(Image: Supplied)
A group of 40 people from Motherwell are to travel to Belgium to retrace the final footsteps of a young soldier who was killed during the closing days of the First World War – just 11 days before the Armistice.
Members and friends of Motherwell South Parish Church will make the journey from Scotland to Belgium in November, following the remarkable story of Sergeant James Robertson Cowan, known to his family and friends as “Jerry”.
Sgt Cowan was born and brought up in Motherwell and came from a family with strong connections to the town and its steel industry. He lived in the Dalziel Estate in Motherwell and later in Miller Street in the town.
At just 14 years of age, he followed his father into the local steel industry. Only a few years later, as Europe descended into war, the young Motherwell steelworker enlisted to serve his country.
READ MORE:
Sgt Cowan initially served with the Lanarkshire Yeomanry and saw active service during the Gallipoli campaign. He later became part of the 12th Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers, formed from the Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Yeomanry, and served on the Western Front in France and Belgium.
Back home, Sgt Cowan had another future waiting for him. He was engaged to be married to Nan Robertson, but he would never return to Motherwell to marry her. What became of Nan after the war has so far remained unknown.
On October 31, 1918, with the war finally drawing towards its end, Sgt Cowan was killed in action during the Allied advance through Belgium. He was buried in Vichte in Belgium.
For more than a century, James Cowan was simply a name on a war memorial, and little was known about the young man behind that name. Now, members of Motherwell South Parish Church have pieced together the story of this remarkable young man – his family, his life in Motherwell, his work in the steel industry, the woman he hoped to marry, his military service and, ultimately, the circumstances surrounding his death.
Vichte Military Cemetery in Belgium (Image: Supplied)
The congregation has now written a book telling Sgt Cowan's story, which will be unveiled alongside a short film about his life at Motherwell South Parish Church’s Remembrance Sunday service on Sunday, November 8, the day before the group leaves for Belgium.
The following morning, 108 years after Sgt Cowan's death, 40 people from his home town will set off for Belgium to remember him and to retrace the route taken by Sgt Cowan and his battalion during the final days of his life.
The pilgrimage will include a visit to the area where Sgt Cowan was killed and to his grave in Vichte, where the group will gather on Armistice Day, Wednesday, November 11.
The people of Vichte are also preparing a special welcome for the Scottish visitors. A pipe band will take part in the commemorations, bringing a distinctly Scottish presence to the village where Sgt Cowan has rested for more than a century. Following the remembrance service, the Motherwell group will also be welcomed at a local castle for a reception hosted by the local mayor.
The family grave in Airbles Road cemetery in Motherwell (Image: Supplied)
On Tuesday, November 10, the group has also been invited to participate in the internationally renowned Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate in Ypres, on the eve of Armistice Day.
Rev Alan Gibson, Minister of Motherwell South Parish Church, who is leading the pilgrimage, said: “James Cowan was not a famous general or a politician. He was a young man from Motherwell. He grew up on our streets, worked in our steel industry and left this community to serve his country.
"What makes his story particularly poignant is that he came through so much, only to lose his life on 31 October 1918 – just eleven days before the Armistice. He had a life waiting for him at home. He was engaged to be married, but he never came home. His name is there on the war memorial in Motherwell, but behind that name was an unknown story, until now."
He added: “We will also walk in his footsteps and visit the area where he spent the final days of his life. I think there will be something incredibly powerful about people from Motherwell standing in those same places 108 years later."