Motherwell pilgrims to honour forgotten WW1 soldier buried beside minister's great-uncle in Belgium
A remarkable coincidence has brought a forgotten Scottish soldier back into the spotlight, as 40 people prepare to travel to Belgium to honour a young man killed just days before the First World War ended.
A forgotten Scottish soldier killed in the dying days of the First World War is finally being given the recognition he deserves – more than a century after his death.
Forty pilgrims from Motherwell are preparing to travel to Belgium to pay their respects to Sergeant James Robertson Cowan, whose grave lies beside that of the parish minister's great-uncle. The remarkable connection was discovered by Rev Alan Gibson of Motherwell South Parish Church, who found that both men died on October 31, 1918, while fighting in the Belgian village of Tiegem.
The group will leave on Monday, ahead of a special visit to Vichte Military Cemetery on Armistice Day next Wednesday. Rev Gibson first visited his great-uncle Daniel Gibson's grave in 2009. Years later, a Belgian contact suggested he investigate the identity of the soldier buried alongside him. He was stunned to discover Cowan was from the very parish he now serves.
Born in Motherwell in 1893, Cowan was the fifth of seven children and joined up in 1914, aged just 21. He served with the Lanarkshire Yeomanry before becoming part of the 12th Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers, seeing action in Gallipoli, Egypt and France. But his life was cut short just days before the Armistice, leaving behind his parents, siblings and fiancee Nan Johnston. His name appears on three war memorials in Motherwell, yet his personal story had largely been forgotten.
Rev Gibson said: "Behind the name was a son, a brother, a fiance, a steelworker and a young man whose future was taken from him." The parish has now pieced together his life in a new book, The Story Of James Robertson Cowan: From Motherwell To Flanders, accompanied by a short film. Both will be released on Remembrance Sunday. The pilgrims will also visit the area where Cowan spent his final days, walking in the footsteps of the young soldier 108 years later.
Another local serviceman, Sergeant Thomas Caldwell from nearby Carluke, fought alongside Cowan and Gibson in the same battle. He survived the conflict and was awarded the Victoria Cross after storming a farmhouse enemy position and capturing 18 German soldiers.
For Cowan, the journey will ensure his sacrifice is no longer just a name carved in stone.