Dunlop, Robert 515891 ( - 1918)

Private, 2nd/ 14th Bn. London Regiment (London Scottish)

Buried at Godewaersvelde British Cemetery

Commemorated at Hillhead High School

Robert Dunlop was the elder son of Mr. and Mrs. A. Dunlop, Alcluith, West Kilbride. At School he set a splendid example of uprightness, loyalty, and good sense. He took a keen interest in all games, and was an active member of the Boy Scouts, being one of the first to join the 1st Glasgow Troop.

On leaving School he joined the firm of Kerr & Richardson, Limited, wholesale stationers, where he rose to be assistant manager. On the outbreak of war he was one of the first to join, and September saw him enrolled in the Army Service Corps. After training at Maryhill he proceeded to Bridge of Allan, and thence to Egypt. After a short time there he was sent to Serbia, and took part in the great retreat.

Much travelled he was, then sent back to Egypt, when he was transferred to the Gordon Highlanders. In the spring of 1918 he was attached to the London Scottish, and went with them to France. It was indeed hard for him, and others like him who had experienced all the privations and perils of the Eastern campaign, to be thrown into the furnace of the Western Front when the battle was hottest. The prospect of seeing loved ones at home reconciled all to the change, but the gallant Robert was fated never to see the hills of home. On the 1st August he went with the rest of his Lewis gun team to occupy an important post in the line. During a heavy bombardment a shell burst in the vicinity, and Robert Dunlop and his corporal were killed.

His commanding officer writes--" He was a man we all admired, and we all miss the presence of a brave and courageous comrade." His sergeant, in giving expression to the sympathies of officers and men, says--" I learned how valuable your son was as a soldier. He was so keen and active at his work and so happy in disposition that he won a place in the hearts of all his comrades which it is impossible
to fill. He died a glorious death, and will live on in the memories of us all."