Organisations > University of Aberdeen roll of service in the Great War, 1914-1919

IN MEM OKI AM.
gazetted, 22 November 191 5, and after further
training at Hawick he crossed again to France,
June 1916, and served there with the 6th Gordons.
He was again wounded and gassed in the Somme
offensive of July 19 16. Undaunted by all he
had gone through Sim joined the R.F.C. in
October 191 6, and had qualified as an observer
just six weeks before his death. On 19 March
191 7 he was mentioned in dispatches. A few
days later, 25 March 191 7, he was killed in
action at Beugny along with his pilot, after fight-
ing their way back through a long part of Ger-
many with important information. Sim was
good to live with and the man with whom to
share a billet, his cheerfulness never failed him
and was proof against all the untoward incidents
of his military career.
SIMPSON, ROBERT MACKIE : Private,
6th Battalion Black Watch ; son of Robert
Simpson, merchant;
born Keig, Aberdeen-
shire, 17 April 1896 ;
educated at the local
Public School and Gor-
don's College, Aber-
deen ; student in Arts,
1914-15-
He joined the 3/2nd
Scottish Horse in No-
vember 1915, and was
in training at Dunkeld
until January 191 7,
when he was sent to
France and drafted into the i/6th Black Watch.
After only three months abroad he met his
death on 1 April 191 7, being killed by the
bursting of a shell which struck the house in
which he was billeted at Maroeuil, near Arras.
To all who knew him he was "Bobbie," the
familiar name proving his popularity, as school
boy, student and soldier.
ANDERSON, WILLIAM BRUCE: 2nd
Lieutenant, 5th Battalion Gordon High-
landers ; M.C. ; son of William N. Anderson,
mason; born Aberdeen, 17 June 1888; edu-
cated at Robert Gordon's College ; student in
Arts and Agricultural Science ; graduated M.A.,
191 1. Before finishing his B.Sc. (Agr.) he went
to Canada with his family. He was engaged
in teaching and was studying Science at Toronto
up till 1914 when he
returned to Aberdeen
University and com-
pleted a winter session
in Honours Classics
course, as he found
Classics would lead to
a better future for him
in Canada.
Anderson enlisted in
the 4th Gordons, 16
April 19 1 5, and was
commissioned 2nd
Lieutenant, 5 th Gor-
don Highlanders, n September 1915, with
which Battalion he saw much service and dis-
tinguished himself. He received the Military
Cross, 13 November 1916, for great bravery in
leading his men after all the other officers were
either killed or wounded, and in capturing 170
Germans. He was killed in action at Arras, 7
April 191 7. His loss was a very severe one to
his Battalion, for he had the soldiering instincts
in a marked degree and was certain of promo-
tion.
HALL, HERBERT JOHN: 2nd Lieu-
tenant, 5th Battalion Gordon Highland-
ers ; son of James
Hall ; born St. Fergus,
25 October 1886;
educated St. Fergus
Public School and
Peterhead Academy.
After leaving school
he spent five years
in the Pitfour Es-
tates Office. He en-
tered the Agricultural
Department in 1 907, but
after one session at Col-
lege returned to help
his widowed mother with the farm, which he
continued to manage till the outbreak of war.
Before the war Hall had served for several
years in the 5 th Gordons, and re-enlisted after
the outbreak of hostilities serving for two years
at home as a Quartermaster-Sergeant. He