More about David Marshall Orr

9562 Pte David Marshall Orr , Black Watch

David was born in Dundee on   6th August 1877 at 11 Pennycook Lane Dundee to parents Joseph and Margaret ORR.  For some reason he doesn’t appear on the GWD RoH 

In 1907 he is recorded as living at 105  Kinloch Place, Hawkhiill , Dundee and working as a Carter in Dundee when at the age of 30 years he marries 26 years old Annie Swankie of 13 Seagate, Arbroath on 11 Oct 1907. and it appears he resides in Arbroath thereafter

His service records are missing which makes for some difficulty in researching his service history but what can be determined is that he indeed served with the Black Watch and his service number relates to a probable Regular Army enlistment to 1st Bn between 1903 and 1904 and it would seem David enlisted on 24 Aug 1903.   Which fits well with 4 years Colours Service then on to the Reserve.  This mechanism is further supported by the fact that his Medal Index Card shows he entered the BEF on 13 Aug 1914 with 1st Bn being the only Black Watch Bn in the BEF at that time,  again this would fit with him being mobilised from the Reserve to be posted to the 1st Bn.

In the absence of service records we have to resort to other sources to attempt to build his story 

We know the 1st Black Watch as part of the original BEF Bn fought that stoical and brave retreating fight through late 1914 against overwhelmingly superior numbers of enemy forces almost to the outskirts of Ypres but importantly halting these enemy forces and preventing their taking the sacred city of Ypres.  David was certainly involved in part of this fight, specifically the retreat from Mons in Aug 1914,  first battle of the Marne and first battle of the Aisne in Sept 1914,  He would also likely have been with Bn in the lead up to the First battle of Langemarke in Early October 1914

What we can be sure of is he was wounded at this point and of such a severity as to see him evacuated to UK and by 13 Oct 1914 he is in 3rd Scottish General Hospital in Glasgow.  His recovery must have been challenging as by May of 1915 he is discharged from the Army as no longer fit for Military service and is awarded the SWB no 108585

Thereafter we know very little until he succumbs to the consequences of a ruptured Duodenal Ulcer and Heart Failure in Arbroath Infirmary ion 17 January 1917.   He left his wife Annie and 6/children at 26 Ladybridge St Arbroath,  later 53 High Street Arbroath