Soldier Record
John Erskine
Contributed by: Rhona Cooley, on 2008-11-08
| Rank | |
|---|---|
| First Name | John |
| Surname | Erskine |
| Year of Birth | 1884 |
| Year of Death | 1976 |
| Regiment | Royal Engineers |
| Place of Wartime Residence | Belfast, Antrim |
John's Story
John was a Motorcyclist Messenger
John Erskine was decorated for bravery with the Distinguished Conduct Medal for "gallant conduct in conveying messages under shell fire until machine destroyed by shrapnel". He came from Whitehouse in Belfast and took his own motorbike with him. After he recieved the DCM he was given a commission and became a second Lieutenant, by the time the war ended he was a Lieutenant and had been mentioned in dispatches. He returned home with an enormous German shell as a souvenir but he never spoke of his experiences. It is only since his death by looking through his papers and researching records that our family know what he did.
No additional memories have been submitted