- See Francis Purves’s entry on the Board of Trade’s Ancestry public tree.
- This information updates the group’s previous research published on the former DTI website (now archived by the National Archives).
- Do you have any more information about Francis Purves? If so the War Memorial Research Group would love to hear from you
Name recorded on Board of Trade Memorial: F. Purves
Born: Edinburgh, Scotland
Date of Death: 26 April 1918
Age at death: 24
Service, Regiment, Corps, etc: Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment)
Unit, Ship, etc: 1/9th Battalion
Enlisted: Edinburgh
Rank: Lance Corporal (Service No: 351175)
Decorations: WW1 Service Medals (Victory Medal and British War Medal)
War (and theatre): WW1 (France and Flanders)
Manner of Death: Died of Wounds (DOW)
Family Details: Son of Frank Purves, 9 Royal Park Terrace, Edinburgh. Husband of Margaret S. Purves, 47 Raeburn Place, Edinburgh
Residence: Edinburgh
Home Department: Board of Trade – Labour Department (Scotland Division)
Civilian Rank:
Cemetery or Memorial: St Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen (P.XI.F.25); Board of Trade War Memorial; Memorial to Staff of the Ministry of Labour, Caxton House, Tothill Street, London
Biography:
Francis was born in about 1894 in Edinburgh, Scotland. His parents were Frank Purves (1870-1962) and Catherine Smith (1872-1913). He had two siblings – Catherine Orr Purves (1898-1927) and Robert Dudgeon Purves (1900-1988).
In the 1901 census, Francis is aged 7 and living with his parents and younger brother and sister at 36 Milton Street, Edinburgh. At this time, his father is recorded working as a stationer’s cutter.
We also know that Francis married a Margaret Shaw (1889-1954) in Edinburgh.
Before enlisting in WW1, Francis worked for the Labour Department (Scotland Division) in the local Edinburgh Labour Exchange.
During WW1, Francis enlisted to serve as a Private in 9th Battalion, Royal Scots (Royal Lothian) Regiment. He was later promoted to Lance Corporal.
The 9th Battalion were a highland (kilted) territorial force battalion originally formed in 1900. They were also known at “The Dandy Ninth”.
The battalion was originally mobilised on Sunday 2 August 1914 after returning from their summer camp at Stobs. Initially they served with the Lothian Brigade and manned the Section No 3 defences in Edinburgh, provided guards at Redford Prisoner of War camp and a machine-gun section for an armed train.
The 1/9th Battalion was deployed to served in France on 24 February 1915. They fought at the Second Battle of Ypres and with the 51st (Highland) Division at High Wood, Beaumont-Hamel, the Battle of Arras, the Third Battle of Ypres (or Battle of Passchendaele) and the Battle of Cambrai.
In February 1918, the battalion was sent to strengthen the 61st (2nd South Midland) Division and fought off the German Spring Offensive military operations at St Quentin and at the Battle of the Lys (9 to 29 April 1918) also known as the Fourth Battle of Ypres.
Francis died, aged only 24, during this time of his wounds, on 26 April 1918.
He is buried in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s St Sever Cemetery Extension in Rouen. During WW1, Rouen was a base for a large number of hospitals including 8 general, 5 stationary, 1 British Red Cross and 1 labour hospital and the No 2 Convalescent Depot. Most of those who died were buried in the city cemetery at St Sever and an extension which was begun in 1920. There are 8,348 Commonwealth WW1 (including 10 unidentified burials and a number of WW2 burials in the extension and more than 3,000 WW1 burials in the adjoining main St Sever cemetery.
Francis’s name is also remembered on two Civil Service War Memorials in London – the Board of Trade War Memorial and the Memorial to the Staff of the Ministry of Labour.
In Scotland, Francis’s sacrifice is remembered by the Scottish National War Memorial which commemorates the lives of nearly 135,000 Scottish casualties during WW1 as well many subsequent conflicts. The memorial is located at Crown Square at Edinburgh Castle and a peaceful Hall of Honour and Shrine was built in 1927 by Sir Robert Lorimer and 200 Scottish artists and craftspeople. It is here that the Rolls of Honour are kept on permanent display.
We have not yet identified if Francis’s name appears on any other local Edinburgh war memorials and we hope to uncover more about Francis if we can.
Board of Trade War Memorial 