Ypres Town Cemetery Extension
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Ernest Scott, the youngest of 3 brothers had 1 elder and 1 younger sister, they were the 5 surviving children of 7, born to Henry and Elizabeth Jane Scott. Henry Scott originated from Corbridge, Northumberland where he was born in 1858, the son of Jane Scott, primarily brought up by his grandparents. By the age of 23, employed as a clerk for the railway, he was living as a boarder in the household of widow Ann Vallans at Garden Street, Blaydon, the grandmother of local girl Elizabeth Jane Vallans born March 2nd 1894, whom he married in the district of Gateshead, County Durham in 1882. Their son Thomas William was born at Blaydon the following year before they transferred briefly to the village of Wallington in Northumberland, near Morpeth, where Walter was born in 1885. By the time his wife gave birth to daughter Jane, affectionately known as Jennie, in 1887, they had returned to Blaydon where Ernest was born in 1889. Henry Scott was now a railway agent, in 1901 he and his family were sharing a home at 78-80 Bath Street, Westoe, near South Shields with railway porter John Atkinson and his wife Elizabeth, however, they returned to Blaydon at some point over the next 7 years where daughter Margaret was born in 1898. They settled at George Street, Blaydon and Henry was now employed as a fire brick kiln foreman at was is described as a, “sanitary clay works,” as were Thomas William (18) and Walter, as fire clay sink makers. Ernest was now 11 years old and although his father remained at the works as a foreman he at the age of 21 was an insurance agent, still living at his parents' home at 108, George Street, as were his sisters, Jane (24) and Margaret (13).
August 4th 1914 the British government declare a state of war existed with Germany. Ernest was one of the first to enlist at Blaydon, assigned to "D” Coy, 1/9th Battalion Durham Light Infantry as Private 2554. The 9th Battalion was formed in 1908 from the old 5th Volunteer Battalion and was at its annual camp when war was declared. Ordered to return from North Wales with the rest of the Northumbrian Division it was sent to South Shields to dig trenches, part of the coastal defences, before joining the new recruits training for overseas service at Ravensworth, Boldon and Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The battalion commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Henderson left Newcastle-upon-Tyne railway station bound for France, April 19th 1915, landing the following day. Still unprepared and without any nursery training the Division was sent into the trenches of the Ypres salient in Belgium during the Second Battle of Ypres where they were subjected to heavy shelling and gas attacks on the Frezenberg and Bellewaarde ridges although the 1st/9th was spared the heavy losses suffered by the other Territorial battalions. The battalion as part of the 150th Brigade, 50th Northumbrian Division remained in Belgium until August 1916 before moving to the battlefields of the Somme.
Private 2554 Ernest Scott Durham Light Infantry was killed in action on the Ypres salient, May 27th 1915 and was buried by his comrades on the battlefield, where post war, during the clearing of the battlefields, his remains were recovered at map reference I. 4, d. 25, marked with a cross bearing his name and military details. January 25th 1919 Private Scott was brought into Ypres Town Cemetery Extension for re-burial with all honour and reverence by an Army chaplain. He is at rest grave I. C. 7, at the time of his demise in 1915 he was 26 years of age and single.
Although all the Scott brothers were eligible for war service only the details of his brother Walter have been found. He also served with the Durham Light Infantry and survived the conflict.
Ernest’s father, Henry Scott of 116, James Street, Blaydon, County Durham received all monies due to him and his awards of the 1914-5 Star, the British War Medal and Victory Medal. He commissioned at a cost of 3 shillings 9 pence an additional inscription to be added to his son’s military headstone, it reads, “Thy Will Be Done.”
Henry Scott died in 1925 aged 66 years, details as regards Elizabeth Jane Scott nee Vallans, unknown.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Ernest Scott is remembered at Blaydon on B111.01 B111.14 and B111.19
He is also remembered in The DLI Book of Remembrance page 131
