1915-03-31 yy

The confusion of warfare was certainly true at the front as regards the soldiers unaccounted for  - who had been wounded and was in need of being transported from the battlefield,, who had been killed, who had been taken prisoner.

For loved ones thousands of miles away, the confusion was even worse.

At first the family of Lieutenant William Colquhoun were informed, by cablegram, that he was missing. Attempts to find out more information were not answered immediately, understandably as absolute information was simply not known.

Ten days after the first notification had been received by the Colquhoun family William was missing, they had still received any definite news.

However, on March 16, 1915, the Associated Press published a story which appeared to be authentic. The source of the information was a wounded Canadian soldier, Private H. Morden of the Princess Patricia’s Own Light Infantry. Morden was one of the first wounded Canadian soldiers to be transported to the Duchess of Connaught’s Canadian hospital at Clivedon, England:

“The fighting a around St. Eloi was the hardest corner, says Morden. Private Morden says Lieut. Colquhoun met his death undoubtedly by wandering into a German trench when out sniping, because when the King’s Royal Rifles eventually turned the German’s out of the trenches, they found Lieut. Colquhoun’s dead body there with seven wounds.”¹

¹ “Body of Colquhoun Found in the Trench : After British Rifles Had Forced the Enemy to Vacate”

Hamilton Times.   March 16, 1915.

The Colquhoun family read the report with great concern:

“Barton Lodge, the home of Mrs. Colquhoun, was terribly upset over the sad news this morning. Mrs. Colquhoun, who has kept up bravely under the distressing conditions of the past few weeks, while fearful that the news of today is true, stated that she would continue to hope until she received official word.”¹

The Hamilton Times published an editorial on Lieutenant Colquhoun on also March 16, 1915:

“His sorrowing mother and other relatives have the melancholy satisfaction of now knowing his fate, untimely though his end has been, they have the proud satisfaction of that he died a noble death while fighting for King and country. Had he lived, he would have been honoured by the King, in death, he leaves behind him an example and inspiration to every youth in Canada. May the glorious circumstances of his death help in some way to assuage the grief of his mother for the loss of a chivalrous son.”²

² “The Late Lieut. Colquhoun”

Hamilton Times.   March 16, 1915.

Three days later, the Times published a letter from Sergeant John Anderson, who told of actually finding Lieut. Colquhoun’s body.

William Colquhoun was not only a tall man, six feet, four inches, but also a man who was considered one of the bravest, and dearest, of the officers in the vicinity:

“When the trench was captured, Colquhoun was not to be seen. Mr. Anderson was one of a party, who found his body a little later, literally riddled with bullets, as well as several bayonet wounds”³

³ “Hamilton Man Found Colquhoun’s Body”

Hamilton Times.  March 19, 1915.

That day, Mrs. Colquhoun received three cablegrams. The first was from Lieutenant Colquhoun’s wife who was in England, stating that any reports of her husband’s death should be taken as being unreliable. The second was from Col. Farquahar, the commanding officer of the Princess Patricia’s, who told Mrs. Colquhoun that he was convinced that her son was not killed, but that he had been taken prisoner. The third was from the Duchess of Connaught to express her sympathy and to express her hope that the lieutenant might still be alive.”⁴

⁴ “ Lieut. Colquhoun : Mother Gets Cablegram That Reports of Son’s Death Are Unavailable”

Hamilton Spectator.   March 19, 1915.

On March 30, 1915, Mrs. Colquhoun received an official cablegram indicating that her son was alive, and was in a citadel of Metz, where he was being held a prisoner of war. The cable also contained the news that Lieutenant Colquhoun had indeed been wounded, but he was recovering.