Canadian WWI Graves in the Auld Kirkyard at Kirkoswald

Kirkoswald is a small village about 40 miles SSE of Glasgow. It has historic ties to Robert the Bruce who was christened at the Auld Kirk and also to Robbie Burns who studied there as a young teenager.

The churchyard of the Auld Kirk is the final resting place of one soldier of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (C.E.F.) of the First World War. A war memorial to those of the parish who were killed in WWI is located in the north east corner of the churchyard facing out onto the main street. On the memorial there are the names of three soldiers of the C.E.F. who were from the parish of Kirkoswald who had left prior to the war to become Canadian immigrants. On the declaration of war in 1914 they joined up to serve with the Canadian Expeditionary Force and were subsequently killed in action. Their memory is preserved on the war memorial which is located in the north east corner of the churchyard facing out onto the main street.

The photo in the upper left is of the memorial as seen from the street. Above is a view of the inscription including some of the names and the dedication: TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN MEMORY OF THE MEN OF THIS PARISH WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR KING AND COUNTRY TIN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1919 THEY DIED THAT WE MIGHT LIVE The photograph at left shows some of the names on the memorial including those of three Canadian Expeditionary Force (C.E.F.) members: WILLIAM C. GIBSON ARCHIBALD McNICOLL WILLIAM SHINNAN

The grave of William C. Gibson is marked by the standard Canadian military grave marker of the First World War. It features the Canadian maple leaf and has the inscriptions: 426049 LANCE CPL W. C. GIBSON 8TH BN CANADIAN INF 13TH JULY 1916 AGE 24 GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN The grave is located near the south wall of the cemetery just to the left of the main entrance gate. The Commonwealth War Graves Registration states this is grave 929.

Name:	GIBSON
Initials:	W C
Nationality:	Canadian
Rank:	Lance Corporal
Regiment/Service:	Canadian Infantry (Manitoba Regiment)
Unit Text:	8th Bn.
Age:	24
Date of Death:	13/07/1916
Service No:	426049
Additional information:	Son of Robert and Margaret Andrew Gibson (nee Coulter), of Wearyneuk, Maidens, Ayrshire, Scotland.
Casualty Type:	Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference:	929.
Cemetery:	KIRKOSWALD OLD CHURCHYARD

The grave of Archibald McNicol(l)

In addition to the inclusion of his name on the WWI memorial the following appears on a family memorial ARCHIBALD McNICOL, C.E.F. KILLED IN ACTION AT YPRES BELGIUM, 6TH APRIL, 1916 AGED 23 YEARS [the spelling of the surname varies between the memorial and the family marker]