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I am trying to trace what happened to James Rennie born circa 1894 in Rothesay, Isle of Bute. His parents were Robert Rennie and Jeannie Boden. According to a record I found in someone's tree he died on 9th April 1917 Vimy Ridge France. I can't find a trace of his death. Have I overlooked something? Can anyone help me please?

This is the James Rennie who died April1917

UK, Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919
about James Davidson Rennie
Name: James Davidson Rennie
Death Date: 9 Apr 1917
Rank: 2/Lieutenant
Regiment: Gordon Highlanders
Battalion: 5th (Buchan and Formartin) Battalion (Territorial)
Type of Casualty: Killed in action

got him

RENNIE , JAMES Private 785156 09/04/1917 Unknown Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (Eastern Ontario Regiment) Canadian VIMY MEMORIAL

you wont get a death cert
http://www.ww1battlefields.co.uk/others/vimy.html

Canada, Soldiers of the First World War, 1914-1918
about James Rennie
Name: James Rennie
Residence: Hamilton
Birth Date: 23 Oct 1893
Birth Location: Rothessy, Isle of Bate, Scotland
Relative: Mrs Jean B Rennie
Relationship: Mother
Regiment Number: 785156


Mothers address; 264 Main St. Barrhead, Refs.

His occupation was Butcher.


Dee x

you can get a death cert although it may not give any specific cause of death .Look on Find My Past site at Military deaths

Took a look anyway to satisfy myself! and found it so posting it anyway!!
War Deaths 1914-1921
Name Rennie James D rank 2Lt Unit Gord Hs Year 1917 Vol 0.14 page 20
When ordering specify its an overseas death

Hi Everyone,

Sorry it took me so long to reply, unexpected visitors arrived. I'm just getting the chance now to check the posts.

Thank you for all your help. I didn't have a clue about the Canadian connection I would never have found him. Once again the great people of GR came to my rescue.

A MILLION thanks to everyone who helped.

Check out this site. It's the Canadian version of CWGC. There's a nice photo of him along with Ronald McKinnon. They were both killed at Vimy Ridge, April 9-10, 1917.

http://www.veterans.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=collections/virtualmem

Also quite a lot of info about him here:

http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/wfa-publications/118-wfa-stand-to/894-stand-to-84.html

Hi Margaret

I sent you a PM. Thanks once again for the links they are truly marvellous.

Isobel x

Look him up at:
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/cef/001042-100.01-e.php
[pob=Rothesay, enlisted 14/4/16 @Dundas, Ont (more or less a suburb of Hamilton)]

That way, you can grab a copy of his attestation paper images.

I don't see him on the 1911 Ont census - probab still in Scotland.

Hi mgnv

I now have a copy of his papers, all thanks to you. I am so grateful for your help. The 1911 Census for Scotland comes out here in March I will check for him then. I am now going to find out which of his 3 sisters he went to live with in Canada.

Thanks again.

Did a bit of checking. One sister died in Scotland, the other I don't think married. The sister that did marry was Annie Rennie she married Archibald Fletcher McQuarrie but they didn't marry until 1918 in Glasgow. Although Annie died in Burlington Ontario Canada on 6th December 1976. So that is a Canadian connection.


I will have to check out the sister who I though didn't marry because James attested in April 1916, 2 years before the sister that lived in Canada married in Scotland. Unless there is another sister???

I bit of a mystery. Is there a way of checking who lived at the address on his papers when he joined up?

Isobel - it may have been another relative - aunt or uncle who had emmigrated to Canada first. I have 2 family members who enlisted in Canada in WW1 and they had actual gone out before the war to an uncle in America.

Hi rootgatherer

That's possible, but there are some articles about him and they quote him living with his married sister? Still can't work out who it is. I am checking the marriages of his 3 sisters that ended up living in Canada. They all married here just need to confirm when. Thanks for your help, it's greatly appreciated.

A sis-in-law could well be described as a sister.

Thanks for the info on the march release. We have a 92 y rule, but the release date is Jan 1 of following year, so the 1921 won't be released until 2014. In the past, what's been immediately available is just the unindexed images, and it's taken some months to get them indexed/transcribed.

Are you related to James Rennie? He is my great uncle.

Welcome to the boards Beverly

Isobel posted this in 2011 and may not be checking for replies now. Click on her name and send a private message, if her email address is still the same she will be notified

Beverley - earlier this year, LAC announced they were digitizing all CEF service files. Rennie should appear in the latter half of 2015 is my guess, so check back then - The URL has changed to:
http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/first-world-war-1914-1918-cef/Pages/search.aspx

When available, the service file will be a link to right of the images of his attestation papers - it will be free.