Muchty Remembers

Born: 18 July 1891, Crosshills, Auchtermuchty.

Son of Martha Balfour, Crosshills, Auchtermuchty, and husband of Annie Mills Duncan, Leslie, Fife. 

Army Number: S/8216

Rank: Corporal

Regiment: 2nd Battalion Gordon Highlanders

Died: Killed in action, 4 October 1917. Age 26.

Buried: No known grave. Tyne Cot Memorial, Zonnebeke, Belgium.

Parish Church Plaque. Parish Church Roll.

 

David Balfour was son of Martha Balfour, Crosshills, power loom weaver, born 1869, the daughter of David Balfour, born 1836, St Andrews, and Martha Allan, born 1838, Auchtermuchty. In 1901 David Balfour was living with his grandmother, Martha Allan Balfour at Crosshills, with his mother, Martha, 32, uncle Alexander, 30, aunt Isabella, 22, and cousin, John Grant, 15.

In 1906 Martha Balfour married John Constable, born 1881, Newburgh, general labourer. They had children William, in 1906, and Martha in 1909. In 1911 Martha Balfour Constable was living in the High Road, Auchtermuchty, with her husband and two children and two lodgers.

David Balfour became a coal miner. He was probably called up in early 1916 and joined 2nd Battalion Gordon Highlanders. 2nd Battalion Gordon Highlanders had been in Cairo in Aug 1914. The Battalion was shipped back to Southampton and joined 20th Brigade of 7th Division and fought at Ypres. In 1915 it fought at Neuve Chapelle, Festubert and Givenchy.

In 1916 the Battalion fought at Loos. It was probably in 1916 that David Balfour, although a coal miner, was called up.

In 1917 the Battalion fought at the 3rd Battle of Ypres, called Passchendaele, and Bullecourt, in April and May.

In Aug 1917 Corporal David Balfour returned to Fife on leave. On 22nd August 1917 he married Annie Duncan, aged 27, flax worker, at the United Free Manse in Leslie. Annie Duncan's brother, Joseph, born 1886, was also a coal miner.

Corporal David Balfour returned to France in September 1917. He was killed at the Battle of Broodseinde on 4th Oct 1917.

 

In 1861 David Balfour, senior, born 1836, St Andrews, linen weaver, was living with his mother-in-law, Mary Allan, born 1811, Auchtermuchty, in Pitmedden Wynd, Auchtermuchty, and wife Martha, born 1838, also a linen weaver, and two young children Helen, 2, and Mary, 10 months.

In 1871 old Mary Allan had died. David Balfour, linen weaver, was living in Crosshills, Auchtermuchty, with his wife Martha, linen weaver, and seven children. The eldest children, Helen and Mary were linen winders. The youngest, Martha, was 3, born in 1868.

In 1881 David Balfour was now a coal merchant in Crosshills, Auchtermuchty. Three more children had been born but two were away from home. Helen, 22, and Rachel, 18, was a power loom weavers.

By 1891 David Balfour had died. Martha Allan Balfour, 53, was living in Crosshills, Auchtermuchty, with four children, Rachel, 28, and Martha, 22, linen weavers, John apprentice weighing machine maker, with John White & Son, Auchtermuchty, and Isabella, 12. Also in the house was Martha's grandson John Grant, probably the son of Mary Balfour, born 1860.

David Balfour was born on 18th July 1891 to Martha Balfour.

In 1901 Martha Allan Balfour, 64, was living in the High Road with four children and two grand children. Andrew, who was born in 1866, was a weighing machine maker, with John White & Son, Auchtermuchty. Martha, mother of David, was a linen weaver. Alexander, born 1871, was a railway signalman and Isabella, born 1879, was a linen weaver. John Grant, now 15, was already a steel moulder, with Ferlie & Son, Fife iron Works, Auchtermuchty. Young David Balfour, 9, was a scholar.

Martha Balfour died in 1903, aged 65, in Auchtermuchty.

David Balfour served his apprenticeship as a grocer with George Shepherd, head grocer and wine merchant, Kilnheugh, Auchtermuchty. In 1901 George Shepherd was 34 years old, living with his wife, two children and 93 year old father, a retired farmer.

Neither young Martha Balfour, nor David Balfour appear in the 1911 Census in Scotland.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

David Balfour went in to Kirkcaldy on 17 December 1914, aged 20 years and 153 days and volunteered for the Army. He was 5 foot 5 1/2 inches tall and weighed 151 pounds and was passed medically fit. He joined the Gordon Highlanders for training. He embarked at Southampton on 24 March 1915 and joined 2nd Battalion Gordon Highlanders three days later.

David Balfour suffered from dental caries in July 1915 and was in hospital until October. On 11 December 1915 he was appointed unpaid Section Corporal.

In January 1916 he was given 12 days leave to return to Scotland. When he was five days late in returning, he forfeited 5 days' pay.

On 2 September 1916 David Balfour was promoted Corporal but in March 1917 he suffered from Shingles and then Herpes.

In August 1917 Corporal David Balfour returned to Fife on leave. On 22nd August 1917 he married Annie Duncan, aged 27, flax worker, at the United Free Manse in Leslie. Annie Duncan's brother, Joseph, born 1886, was also a coal miner. David Balfour and his new wife, Annie Duncan, determined that after the war they intended to settle in Auctermuchty and learn the grocery trade.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

David Balfour's wife was Annie Mills Duncan, born Markinch, 1890. She was the daughter of John Duncan, born 1862, Ceres, and Helen Watson, born 1869, Dunfermline.

In 1861 John Duncan was living at Southside of Town, Ceres, the 7 month old child of Joseph Duncan, born 1834, Falkland, baker, and his wife Anne, and three other children. In 1871 Joseph Duncan was still a baker in Ceres living with his wife and seven children, including John, aged 10. In 1881 Joseph Duncan was living in Leslie, Fife, with his wife and six children, including John, 20, a coal miner. Three of John’s sisters and a younger brother worked in the flax mill.

John Duncan married Helen Watson in 1885 and in 1891 was living at Lumphinans, Ballingry. He was a coal miner, with his wife and three children, including Annie, aged 1. By 1901 John Duncan, now a general labourer, was living at 138 North Street, Leslie, with his wife and seven children, including Annie, aged 11. In 1911 John Duncan was still living at 138 North Street, Leslie, with his wife and ten children. The oldest son, Joseph, 25, was a coal miner. In 1911 this Joseph Duncan married Helen Paton, who died in 1915. Annie and her sister Maggie worked in the paper mill. The youngest child, Alexandrina, was one year old.

 

Corporal David Balfour returned to France in September 1917. He was killed at the battle of Broodseinde on 4th Oct 1917. He had no known grave and was remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial.

Within two weeks of his death, Annie Duncan Balfour had written to the Records Office of 10th Battalion Gordon Highlander stating that although married nine weeks she had received no separation allowance. A marriage certificate had to be sent, but the records officer wrote that "I am now unable to get [form] D418c completed by the soldier, owing to his having been killed in action." It was March 1918 before Annie Duncan Balfour was informed that any possession of David Balfour would be returned to her. On 15 April 1918 she was informed that she had been awarded a pension of 15 shillings a week, with effect from 29 April 1918, more than six months after his death. On 27 July 1918 Annie Duncan Balfour was informed that she would be sent her husbands Britsh War Medal and Victory Medal, "belonging to the late gallant soldier No S/8216 Corp David Balfour, Gordon Highlanders."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On 28th Dec 1917, two months after his brother-in-law's death, Joseph Duncan, widower, coalminer, living at 193 Prinlaws, Leslie, married Elizabeth Brown, flax mill worker, 35, of 170 Prinlaws, Leslie. She was the daughter of Anne Smith Brown, now married to Robert Hunter, coalminer. Joseph Duncan died 5 April 1958, 105 Victoria Cottage, Prinlaws, Leslie, aged 72, the widower of Elizabeth Brown. His son J Duncan, 27 King Edward St, Markinch, was present.

 

Annie Duncan Balfour never had any children and never remarried. Annie Mills Balfour died, aged 77, in 1967, having been married for two months and widowed for fifty years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tyne Cot Memorial, Pas de Calais, France                                          Memorial plaque, Auchtermuchty Church