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"Mrs Robertson, Dee Street, West Calder, has received official information this week that her husband, Pte James Robertson, of the 11th Royal Scots, was killed in action in France on 11th November. It appears his death was caused by a shell exploding near him. In civil life Pte Robertson was a shale miner in the employment of Young's Oil Coy. He leaves a widow and five of a family for whom keen sympathy will be felt in their sad bereavement. He has other two brothers serving. Pte Alex Robertson, KOSB, who was wounded, and is at present home on furlough, and Pte Ebenezer Robertson, of the Royal Scots, who is at the Dardannelles." Midlothian Advertiser, December 3, 1915 21144 11th Bn., Royal Scots who died on Sunday, 14th November 1915. Cemetery: MAPLE COPSE CEMETERY, ZILLEBEKE, Ieper, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium Historical Information: The village and most of the commune of Zillebeke were in British hands during the greater part of the War; but the number of cemeteries in the neighbourhood bears witness to the fierce fighting of which it was the scene, even in times of trench warfare, from 1914 to 1918. Maple Copse was the name given by the Army to a small plantation a 914 metres East of the Village, and just West of Sanctuary Wood. The place was used by Advanced Dressing Stations, and burials took place there, both before and after the Battle of Mount Sorrel (June, 1916); but in that engagement, and in later fighting, the graves were mainly obliterated. The site of the Cemetery, on the North side of the Copse, was known and enclosed after the Armistice, but of 256 named graves known to exist there only 26 could be definitely located. There are now over 300, 1914-18 war casualties commemorated in this site. Of these, over 50 are unidentified and 230 burials are represented by special memorials. The cemetery covers an area of 4,856 square metres and is enclosed a rubble retaining wall. CWGC website |
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