Description
1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Bronze Memorial Plaque, 1398 Private Hugh Wilson, 16th Battalion Highland Light Infantry, Glasgow Boys Brigade, Killed in Action 1st Day of the Somme, 1st July 1916.
1914-15 Star impressed: “1398 Pte H. Wilson. High: L.I.”
BWM impressed: “1398 Pte. H. Wilson. High. L.I.”
Memorial Plaque named: “Hugh Wilson”
With original transmittal slip for Victory Medal.
The recipient’s Victory Medal itself is not present.
Hugh Main Wilson, was born during 1893, the son of Martin and Jemima Wilson, of 39 Abercorn Street, Glasgow.
He was only 23 years old when he went into action with “A” Company of the 16th Battalion, Highland Light Infantry, the 2nd Glasgow Pals Battalion, known as the “Holy Second” or originally the Glasgow Boys Brigade Battalion, as most of the original recruits were former members of the Boys Brigade.
On the First Day of the Somme, the largest artillery strike ever seen was launched on the German lines, hoping to devastate them and allow the inexperienced soldiers to wander over and win the battle.
However the bombardment actually achieved very little and then they launched the 5 Scottish Battalions over the top, out of all 5, the 16th Bn HLI were the worst off, as they ran across No man’s land they were chopped down by heavy machine gun fire, losing half their number in only 10 minutes.
Few of them made it across, being stuck in the Wire left by the Germans which the Artillery failed to destroy, the few stuck ones that made it past the first barrage of machine guns, were soon after mowed down at the Germans’ leisure.
When the few survivors came out of the line on 3rd July, they had suffered casualties of 20 Officers and 534 other ranks.
Hugh is now commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, his body was not recovered.
