John Gillespie was the Son of William Gillespie (a brass polisher with Shanks Barrhead ) and Mrs Agnes Gillespie.

16th October 1918

John Gillespie  was the Son of William Gillespie (a brass polisher with Shanks Barrhead ) and  Mrs Agnes Gillespie.

John  was  Born  25th Jan 1896  at Highbanks  Neilston, Renfrewshire. The family also lived at 2 holehouse brae and later  at Kelburn street Barrhead.  John was a pupil at Neilston Public school  and Prior to war he was   employed in the  Crofthead mill as Despatch Clerk, His sister Agnes also worked in the thread mill.

S/14110 Corporal  Gillespie of the 1st Battalion of the Argyll and Sutherland highlanders was Killed in Action, age 23  on the 16th October 1918 near  the Lys river during during the battle of  Courtrai also  known as the Second Battle of Belgium.   This  was one of a series of offensives in Northern France and southern Belgium that took place in late September and October 1918.

The offensive began at 5:35 a.m. 14 October, with an attack  from the Lys river at Comines northwards to Dixmude. 

Shelling

The British creeping barrage advanced at a rate of 100 yards (91 m) per minute, much faster and much further than the practice in 1917, in expectation that there would be little resistance from German infantry. By the evening the British forces had reached high ground which dominated Werviq, Menin and Wevelghem in the south; further north the British captured Morslede and closed up to Gulleghem and Steenbeek. 

Belgian troops on the left reached Iseghem, French troops surrounded Roulers and more Belgian troops captured Cortemarck. Roulers fell the next day and by 16 October the British held the north bank of the Lys up to Harlebeke and had crossed the river at several points. 

End Game

 By 17 October Thourout, Ostend, Lille and Douai had been recaptured; Bruges and Zeebrugge fell by 19 October and the Dutch border was reached the following day. The crossing of the Lys and the capture of Courtrai by the British Second Army on 19 October, led to a German retreat on the front of the Fifth Army further south, which encircled Lille on 18 October. Next day the British were in Roubaix and Tourcoing and by the evening of 22 October the British had reached the Scheldt from Valenciennes to Avelghem.

Aftermath 

By the time the Armistice had been signed, the front-line had advanced an average of 45 miles (72 km) and ran from Terneuzen, to Ghent, along the River Scheldt to Ath and from there to Saint-Ghislain where it linked up with the BEF on the Somme.

John is commemorated at Dadizeele New British Cemetery Grave ref VF Belgium. Aslo at home on the Neilston school war memorial & Neilston Church memorial, and on the Neilston Civic war memorial.

Dadizeele New British Cemetery is located 16 km east of Ieper town centre on a road leading from the N8 Meenseweg, connecting Ieper to Menen via Geluwe.

Lest We Forget 

Matt