Laurence Henry (abt. 1894 - 1915)

Born about 1894 in Bridge of Walls, Sandsting, Shetland, Scotland

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Died 22 May 1915 at about age 21 in Railway Accident near Gretna Green

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Laurence died in the Quintinshill Rail Disaster. He is listed as 21 years old in his service record, but as 20 on his memorial picture. This would give him a birth date of 1893 or 1894.

He was a private, 7th Battalion, Royal Scots, Lothian Regiment. Service number, 1213

From https://www.facebook.com/Shetlanders-on-the-Western-Front-457060140997209/?pnref=story

MAN WITH WALLS CONNECTION KILLED IN GRETNA RAIL DISASTER, 22ND MAY 1915.

Private Laurence Henry, Service No 1213, 7th Battalion Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment), was killed in the Gretna (Quintinshill) Rail Disaster, 22nd May, 1915. Laurence was aged 20. His parents James and Joan were both born at Walls, Shetland. When Laurence was born, his parents were living at 5 Annfield, Newhaven. His address was listed upon death as 69 North Fort Street, Leith.

Before enlisting in Leith, Laurence was employed as a fitter. The 7th Battalion Territorial Force were based at Dalmeny Street, Leith, upon the outbreak of war and had served on coastal defences. By the end of April, 1915, they had transferred to the Scottish Rifles Brigade of the Lowland Division, to become the 52nd Division. They had mobilised for war ready for embarkation for Gallipoli from Liverpool, via Alexandria, before the train crash.

They were in jovial spirit as they left Larbert in two trains and headed south. It was the second of these trains that was involved in the crash..

Few train crashes in Scotland had more of an impact upon one small community than the Gretna rail disaster.Three trains were involved; a special troop train, a local train and the night express coming north from Euston Station, London. The special troop train carried the Leith based 7th Battalion Royal Scots, Territorial Force were bound for Liverpool on their way to Gallipoli as part of 156th Brigade of the 52nd (Lowland) Division.

The Regimental Official History notes that 'in high spirits the troops entrained for embarkation ports, but THE 156th were saddened by the appalling accident near Gretna as a result of which the 7th Royal Scots were reduced to two companies' The Battalion left Larbert in two trains in the 22n May'. It added that 'the train, running into some empty carriages of a local train, which through and oversight had been left on the main line, was overturned and wrecked' The impact was so great that the troop train was crushed to less than half its normal length and the wreckage overturned on to the northbound line.

It went on to say 'Horror was heaped on horror when a few seconds later an express, travelling northwards, crashed into the wreckage of the troop train setting it on fire'

It was Britain’s worst train crash. Three officers, twenty-nine non-commissioned officers and one hundred and eighty two soldiers were killed or burned to death. Thousands lined the streets of Leith for the funeral procession and burial at Rosebank Cemetery. The Regimental History adds that 'Deep and heart-felt grief spread over the port of Leith and the city of Edinburgh when the harrowing tidings of the ghastly tragedy were received'.

By the middle of June, what remained of the 7th Royal Scots landed at Gallipoli.

The two signalmen were held responsible and served terms of imprisonment

Laurence is buried at Edinburgh (Rosebank) Cemetery.

Sources: Shetland Family History Society Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Royal Scots, 1914-1919, By Major John Ewing. M.C.

From Wikipedia:

The Quintinshill rail disaster occurred on 22 May 1915 in Scotland near Gretna Green at Quintinshill, an intermediate signal box with loops on each side on the Caledonian Railway Main Line linking Glasgow and Carlisle (the line now forms part of the West Coast Main Line). The crash, which involved five trains, killed a probable 230[nb 1] and injured 246 and remains the worst rail crash in the United Kingdom in terms of loss of life.[2] Those killed were mainly Territorial soldiers from the 1/7th (Leith) Battalion, the Royal Scots heading for Gallipoli. The precise number of dead was never established with confidence as the roll list of the regiment was destroyed by the fire.[1] The crash occurred when a troop train travelling from Larbert to Liverpool[3] collided with a local passenger train that had been shunted on to the main line, to then be hit by an express train to Glasgow which crashed into the wreckage a minute later. Gas from the lighting system of the old wooden carriages of the troop train ignited, starting a fire which soon engulfed the three passenger trains and also two goods trains standing on nearby passing loops. A number of bodies were never recovered having been wholly consumed by the fire and the bodies that were recovered were buried together in a mass grave in Edinburgh's Rosebank Cemetery. Four bodies, believed to be of children were never identified or claimed and are buried in the Western Necropolis, Glasgow. The cause of the accident was poor working practices on the part of the two signalmen involved which resulted in their imprisonment for culpable homicide after legal proceedings in both Scotland and England. A memorial to the dead soldiers was erected soon after the accident and there are a number of more recent memorials at various locations. An annual remembrance service is held at Rosebank Cemetery.

See also http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/eventsummary.php?eventID=85