Andrew Liddell MACLAREN 1872 – 1918
[He is possibly the same Andrew Liddell MACLAREN born 23 February 1872 in Govan, Lanark, Scotland. Son of Robert MACLAREN and his wife Mary Jane nee FINLAY].
Private M/339407 Andrew Liddell MACLAREN. 10th Company, Army Service Corps (Mechanical Tranport) (ASCMT).
Died of Blood Loss consequential to a Stomach Ulcer 1st March 1918 aged 46 years at Fargo Military Hospital, Durrington, Amesbury, Wiltshire. Enlisted London. Resided Stone Gate, Mersham, Ashford, Kent. Buried in the Fargo Hospital Cemetery, Durrington, Amesbury, Wiltshire. Grave reference: not known. Durrington Cemetery contains burials of both wars. The 204 First World War burials were mostly from nearby Larkhill Camp. Many of the graves are of Australian servicemen and there is a separate Australian memorial in the cemetery. The Second World War burials number 22. In addition to the war graves, there are a number of post-war service graves in the cemetery, mostly of the Royal Air Force.
No Trace on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website which is surprising because his name DOES appear on Soldiers Died Great War!
We have checked the GRO indexes of Great War Deaths (1914-1920) and can’t locate his name on the registers! His name was however recorded on the normal civilian GRO death indexes –
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DEATH CERTIFICATE
March Qtr, 1918, AMESBURY, 5a, 230 (aged 46 years)
Andrew Liddell MACLAREN
Private, 10th Coy, Army Service Corps (MT)
1. Ulcer of Stomach
2. Hematemosis
3. Exhaustion
Death reported by Private E. Fort on 4th March 1918 (causing the body to be buried Fargo Hospital, Durrington).
Occupation – Serving soldier in the 10th Company, Army Service Corps (MT).
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We have seen his surname spelt in 5 ways (correct spelling is in fact MACLAREN) –
Maclaren A.L
McClaren A.L
MacClaren A.L
MaClarren A.L
McClarren A.L
His name was possibly forgotten because he died in the UK. We have found that sometimes men’s deaths were not always properly recorded by the authorities when a man died of wounds or of attributed illness on the UK mainland. We are confused however by the fact his name DOES appear on Soldiers Died Great War and on the civilian GRO death indexes his occupation is clearly and prominently recorded as a SERVING SOLDIER!
“This man had a stomach ulcer, he also had Hematemosis, which means vomiting blood. This would occur if the ulcer was bleeding heavily, basically you would vomit blood until you collapsed and your heart packed up. (nowadays you would have a transfusion). The fact he was a serving soldier when he died means that this man is entitled to a CWGC commemoration.”
This soldier was entitled to have his name registered as a war casualty. He died of Exhaustion whilst still serving which means he caught the disease whilst serving in the British Army. The fact his name does appear on Soldiers Died Great War also supports this case.
Durrington is somewhat unusual community in that it is small village that has grown to the size of a town because of a large army camp that has been in the parish since the early 20th century. Perhaps, however, it would be fairer to say that it is Larkhill Camp that has the appearance of a town while the original village has been extended so that it now covers a similar area of land, between the Netheravon Road and the river Avon, as is occupied by Amesbury, further south. Larkhill Camp lies to the west of the village on the downs. Although the parish has the population of a small town the separate communities, lack of cohesive infrastructure and no centre means that this is not really an urban development. Without the army presence Durrington would probably have developed into a medium sized village based on an ancient settlement in the Avon valley. The changing epoch began in 1898 when much of the parish was acquired by the army. From 1899 the part of Salisbury Plain to the north west of the village was used for artillery practice and a camp was set up on Durrington Down. By the beginning of the First World War there were three tented camps known as Durrington, Larkhill, and Fargo Camps. In 1914 the Larkhill light military railway was built from Ratfyn in Amesbury to Fargo Camp and a large military hospital was built at that camp. During the war the tents at Larkhill Camp were replaced by huts and in 1916 the Stonehenge Inn was rebuilt by the Portsmouth United Brewery, who had acquired it. The war memorial was built on the base of the ancient cross. From 1920 Larkhill Camp became the headquarters of the School of Artillery and permanent brick building were put up. Fargo Military Hospital was demolished between 1985 and 1993. Nothing now remains of it. At the present time we don’t know what happened to the hospital cemetery and the graves.
We have received confirmation on 28th January 2008 that this man has been accepted by the MOD for a belated commemoration.
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[This page last updated 17 January 2010]