John Aitken

1896 - 1917  (21 years)

• Name	John Aitken
  Birth	21 Jul 1896	Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland
  Gender	Male
  Death	14 Sep 1917	Villers-Faucon, Somme, France
  Burial	Villers-Faucon Cemetery
  Person ID	I5185	OrwinMillar
  Last Modified	12 Jan 2021

  
  

  Father	Peter Aitken,   b. 1854, Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland d. 20 Oct 1937, Ballencrieff, West Lothian, Scotland (Age 83 years)
  Mother	Janet Laurie Russell,   b. 3 May 1856, Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland d. 13 Jun 1934, Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland (Age 78 years)
  Marriage	3 Sep 1885	Hilderston Hill, Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland
  	Witnesses at the wedding of Peter Aitken and Janet Russell were John Pender and Janet Roberts
  Family ID	F1635	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  John enlisted for service, in WWI, at Bathgate. He was a Private, number 40895, in the 1st/7th Bn. Royal Scots, when he was killed in action. A memorial tablet on Torphichen church wall remembers the fallen dead from the Torphichen district. The first of Peter's sons killed during the War. James Aitken Smith was told by his father that John was over 6 foot tall but was posted to what was called "the Bantam Division", every one else being about 5 foot. James Aitken Smith's father talked to some of John's compatriots and heard that a shell had burst behind John's machine gun. Being taller than any one else he was the only person to be wounded. A piece of shrapnel had hit him in the back of the neck. Had he been the same height as the rest of the troop the shrapnel would have passed over his head. Who knows, he may have survived the war Name: John Aitken Birth Place: Torphichen, Linlithgowshire Death Date: 14 Sep 1917 Death Place: France and Flanders Enlistment Place: Bathgate, Linlithgowshire Rank: Private Regiment: The Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment) Battalion: 17th Battalion Regimental Number: 40895 Type of Casualty: Killed in action Theatre of War: Western European Theatre