Soldier Record
James Cairns
Contributed by: Margaret Donaldson, on 2008-11-06

| Rank | |
|---|---|
| First Name | James |
| Surname | Cairns |
| Year of Birth | Unknown |
| Year of Death | Unknown |
| Regiment | Royal Scots |
| Place of Wartime Residence | Langholm, Dumfries and Galloway |
James's Story
My uncle was a medical auxiliary in the trenches during the 1914-18 war. I have 2 of his diaries written in pencil in tiny writing (difficult to decipher) He was awarded the DCM for bravery when he spent (I think) 2 nights in "No Mans' Land" with a wounded man. Until they could be rescued. I was told that he would have received the V.C but there were no officers left to certify this. He was also mentioned in dispatches. This is not in the 2 diaries I have. I am endeavouring to write them up on the computer to preserve them. The only photo of him in regimental uniform is in the Dollar School Magazine where he was a pupil. My mother had his kilt apron to protect the kilt from the mud. I know he said their legs were raw with the mud on the bottom of their kilts which became hard. He was in poor health after the war as he had been gassed.

No additional memories have been submitted