</O
Here is an article that appeared in my local paper and I thought that you guys might be interested in.<O</O
The small town of <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:City><ST1Kilmaurs </ST1</st1:City>is a couple of miles from my home town of <st1:City><ST1Kilmarnock</ST1</st1:City><O</O
The grave yard has 6 War Graves these are for William Dickson who died in 1919, W J Henry who also died in 1919. <O</O
HK Patterson1920,J Smith 1919 Robert Stirrat 1919 and last but not least Robert(<st1:City><ST1Hamilton</ST1</st1:City>) <ST1Preston.
R</ST1<O</Oobert Preston was a teenage bugle boy with the Royal Scots Fusiliers , who died on <st1:date Month="8" Day="25" Year="1916">August 25 1916</st1:date> age 15 years and 9 months.<O</O
The others died after the war but we could imagine this young boy forfeiting his life on the <ST1Somme</ST1<O</O
Unfortunatly Robert didn’t die on the <ST1Somme</ST1 , he was murdered.<O</O
A bit of history of the family first.<O</O
In the summer of 1916 James and Mary Preston lived in Kirk Lea , a red sand stone cottage opposite the parish church,where 56 yar old coalminer James was the sexton beadle ,bell ringer and grave digger and of their 6 sons and 2 daughters 4 of the boys were in the army.<O</O
22 year old William was serving with the Royal Engineers, but recuperating in the south of <st1:country-region><ST1England</ST1</st1:country-region> having been wounded twice.<O</O
John,26, was with the Royal Field Artillery,Daniel 24 was serving with the Royal Garrison Artillery and young Robert was serving with the RSF.<O</O
Robert had joined the RSF as a bugler at <ST1Kilmarnock</ST1 that February , possibly with 17 year old Alexander Burt who would be a soldier almost immediately.<O</O
They were posted to the newly –opened wooden hut Hipswell Camp at Catterick for training.<O</O
On the evening of Friday August 25 Robert was in his hut polishing his boots polishing his tunic buttons or even practising his bugle .<O</O
Burt was in the canteen drinking beer when ,just after <st1:time Hour="21" Minute="0">9 pm</st1:time> ,he was detailed by his sergeant for guard duty the following evening.<O</O
Three parts drunk he refused and struck the sergeant , who inexplicably left ,followed moments later by Bert ,armed with a rifle.<O</O
<O</O
Not finding the sergeant he barricaded himself in another hut ,smashed all the windows and marched up and down inside with his rifle at the slope. He fired a shot into the ceiling and a second or two later ,another passed through the hut wall, crossed the road and went through the wall of the adjacent hut, striking young Robert in the shoulder mortally wounding him. He was dead when the doctor arrived.<O</O
Burt was finally disarmed and held in custody until December 1916,when he appeared at York Magistrates Court on a charge of Murder.<O</O
The court however decided that the charge could not be sustained and accepted a plea to the lesser charge of manslaughter.<O</O
He was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment with hard labour.<O</O
Roberts body was eventually returned to his family in Kilmaurs where he was buried in the family plot in the churchyard .<O</O
In the early 1920’s his grave along with the other 5 were marked with the standard war pattern headstone.<O</O
<O</O
Brothers William,John and Danny all survived the war , with Danny , who worked for the Water Board ,living out his days in Green Gates Cottage on Townend,a part of Kilmaurs .<O</O
He was the last <ST1Preston</ST1 remembered in Kilmaurs
A sad way for a young man to die.
His parents must have been distarught at the fact that their other sons survived the hell of WW1 and their youngest was killed by what can only be described as a tragidy.
Cheers
David F
Here is an article that appeared in my local paper and I thought that you guys might be interested in.<O
</OThe small town of <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:City><ST1
Kilmaurs </ST1</st1:City>is a couple of miles from my home town of <st1:City><ST1Kilmarnock</ST1</st1:City><O</OThe grave yard has 6 War Graves these are for William Dickson who died in 1919, W J Henry who also died in 1919. <O
</OHK Patterson1920,J Smith 1919 Robert Stirrat 1919 and last but not least Robert(<st1:City><ST1
Hamilton</ST1</st1:City>) <ST1Preston.R</ST1
<O</Oobert Preston was a teenage bugle boy with the Royal Scots Fusiliers , who died on <st1:date Month="8" Day="25" Year="1916">August 25 1916</st1:date> age 15 years and 9 months.<O</OThe others died after the war but we could imagine this young boy forfeiting his life on the <ST1
Somme</ST1<O</OUnfortunatly Robert didn’t die on the <ST1
Somme</ST1 , he was murdered.<O</OA bit of history of the family first.<O
</OIn the summer of 1916 James and Mary Preston lived in Kirk Lea , a red sand stone cottage opposite the parish church,where 56 yar old coalminer James was the sexton beadle ,bell ringer and grave digger and of their 6 sons and 2 daughters 4 of the boys were in the army.<O
</O22 year old William was serving with the Royal Engineers, but recuperating in the south of <st1:country-region><ST1
England</ST1</st1:country-region> having been wounded twice.<O</OJohn,26, was with the Royal Field Artillery,Daniel 24 was serving with the Royal Garrison Artillery and young Robert was serving with the RSF.<O
</ORobert had joined the RSF as a bugler at <ST1
Kilmarnock</ST1 that February , possibly with 17 year old Alexander Burt who would be a soldier almost immediately.<O</OThey were posted to the newly –opened wooden hut Hipswell Camp at Catterick for training.<O
</OOn the evening of Friday August 25 Robert was in his hut polishing his boots polishing his tunic buttons or even practising his bugle .<O
</OBurt was in the canteen drinking beer when ,just after <st1:time Hour="21" Minute="0">9 pm</st1:time> ,he was detailed by his sergeant for guard duty the following evening.<O
</OThree parts drunk he refused and struck the sergeant , who inexplicably left ,followed moments later by Bert ,armed with a rifle.<O
</O<O
</ONot finding the sergeant he barricaded himself in another hut ,smashed all the windows and marched up and down inside with his rifle at the slope. He fired a shot into the ceiling and a second or two later ,another passed through the hut wall, crossed the road and went through the wall of the adjacent hut, striking young Robert in the shoulder mortally wounding him. He was dead when the doctor arrived.<O
</OBurt was finally disarmed and held in custody until December 1916,when he appeared at York Magistrates Court on a charge of Murder.<O
</OThe court however decided that the charge could not be sustained and accepted a plea to the lesser charge of manslaughter.<O
</OHe was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment with hard labour.<O
</ORoberts body was eventually returned to his family in Kilmaurs where he was buried in the family plot in the churchyard .<O
</OIn the early 1920’s his grave along with the other 5 were marked with the standard war pattern headstone.<O
</O<O
</OBrothers William,John and Danny all survived the war , with Danny , who worked for the Water Board ,living out his days in Green Gates Cottage on Townend,a part of Kilmaurs .<O
</OHe was the last <ST1
Preston</ST1 remembered in KilmaursA sad way for a young man to die.
His parents must have been distarught at the fact that their other sons survived the hell of WW1 and their youngest was killed by what can only be described as a tragidy.
Cheers
David F