Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Mindel Trench British Cemetery, St. Laurent-Blangy | G.1 | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.129 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 41C GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | Distinguished Service Order | ||
Family :
Son of John McGildowny, J.P., of Clare Park, Ballycastle, Co. Antrim; husband of Honora McGildowny.Now a landscape park on the County Antrim coast, William McGildowny’s family occupied Clare Park in Ballycastle from the 18th century. William’s father, John served as Deputy Lieutenant for the county.
William McGildowny and his wife, Agnes Elizabeth Honora (known as Honora), lived in High Chimneys, Westwood Road, Windlesham. They married on 15th June 1901. Kelly’s Directory shows Honora continued to live there after his death until she re-married aged 40 on January 23rd 1922. Honora herself died in 1966.
Education & Career :
One of a family of six, William was educated at Charterhouse, as was one of his elder brothers, Robert.
Charterhouse records show that his brother Robert joined the Royal Artillery in 1884 but was killed in a fall from his horse in Kirkee, India in 1889.
William, in Weekites at Charterhouse after his brother, left there in 1887, following again in his brother’s footsteps by joining the Royal Artillery shortly afterwards.
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 124th Siege Battery Royal Garrison Artillery |
- |
| Action : The Arras Offensive and associated actions |
9 April - 16 June 1917. The Arras Offensive consisted of a series of linked attacks starting with the Anglo Canadian assault on the dominant Vimy Ridge feature through the battles in the Scarpe River valley and up to the assaults on the Hindenburg line in the summer of 1917.
The Rev A.J. Hutton provided an entry in the Windlesham Roll of Honour for all men on the Windlesham War Memorial and that for William McGildowny is reproduced below.
‘Major William McGildowny went over to France in 1915 as Adjutant to Colonel Kaye R.A. in the Royal Siege Artillery. In January 1916 he returned to England to form a Battery of Siege Artillery which he took out to France in August of the same year. He was on the Somme and received the D.S.O. for his services there. In January 1917 his battery was moved up to Arras and on May 26th 1917 he was killed in a very heavy bombardment of our line by the enemy. We had recently taken over this part of the line from the French to relieve them. He was buried quite close to where he fell at the little village of Laurent Blangy about a mile North of Arras in a small cemetery there which is beautifully cared for by gardeners from our own country.
Major McGildowny was educated at Charterhouse and passed into Woolwich from there in 1887 at the age of 17. He retired in 1907 & was on the Reserve of Officers when war broke out.’
William is remembered in France, Windlesham, Ballycastle (both in Ramoan Parish Church and on the town War Memorial) and Charterhouse.
Citations & Commemorations :
He was on the Somme and received the D.S.O. for his services there.Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Radnor No. 2587 E.C. | East Kent |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
2nd January 1896 | 18th March 1896 | 15th April 1896 |
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley