Wigtown makes little of its VC winner

Wigtown was the home to the winner of a Victoria Cross, Louis McGuffie, but visitors will have to look hard to find any mention of the fact.

All that can be found is a plaque and a notice half way up the staircase in the County Buildings. In the centre of town. If you don't know it is there then you are out of luck as no mention seems to be made of the First World War hero anywhere else.

Next to the brass plaque is an information panel with the following text.

“Louis McGuffie lived at 1 Main Strreet, Wigtown and along with his three rothers, joined the army early in the war. In 1915 he went to Gallipoli and later was sent to France. He was awarded the Victoria Cross for his part in the battle of Wytschaete in September 1918.

“An officer in the 5th Battalion, the Kings Own Scottish Borderers, described McGuffie's action.

“It was on the 28th of September, during the Wytschaete attack. The chief strong point in the Boche (German) line was Piccadilly Farm, a fortified house held by a number of machine guns. Time and time again McGuffie rushed machine guns by himself, and knocked out or captured their crews. Then, later, it was found that a party of twenty fellows from another battalion had been cut off and surrounded by twice as many Germans. McGuffie took a couple of men with him, made a surprise rush on them, and surrounded and captured all the Boche.

“McGuffie survived the battle but was killed a week later by a stray shell. He was 26 years old.”

The panel has a picture of the VC, which it says is in the Kings Own Scottish Borderers Museum at Berwick on Tweed. According to one local resident, the VC was presented to Louis McGuffie's mother at a ceremony at the County Building and afterwards it was passed around the crowd of friends outside for everyone to inspect.

The Commonwealth War Graves website site gives the following information about the VC winner's grave:

McGuffie, Louis, Private, Service No:17392. Date of death 04/10/1918. Age 23.
Kings Own Scottish Borderers. Nationality UK.
Grave/Memorial Ref: I.D.12
Zantvoorde British Cemetery
Zandvoorde Churchard, Zonnebeke, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. West Flanders.

The cemetery is a bit inland from Ostend, south of Bruges on the A17.

It would be good to hear from anyone who can add to this story, email: www.raxomnium@gmail.com

c.www.scotlandsecretsouth.blogspot.com. Phillip Bruce.