{"product_id":"3rd-highland-field-ambulance-ramc-attd-6th-black-watch-kia-ypres-1917-ww1-medals","title":"3rd Highland Field Ambulance RAMC attd 6th Black Watch KIA Ypres 1917 WW1 Medals","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eCorporal William Anderson Masterton, 3rd Highland Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps, attached 1\/6th Battalion Black Watch – Killed in Action, Third Ypres 1917\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e1914-15 Star –\u003cb\u003e 1796 CPL. W. MASTERTON, R.A.M.C.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eBritish War Medal –\u003cb\u003e 1796 CPL. W. MASTERTON, R.A.M.C.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eVictory Medal –\u003cb\u003e 1796 CPL. W. MASTERTON, R.A.M.C.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eMemorial Plaque –\u003cb\u003e WILLIAM MASTERTON\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eWilliam Anderson Masterton\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e was born at \u003cb\u003eMaxwelltown, Forfarshire\u003c\/b\u003e, circa \u003cb\u003e1884–1885\u003c\/b\u003e, the illegitimate son of \u003cb\u003eAnn Anderson\u003c\/b\u003e, who later married \u003cb\u003eAllan Masterton\u003c\/b\u003e. Census and family records show the family living in Dundee throughout his early life, first at \u003cb\u003e27 South George Street\u003c\/b\u003e and later at \u003cb\u003e6 Eliza Street\u003c\/b\u003e. William worked as a \u003cb\u003ePlasterer\u003c\/b\u003e prior to the outbreak of the Great War and married \u003cb\u003eWilhelmina Mort Gilmour\u003c\/b\u003e at Dundee in \u003cb\u003e1911\u003c\/b\u003e. At the time of his enlistment the couple were residing at \u003cb\u003e23 Langlands Street, Dundee\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eMasterton enlisted into the Territorial Force at \u003cb\u003eDundee\u003c\/b\u003e on \u003cb\u003e4 January 1915\u003c\/b\u003e, joining the \u003cb\u003e3rd Highland Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps\u003c\/b\u003e, receiving the service number \u003cb\u003e1796\u003c\/b\u003e, later renumbered \u003cb\u003e305234\u003c\/b\u003e. His attestation papers describe him as aged 30 years and 3 months, standing \u003cb\u003e5 feet 6½ inches\u003c\/b\u003e tall, weighing \u003cb\u003e146 lbs\u003c\/b\u003e, with grey eyes and dark brown hair. He was medically classified fit for service and rapidly advanced within the unit, being promoted to \u003cb\u003eCorporal\u003c\/b\u003e on \u003cb\u003e10 February 1915\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eThe \u003cb\u003e3rd Highland Field Ambulance\u003c\/b\u003e formed part of the famous \u003cb\u003e51st (Highland) Division\u003c\/b\u003e, one of the most highly regarded British formations of the war. The Field Ambulance units of the R.A.M.C. were mobile front-line medical organisations responsible for collecting, treating and evacuating wounded men from the battlefield. Operating between the Regimental Aid Posts near the front line and the larger dressing stations to the rear, these units often worked under direct shellfire whilst handling enormous casualty numbers during major offensives.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eMasterton embarked for France aboard the \u003cb\u003eS.S. Onward\u003c\/b\u003e, leaving Folkestone on \u003cb\u003e2 May 1915\u003c\/b\u003e and disembarking at \u003cb\u003eBoulogne\u003c\/b\u003e the same day. The 51st (Highland) Division had been rushed to France in the aftermath of the Second Battle of Ypres, where the Germans had first used poison gas on the Western Front. Masterton thereafter served continuously in France and Flanders for over two years, enduring the brutal conditions of trench warfare whilst attached to front-line infantry formations.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eHis surviving service papers record several periods connected with illness and front-line medical duties. In February 1916 he was admitted to the \u003cb\u003e2\/2 Scottish General Hospital at Craigleith, Edinburgh\u003c\/b\u003e, suffering from \u003cb\u003eInfluenza\u003c\/b\u003e, before being discharged back to duty on \u003cb\u003e11 February 1916\u003c\/b\u003e. In September 1916 he was again admitted to a Casualty Clearing Station suffering from \u003cb\u003eDental Caries\u003c\/b\u003e, rejoining his unit later that month. These records illustrate the constant physical strain endured even by medical personnel serving close behind the front.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eAt the time of his death, Masterton was attached to the \u003cb\u003e1\/6th Battalion, Black Watch (Royal Highlanders)\u003c\/b\u003e, part of the \u003cb\u003e153rd Brigade\u003c\/b\u003e, 51st (Highland) Division. During the summer and autumn of 1917 the division was heavily engaged in the \u003cb\u003eThird Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele)\u003c\/b\u003e, particularly during the fighting around the \u003cb\u003eSteenbeek\u003c\/b\u003e and the Langemarck sector. The 1\/6th Black Watch took part in the Division’s advance during the opening phases of the offensive on \u003cb\u003e31 July 1917\u003c\/b\u003e, suffering severe casualties amidst the mud, shellfire and devastated landscape of Flanders.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eCorporal Masterton was \u003cb\u003eKilled in Action on 11 September 1917\u003c\/b\u003e, aged 33, whilst serving with the battalion in France and Flanders. Although the precise circumstances of his death are unrecorded, the battalion had recently been holding positions near \u003cb\u003eLangemarck\u003c\/b\u003e, north-east of Ypres, following the costly fighting of the Passchendaele offensive. His death was officially reported in the casualty lists as:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e“R.A.M.C., att. Black Watch – Masterton, 305234, Cpl. W. (Dundee)”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eHe is buried at \u003cb\u003eGwalia Cemetery, Belgium\u003c\/b\u003e, where his Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone records him as:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e“305234 Corporal W.A. Masterton, Royal Army Medical Corps, 11th September 1917, Age 33.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eThe headstone further records him as the \u003cb\u003eson of Allan and Annie Anderson Masterton\u003c\/b\u003e, and the \u003cb\u003ehusband of Wilhelmina M. Masterton, of 27 Clepington Street, Dundee\u003c\/b\u003e. Surviving pension and effects records show his widow later received a weekly pension following his death. Tragedy also struck the wider family during the war, as his brother, \u003cb\u003eGeorge Ellis Masterton\u003c\/b\u003e, serving with the \u003cb\u003eArmy Cyclist Corps\u003c\/b\u003e, had already died of wounds in \u003cb\u003e1916\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eMasterton’s service represents the often overlooked sacrifice of the Royal Army Medical Corps during the Great War — men who worked tirelessly under fire to recover and treat the wounded whilst enduring the same dangers as the infantry they supported. His service with the renowned \u003cb\u003e51st (Highland) Division\u003c\/b\u003e, attachment to the \u003cb\u003eBlack Watch\u003c\/b\u003e, and death during the Passchendaele campaign make him a particularly compelling Scottish Great War casualty.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003ePLEASE NOTE: All research will be sent to the buyer via email. I am unable to provide printed copies, as I do not have access to a printer.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eAJMS Medals\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"AJMS Medals","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54435485516122,"sku":null,"price":295.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0958\/9850\/1466\/files\/20260518_093836.png?v=1784209038","url":"https:\/\/ajms-medals.com\/products\/3rd-highland-field-ambulance-ramc-attd-6th-black-watch-kia-ypres-1917-ww1-medals","provider":"AJMS Medals","version":"1.0","type":"link"}