Private ARCHIBALD CRAIG
Last address in Lewis: 61 Bayhead Street, Stornoway
Son of Francis William Craig, of Bayhead House, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis.
Service unit: 16th West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own)
Service number: 16/1734
Date of death: 3 May 1917 at the age of 19
Killed in action
Memorial: Arras Memorial, Bay 4
Local memorial: Lewis War Memorial; Nicolson WW1 memorial, left panel
Was a trumpeter in the Stornoway Section RMB and mobilised in August 1914 when only 16 years of age. Discharged on medical grounds, he was still determined to serve and after several unsuccessful attempts to pass the medical test, he was accepted for the West Yorks in August 1916. On the way to Egypt he had to go into hospital at Cyprus, but afterwards rejoined his regiment in France, where he was killed.
Archibald joined the Territorials on 14 March 1912, at the age of 15.
At the time, he was 5 ft 2 ins tall.
He is quoted as embodied in August 1914, but discharged in December that year.
Discharge proceedings show Archibald to have grown more than 4 inches since March 1912,
Complexion: Pale
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Black
Religion: Presbyterian
Occupation: Clerk
He was discharged as unlikely to become an efficient soldier.
Archibald's service record with the West Yorkshires was not readily available.
The 1901 census shows him aged 3, making his year of birth about 1898. He lives at Bayhead House, at the time the youngest sibling of seven children of Frances William Craig (43), a sergeant-major with the Royal Artillery, and Isabella Craig (43). Their children are Margaret (18), Jane (17), William Craig (14), Janet (12), John (9), Isabella (7) and Archibald (3).
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