battalion, Highland Light Infantry, was born at Glasgow on 29 December 1881. He was the son of William James Anderson, CBE, a Chartered Accountant, and Nora Campbell Anderson, of Lansdowne Crescent, Glasgow, and Strathairly, Largo, Fife, He was married to Gertrude Campbell Anderson, of 23 Abingdon Court, Kensington, London, and they had two sons. He died on 25 March 1918, age 36, and was awarded the VC for his actions on that date at Bois Favieres, near Maricourt, France, and is buried in Peronne Road Cemetery, Maricourt. His citation read: "For most conspicuous bravery, determination, and gallant leading of his command. The enemy attacked on the right of the battalion frontage and succeeded in penetrating the wood held by our men. "Owing to successive lines of the enemy following on closely there was the greatest danger that the flank of the whole position would be turned. Grasping the seriousness of the situation, Colonel Anderson made his way across the open in full view of the enemy now holding the wood on the right, and after much effort succeeded in gathering the remainder of the two right companies. He personally led the counter-attack and drove the enemy from the wood, capturing twelve machine guns and seventy prisoners, and restoring the original line. His conduct in leading the charge was quite fearless and his most splendid example was the means of rallying and inspiring the men during the most critical hour. Later on the same day, in another position, the enemy had penetrated to within three hundred yards of the village and were holding a timber yard in force. Colonel Anderson reorganised his men after they had been driven in and brought them forward to a position of readiness for a counterattack. He led the attack in person and throughout showed the utmost disregard for his own safety. The counter-attack drove the enemy from his position, but resulted in this very gallant officer losing his life. He died fighting within the enemy's lines, setting a magnificent example to all who were privileged to serve under him." © Alistair McEwen 2014 His three brothers also fell. Captain Charles Hamilton Anderson, 1st Battalion, Highland Light Infantry, died on 19 December 1914, Second Lieutenant Alexander Ronald Anderson, 1st Battalion, Highland Light Infantry, died on 8 October 1915, and Captain Edward Kerr Anderson, Royal Flying Corps and 5th Battalion, Highland Infantry, died on 16 March 1918. Bertie, Ronnie, Charlie and Teddie The Way Home, was published in 2007 about Bertie Anderson and his three brothers who were also killed in the First World War. It was written by Robin Scott- Elliot, Bertie's great-grandson. His VC is on display at the Lord Ashcroft Gallery in the Imperial War Museum. We are grateful to Robin Scott-Elliot for permission to use the above photograph and the following article which appeared in The Scotsman on 10 November 2011. "A Summer's afternoon in the manicured grounds of a Glasgow golf club. The 20th century is in its early years. Four brothers, Bertie, Ronnie, Charlie and Teddie, pose together, lying on the grass, lined up according to age. The four Anderson boys, pride and joy of parents Willie and Nora. Comfort and respectability were the hallmarks of the family's life. The Andersons were a well-to-do Glasgow family whose home was in Lansdowne Crescent in the prosperous west end. Willie was a partner in a successful accountancy firm; Nora spent much of her time in Fife, preferring the country around Upper Largo where they had a second home - Strathairly, a place the boys loved to play. "Yet the Andersons also possessed a sense of duty. In 1914, Britain went to war and so, willingly answering the call, did Bertie, Ronnie, Charlie and Teddie. By 1918, all four were dead. The picture taken at the golf club records a family's lost generation. Their deaths, commemorated in a plaque in Glasgow Cathedral, can be seen as a symbol of the wider sacrifice Scotland has made for King (or Queen) and Country down the decades, as war has followed war. © Alistair McEwen 2014 "For me, however, there is a more personal connection as Bertie Anderson, who won a posthumous Victoria Cross for his bravery under fire, was my great-grandfather. The sunken road from Hardecourt-aux-Bois in the Somme valley to Montauban curves gently towards the ridge, slipping unnoticed through brown fields, towards the crossroads that lie on the edge of the upper village. At first it is deep enough to hide a man and it was here that Bertie Anderson began the last hour of his life. "Aged 36, William Herbert Anderson was a father of two and a Glasgow Accountant by trade, following in his father's footsteps.