Eight Scottish soldiers buried in France on 110th anniversary of their deaths

A piper led the bearer party from the 4th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (Photo: Thomas Capiaux).

A burial service was held in CWGC Loos British Cemetery Extension, France on 25 September 2025 for eight lost Scottish soldiers of World War One. Two of the soldiers had been identified and relatives attended the service to witness their burial with full military honours. 

Lieutenant (Lt) James Grant Allan, 9th Battalion, Gordon Highlanders and Lance Corporal (LCpl) Gordon McPherson, 7th Battalion, Cameron Highlanders, were laid to rest alongside their comrades exactly 110 years after they were killed in action.

Lt Allan left Edinburgh University to join the Gordon Highlanders in 1914, when war was declared. He joined at the same time as his brother Nimmo, and they both went to fight in France.

He was killed on 25 September 1915, the first day of the Battle of Loos. A friend and fellow officer wrote “Jim’s men thought the world of him” and continued “I have gained from his friendship…He may have left this world but only to go to a freer one…I have been strengthened by the thought of him, or his presence”.

He was identified from artefacts found with the casualties suggested one was an officer, which narrowed their search. The families of the battalion’s 14 missing officers were traced and DNA tested, with Lt Allan’s family proving a positive match.

The ceremony was very well attended (Photo: Thomas Capiaux).

LCpl McPherson was working as a tobacconist when he joined the Cameron Highlanders in November 1914 alongside his two brothers and their father. He too was killed on 25 September 1915, a fellow soldier of his machine-gun section, described him as “the life and soul of the section. His imitations of Charles Chaplin were enjoyed very much by his comrades. His favourite song, ‘Trumpeter, what are you sounding now!’, grew to be the most popular song in the section…It was Gordon’s song. We can’t sing it now.”

LCpl McPherson was identified by a small set of buttons from the Newcastle Corporation Tramway that he had in his pocket at the time of his death. After studying the 1911 census, it was discovered that LCpl McPherson’s father worked for the Tramway so a DNA test was sent to the next of kin, which came back positive.

All the soldiers buried today were discovered during construction work for a new hospital on the outskirts of Lens.

The service was organised by the MOD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC).

Nicola Nash, MOD JCCC said:
“Lt Allan and LCpl McPherson have both been buried today 110 years after they were killed. With half a million British servicemen still missing from the First World War, every identity we make is a huge achievement. It has been a real privilege to give closure to their families and lay these heroes to rest with honour.”

Nicholas Allan, great-nephew of Lt James Allan, said:
“I feel very moved and honoured by the work of the MOD that it is honouring this great-uncle of mine who I barely knew existed. I feel a profound sense that something has been completed. It speaks to me of all those whose bodies were never found, I feel we’re completing something for them too.”

Alistair McPherson, great-nephew of LCpl Gordan McPherson, said:
“It’s been emotional in a good way, We have known Gordon all our lives because of the letters we have got, and it’s just wonderful to have found him. He’s no longer lost.””

Jeremy Prince, CWGC France Area Director, said:
“We are deeply honoured by the reburial of eight Scottish soldiers, six of whom remain unknown, at the CWGC Loos British Cemetery Extension. "This cemetery, inaugurated just one year ago by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, was established to receive the remains of soldiers recently discovered (and those who may be found in the future) during ongoing work and research in the region. "The ceremony also coincides with the 110th anniversary of the Battle of Loos - a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made during the First World War. We are proud to offer these soldiers a final resting place worthy of their courage and service. We will remember them."

Lieutenant James Grant Allan – 23 November 1894-25 September 1915

Family members at the ceremony (Photo: Thomas Capiaux). Lieutenant James Grant Allan.

James Grant Allan was born in Melrose, Scotland in 1894 to William John Allan and Isabella Catherine Brown. James, known as “Jim” to his family was the second of four children. Moving with the family first to Stockport and then to Ayr, Jim was educated at the Ayr Aademy and at Merchiston Castle School. He was an active games player, and very much the leader among his cousins. Jim entered Edinburgh University and studied the humanities. He kept a “Commonplace Book” in which he entered poems, which his sister Margaret continued after his death. He was very close to his sisters and wrote regularly to them, and to his parents, while he was away.

He was still a student when the First World War broke out. In 1914, with his brother Nimmo, he enlisted in the 9th Gordon Highlanders and eventually went over to France. In the push beyond Loos on 25 September 1915, Jim received two bullets in the chest – a ‘scout’ laid him on his front, while another soldier found him dead soon after. His brother, Nimmo, wrote on 28 September. “Dear Mother, I am quite safe…I suppose you know the awful news that Jim has been killed.”

Lance Corporal Gordon McPherson – 3 August 1892-25 September 1915

Lance Corporal Gordon McPherson. A family member beside his newly inscribed headstone (Photo: Thomas Capiaux).

Gordon McPherson was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire in 1892 to James McPherson and Mary Ann Rowe. At the time of his birth, his father was serving as a Corporal for the Royal Marines Artillery and they were living in Eastney Barracks. Gordon was one of nine siblings, six of whom survived to adulthood. When Gordon’s father left the Royal Marines, the family moved to Aberdeen, Scotland, where James’ father was born. Eventually, the family settled in Newcastle-on-Tyne, where Gordon’s father was working as a Storekeeper for the Newcastle Corporation Tramway, and Gordon was working as a tobacconist.

Gordon joined the Cameron Highlanders in November 1914, and eventually went over to France. He wrote regularly to his mother and in one of the last letters he sent her, he said “so cheer up Mother dear and when this is over, look what a happy time we will have when your four soldiers come home”. Gordon was killed on 25 September 1915, during the first day of the Battle of Loos. He was with the advanced line and was killed whilst working his machine-gun.