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In some cases relatives were quickly notified of a husband or sons medical condition.
'We regret to announce the death of Private Archibald Sneddon, Dickson Street, West Calder, in France. Private Sneddon contracted a bad attack of bronchitis and was brought to No 37 Clearing Station where he succumbed. One of the nurses telegraphed Mrs Sneddon that his condition was serious, but no permit could be granted to see him, and the sad news of his death was received this week. Sympathy will be felt for his widowed mother and the family circle.'
There was little that Mrs Sneddon could do on receipt of the telegram, but others were luckier.
'Mrs Laing of Gloag Place received notification that her husband Gunner George Laing had been seriously wounded by shell fire ... she was given permission to visit him and set out last Sunday night.'
As the anniversaries of the engagements of 1915 and 1916 approached, the 'memoriam' columns of the newspaper give some idea of the pain that continued with these losses.
Pte David Brown killed in action in 1915
There is a grave, somewhere in France
That our eyes would like to see
Where lies our dear son sleeping
Who died to keep us free
Inserted by his father and mother, Tarbrax
Apart from the impact of bereavement on a family, the occupations of the missing and 'fallen' show the very ordinariness of those who went to fight and the gap that they would leave in the everyday life of the village.
In May three local lads lost their lives.
Private Richard Sneddon had been employed by Mr Brown of Main Street as a shoemaker before the war. Private Thomas Ferrier had worked as a carter and Private James McKenna, who died from machine gun wounds, had been a baker with the Co-operative Society.
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