James Leith, the third son son of John and Jane Leith, was born on 3rd November 1897 on the family farm of Courtieston, Leslie. John Leith died at Courtieston aged only 43 in 1904. Shortly after, his widow and four sons moved to the farm of Piperwell at Duncanston, Kennethmont. It was from Piperwell that James and his elder brother John left to go on active service. John served in the Royal Field Artillery and was also killed in action. This accounts for the brothers being commemorated by name on both the Leslie and Kennethmont War Memorials.

James worked as a farm servant at Newbigging, Leslie when he enlisted in the Gordon Highlanders at Aberdeen and was given the service number 15919. It is not known if he volunteered early in the war or enlisted after May 1916 when universal conscription come into effect with a Military Service Act applying to all men regardless of marital status between 18 and 41 years. Working at home on the farm may have been classed as a ' reserved occupation ' prior to this date. He must have been allocated this number before 1st March 1917 as at this date a new six digit numbering sequence took effect.

While with the Gordons James became a member of the battalion's specialist Machine Gun (M.G.) section.

At the beginning of WW1 each infantry battalion was equipped two Maxim Machine Guns served by of an officer and twelve other ranks. This was increased to four guns in February 1915. However, production of weapons did not keep up with the expanding army, and the BEF was still 237 guns short of the full establishment in July 1915. The Vickers Company could, at most, produce 200 new weapons per week, and struggled to do that.

The experience of fighting to date had proved that machine-guns required special tactics and organisation. The BEF established a Machine-gun School at Wisques, SW of Calais to train new regimental officers and machine gunners, both to replace those lost in the fighting to date, and to increase the number of men with MG skills. A Machine Gun Training Centre was also established at Grantham, Lincolnshire.

Unknown members of The Machine Gun Corps

John and James Leith

 

On 2nd September 1915, a definite proposal was made to the War Office for the formation of a single M.G. Company per Brigade, by withdrawing the Vickers guns from the Battalions. They would be replaced at Battalion level by Lewis guns. The Machine Gun Corps was created by Royal Warrant on October 14th, 1915, followed by an Army Order on 22nd October. The MGC would consist of infantry machine-gun Companies, cavalry machine-gun Squadrons, and Motor Machine Gun Batteries. The pace of reorganisation depended on the rate of supply of Lewis guns. It was completed before the Battle of the Somme. The Base Depot of the Corps in France was established at Camiers, close to the Infantry Base Depot at Etaples.

 

The Vickers .303 Machine Gun - Mk 1

The Vickers Machine Gun, which became a standard gun with the British Army for the next five decades, was fired from a tripod and cooled by water held in a jacket against the barrel. The gun weighed 28.5 pounds, the water another 10. The tripod weighed 20 pounds. Bullets are assembled into a canvas belt, which held 250 rounds, which would last 30 seconds at the maximum rate of fire of 500 rounds per minute. Two men were required to carry the equipment, and two the ammunition. A machine gun detachment also had two spare men.

The original 72nd and 73rd MG Companies Joined the 24th Division on 14th March 1916 at Ouderdom, Belgium. They moved into No 24 Bn, MGC on 5th March 1918.

 

Click on image to view large map.(48k)

 

The German High Command had carefully planned to launch a massive offensive, codenamed Operation Michael, from the Hindenburg defences in 1918. The Germans withdrew to these defensive positions in March / April 1917.

When it became apparent late in 1917 that America would join the Allies, sending soldiers in great numbers, they decided to move at the beginning of the year when the worst of the winter weather had passed.

The Hindenburg Line, or Siegfried Stellung as they called it, was a vast system of defences in Northern France constructed by the Germans during the winter of 1916-17. It ran from a position east of Arras all the way to beyond St Quentin on the British sector, and consisted of deep and wide trenches, thick belts of barbed wire, concrete machine-gun positions, concrete bunkers, tunnels and command posts. It was considered virtually impregnable by the Germans.

The British offensives during the summer of 1918 were to prove otherwise.

 

James Leith was killed in action during the The Battle of Saint Quentin ( 21st - 26th March ) at the beginning of The German Spring Offensive ( 21st March - 5th April 1918 ) when the Germans broke through the British front and overwhelmed the defenders. Following a short, intense bombardment, three German armies (70 divisions), 1700 artillery batteries, and 1000 aeroplanes struck along a 45-mile front near Arras. Within 48 hours, the Germans had penetrated 10 miles, the greatest single day’s advance on the Western Front since 1914.
In just three weeks the German army overran over 1500 square miles of territory, including the former Somme battlefields, a gain unequalled since 1914, before they were finally halted on 5th April having pushed the front line back 40 miles.
They failed, however, to reach their ultimate objective, Amiens, with its vital rail links to the Channel Ports, Paris and beyond. This ultimately meant that Germany could not win the war.

 

A section of the Hindenburg Line to the north of Morchies

It is known that at the opening of this action the 24th Division were in the line at Le Verguier to the south east of Arras. They fought a fierce battle to defend the village but were eventually overwhelmed and the line broken. At the sharp end of the defensive line their Machine Guns were positioned both to obstruct the attackers as well act as a buffer to allow troops to withdraw behind them and regroup.

In this way they became the first obstacle the advancing Germans had to overcome and put out of action. The guns and their crews became targets of every available enemy weapon.

 

On the same day Lt Allan Ebenezer Ker, 3rd Battalion Gordon Highlanders, attached 61st Battalion MGC (Infantry) was awarded The Victoria Cross for his actions near St Quentin.

Lt Allan Ebenezer VC
Born 5.3.1883 / Died 12.9.1958

London Gazette 4/1/1919 - Citation
For conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty. On the 21st March, 1918, near St. Quentin, after a heavy bombardment, the enemy penetrated our line, and the flank of the 61st Division became exposed. Lieut. Ker, with one Vickers gun, succeeded in engaging the enemy`s infantry, approaching under cover of dead ground, and held up the attack, inflicting many casualties. He then sent back word to his Battalion Headquarters that he had determined to stop with his Sergeant and several men who had been badly wounded, and fight until a counter-attack could be launched to relieve him. Just as ammunition failed his party was attacked from behind with bombs, machine guns and the bayonet. Several bayonet attacks were delivered, but each time they were repulsed by Lieut. Ker and his companions with their revolvers, the Vickers gun having by this time been destroyed. The wounded were collected into a small shelter, and it was decided to defend them to the last and to hold the enemy as long as possible. In one of the many hand-to-hand encounters a German rifle and bayonet and a small supply of ammunition was secured, and subsequently used with good effect against the enemy. Although Lieut. Ker was very exhausted from want of food and gas poisining, and from the supreme exertions he had made during ten hours of the most severe bombardment, fighting and attending to the wounded, he refused to surrender until all his ammunition was exhausted and his position was rushed by a large number of the enemy. His behaviour throughout the day was absolutely cool and fearless, and by his determination he was materially instrumental in engaging and holding up for three hours more than 500 of the enemy

 

A total of 170,500 officers and men served in the MGC of which 62,049 became casualties, 12,498 being killed. They well earned the nickname ' The Suicide Club '.

Created in time of war the Machine Gun Corps was disbanded in 1922.

Location of front line held by the 24th M.G.C. in 24th Division on 21st March 1918

James Leith has no known grave. His name is recorded with over 500 of his Machine Gun Corps comrades on The Memorial to the Missing at Pozieres.

Two more men from Kennethmont fell in the same area during the 1918 Spring Offensive and also have no known grave.

John Stewart from Haremyre with 7th Gordons also fell in action near St Quentin the following day, 22nd March. His neighbour from Braefolds, Alexander Pirie fell on 25th March serving with the 6th Gordons trying to halt the advance near Sailly.
Their names are recorded on The Memorial to the Missing at Arras.