How Ullapool WWI medal mystery led to Evanton woman
LABOUR of love research by an Ullapool man fascinated by the name on a war medal he stumbled across at a village market has helped a complete stranger on the other side of the county fill in some big blanks in her family tree.
We reported last week how Donnie Taggart came across a Tain-born soldier’s WWI medal at a market stall 20 years ago, sparking a quest to find a family member to pass it on to.
And just days after his story appeared in the Ross-shire Journal, the decades-long mystery was solved, prompting an exciting handover last week.
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Ullapool WWI medal find sparks family hunt
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It was after picking up Hector Graham Urquhart’s 1914-1919 Victory Medal with the inscription 4805 GNR.G.URQUHART. R.A. that Mr Taggart’s interest was piqued.
Urquhart, born the son of Donald Urquhart and Christina Graham of Rose Cottage in Tain in 1895, was a gunner with the 4th Highland Mountain Brigade, Royal Garrison Artillery.
He enlisted in Dingwall in 1912 at the age of 17, with the Territorial Force joining the Ross and Cromarty Highland Mountain Battery.
He was one of the first soldiers to land in Gallipoli on April 25, 1915, disembarking from the ship H.M.S. Euryalus and taking part in the famous landing at W. Beach, Cape Helles.
His section held advanced positions for over four months and were the last to leave the Gallipoli peninsula in August 1915.
Sadly, he was to die in hospital of pneumonia on August 26, 1915 aged just 20.
In a roll of honour, Capt. James Smith said: “I have known James since mobilisation and I can truly say he was one of the best of boys, and one who never forgot his folks at home.
“His death has cast a gloom over the whole column and we feel it all the more after coming through all the dangers of shot and shell on Gallipoli, he should be taken from us when we were enjoying a well-earned rest.”
Mr Taggart had told us he hoped to find a living relative to hand the medal over to. His painstaking research revealed he had two sisters, who were twins, Jean and Margaret Christie Urquhart.
He said: “I was contacted by a Fiona Urquhart, married name Oag, from Evanton. It turns out her father was a first cousin of Hector Graham Urquhart and Fiona, as a young girl, visited Rose Cottage in Tain!
“She had lots to tell me, including the fact that she has a violin made by Hector’s father, Donald Urquhart.”
Fiona said she spotted the article in last week’s paper and the pieces started to fall into place.
She said: “The surname Urquhart didn’t register with me at all until I read on about Rose Cottage in Tain and the mention of the twin sisters. I just remember being told to behave myself when we got there because there were sisters and they weren’t used to children.”
She said of Donnie: “To do all that work for a family you knew nothing about is just amazing. I had no idea who my great-grandparents were.”
Donnie, who worked with CalMac, presented Fiona with a fascinating dossier of information about her relative at an emotional meeting in Evanton last week.
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