Sergeant
George Alexander MacPherson
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About George Alexander

  • Name
    George Alexander
  • Initials
    G A
  • Surname
    MacPherson
  • Date of Birth
    1890
  • Birth town
    Glasgow
  • Resided town
    Oban and Glasgow
  • Commemorated
  • Nationality
    Scottish
  • Place of death
  • Date of death
  • Married
  • Occupation
    Draughtsman

Service Information

  • Army

  • Service Number
    1106/300073
  • Rank
    Sergeant
  • Regiment
    Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders

Biography

George Alexander  Macpherson was born in Glasgow around 1890 to parents Donald, a mercantile clerk, and Margaret.  In 1891 George, aged one is living with Donald (36), Margaret (34) and his sister Catherine (9) at 7 Avon Street, Govan, Kinning Park, Lanarkshire.  By 1901, George is living at Fawn Cottage, Oban, Argyll with his mother and siblings Catherine (19) and Alastair (6), but his father is not listed.

On 4 May 1910, George enlisted for four years with the Territorial Force (Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders).  He was aged 20 years and 10 months and stood at 5ft 6in with a 35in chest.  He lived at 7 Strathaven Terrace, Oban and was employed by George Woulfe Brenan, civil engineer and architect, in Oban as a civil engineer’s assistant (draughtsman).

George re-engaged for a further four years on 5 May 1914, and mobilised at Dunoon as a Lance Corporal with the 8th Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (A&SH) on 5 August 1914.  He was promoted to Corporal a month later and to Lance Sergeant in February 1915.  He transferred to the 2/1st A&SH as a clerk on 21 June 1915.  He was disciplined on a couple of occasions, the first being in January 1916 when he was found still in bed at 8.20, when reveille was at 6.45 and the second time in Norwich in October 1917 when whilst in command of the guard he allowed a prisoner to escape.

George passed through Peterborough East Station on 24 February 1917, whilst stationed at Norwich.  He wrote in the visitors’ book “The rose is red, the violets blue, that is why I love you.”

On 2 January 1918, George embarked at Folkestone for Boulogne.  He served in various battalions of the A&SH.  In April he reverted to Private from Corporal at his own request.  On 21 September 1918, he was admitted to hospital with clinical dysentery.  He was invalided to the UK on 19 October and admitted to the Dysentery Convalescence Hospital, Barton on Sea, New Milton, Hampshire.  He was transferred to 4th Scottish Territorial Force Hospital, Glasgow on 20 December 1918. George was discharged at Perth on 16 March 1919.  He was awarded the British War and Allied Victory medals.

In 1922 his address is given as, C/o Miss McMillan, 30 Pollock Street, Glasgow.

We have been unable to trace anything further about George since the war.  Please get in touch if you can tell us more.

Campaign Medals

The Allied Victory Medal
The British War Medal, 1914-18

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