William Moir Banks was born on 14 April, 1897 in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland to James Simpson Banks and Jane Neil Lockhart, he was the 12th child in a very large family. According to the 1901 Scottish census, his father was a plasterer and they lived on Wheatfield St. in Edinburgh where he grew up.
His attestation papers state he enlisted in the Gordon Highlands Corps at the age of 19 1/2 years in 1915. We are fortunate to have a copy of his papers as many of these records were destroyed in World War 2 and this is part of the "burnt" collection that survived. At the time of his enlistment, he stated that he was a painter. He was a Private assigned to the 2nd Battalion and on 22 April 1917 was killed in action.
According to an article in Wikipedia we learn that the Gordon Highlanders was a British Army Infantry Regiment that recruited from Aberdeen and the North-East of Scotland. According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commision, William is buried in the Croisilles British Cemetery in Pas de Calais, France.
In commemoration of recognizing those who have lost their lives through war, the International Wargraves Photography Project was created in September,2005 and is published on Findagrave.com. William Moir Banks is listed in this Find a Grave reference for those who are buried in the Croisilles British Cemetery along with many other veterans. Learn about their project here.
As part of his family, we are grateful for all the veterans who have faithfully served and paid the ultimate price to provide the freedoms we enjoy today.
