Charles Donaldson - Service Number -1026 - Private, 2nd Battalion Gordon Highlanders, son of Mr. and Mrs. William Donaldson, Bogintory, Dunecht. Charles had a younger sibling John who also answered the call to arms, John was 2 and a half years younger, also serving in the Gordon Highlanders.

Charles Anderson was born on 3rd June, 1894, and was educated at Cults Public School. He was in farm service at Concraig, and at the time of his enlistment in June, 1915, was in service at Mains of Cult, while at that time his parents resided at Upper Affloch Cottage, Skene. 

An illness, contracted during his period of training, delayed his departure to France, and after only four months' active service he was killed there on 14th July, 1916 during the Battle of the Somme. 

The 2nd Battalion Gordon Highlanders (20th Brigade, British 7th Division) Crossed no man’s land near Mametz on 1st July 1916 which was the first day of the Battle of the Somme offensive, British casualties on the first day of the offensive numbered over 57,000 of which 19,240 we killed making it the bloodiest day in military history. A week long preliminary bombardment began on 24 June 1916 in an attempt to cut the barbed wire in front of the German lines and destroy trench defences and artillery. In the week leading up to the battle, over 1.5 million shells were fired. Unfortunately for the advancing troops in the following days, the bombardment was largely ineffective against the well-constructed German concrete dugouts as approximately two thirds of the shells were shrapnel shells rather than high incendiary explosives. The British artillery was also too thinly spread across the front and to compound matters further it is estimated as many as 30 % of the shells were dud and therefore failed to explode.

The second phase of the Somme offensive commenced with the battle of Delville wood 14th July – 15t September. By 13 July the British advance had taken it to a point where it was now facing the second German defensive system.– The dawn attack on the 14th (The Battle of Bazentine) resulted in the seizure of 6000 yards of the German front line between Longueval and Bazentine-le-Petit. A well planned and novel night attack on 14 July took British troops through that system in the area of Bazentine where by the evening of the 14th the 2nd Battalion of Gordon highlanders had advanced and broken through and were entrenched at Bazentine-Le-Petit.

The Gordons raised 21 Battalions throughout the 1st world war, the regiment lost 1000 officers and 28,000 men two being the Donaldson brothers, and a further 21 Kirkton of Skene Parishioners 5 of which were in the 2nd Battalion.

The attached image is the 2nd Battalion Gordon Highlanders (Charles’ Battalion) advancing across no man’s land 1st July 2016 on the first day of the battle of the Somme.

Charles body has never been recovered, he is however commemorated on the Thiepval memorial Pier and Face 15B and 15C.

Alex Eaton