More about Robert McGregor

30653 Pte Robert McGregor 17 HLI

Roberts story is very similar to that of Joseph McGuigan, in that the served and died together,   in the same battalion,  were from the same city and both are missing the service records on which to build a story.

But everyman has some story and a wee bit of research can often bear some fruit on which to base something of the man and his history.

Like Joseph of yesterday, Robert was a Dundee man and a married man having married  Helen Milne Sturrock on 21 July 1911 at St Mary Magdelines Church in Dundee,  (note this for later in this brief story).  At the time of marriage Robert was a Yarn Spinner of 175 Lochee Road  and Helen a Jute Worker of 30 Isles Lane.

Robert’s service will have been much like Joseph’s of yesterday’s post albeit his service number suggests an earlier attestation and direct to HLI rather than via any other regiment.   He will have deployed to the BEF in November 1915 and saw the same actions at the Somme,  being Killed in Action at the same time and place as Joseph,  Munich Trench near Beaumont Hamel .   indeed he lies near him in the same tiny battlefield cemetery

After death,   Robert was survived by his wife Helen and Daughter Elizabeth who were the beneficiaries of pension.  On interesting sequel to the story suggests that Robert may well have some descendants in or near Dundee.  His Daughter Elizabeth Sturrock McGregor,  married a William Rodger Findlay Strachan of Ferry Road Monifieth on 16 Feb 1945 and interestingly William like Elizabeth’s late father Robert had military service behind him, he had been a Corporal in 1^st Bn Black Watch in WW2.   Another coincidence is that Elizabeth and William were married in the same Church as Elizabeth’s parents some 34 years earlier,  St Mary Magdelines Church Dundee