William Miller McInnes

In 1909 he went up to the University of Glasgow and enrolled in French, Latin, and Mathematics. In subsequent years he took Logic, Geography and Geology in addition to higher classes in French and Latin. He was awarded first class certificates in Ordinary French in his first year, and Intermediate French the following year. He took French and Latin on to Honours level, concentrating on French, and became secretary of the University French Club. As part of his course he spent a year in France, as an assistant at the Lycée in Douai. After he graduated MA (Hons) on 22nd June 1914 he trained as a Teacher at Glasgow Provincial Training College, forerunner of Jordanhill College of Education. On qualifying he took up his first teaching post as a French master at the County Boys School, Cambridge.

William had been a member of the Officer Training Corps at Glasgow and he joined the 5th Bn. Wiltshire Regiment as a 2nd Lieutenant and was posted to the Middle East in 1916. He served in Mesopotamia, in the campaign against Turkish defences at the highly fortified Khadairi Bend near Kut.

2nd Lieutenant William Miller McInnes was killed on the 25th January 1917. He was 26. Days later, the British were successful in taking the position, leading to victory at the Second Battle of Kuts and the onward march to Baghdad. The news was conveyed to his family at Finnart, Grange Terrace, Kilmarnock. In September, his friend and classmate, fellow prizewinner in French, Donald Stalker, let the University know that his name should be included in the Roll of the Fallen.

Lieutenant McInnes is remembered in Strathclyde University’s Roll of Honour and in that of his old school, Kilmarnock Academy. He is buried at Amara War Cemetery in Iraq on the left bank of the Tigris, where seven general hospitals whad been based.