Edinburgh City Police - Officers who served in WW1 - (G)   *An asterisk denotes that this officer began his police service with Leith Burgh Police or in that part of Midlothian Constabulary that became part of Edinburgh City Police after 2 November, 1920. 

Edinburgh City Police

British War Medal

Victory Medal

King George V Coronation (Scottish Police) Medal, 1911

PC 369 C William Gordon

William Gordon was born in Latheron in the County of Caithness, Scotland on 12 June 1884. His father was Alexander Gordon, a Crofter and Fisherman and Isabella Adamson or Gordon.

On 21 November, 1905, William Gordon joined Edinburgh City Police (ECP) as PC 369 C, stationed in the Southside, possibly at the Pleasance or Braid Place Police Stations.

He attested for the Household Battalion, an Infantry Battalion of the Household Cavalry on 25 November 1915 but he was not mobilized until 12 July 1917 when he and 25 other police officers from ECP were called up. PC 395 C James Craig's name was struck out of the list and presumably did not resign that day.

The full list of ECP officers called up on that day is shown below:

Just before then on 15 June 1917, at 16 Springvalley Terrace, Edinburgh, William Gordon married Jessie Mackay.

On 13 July 1917, he was posted as Trooper 3333 in the Household Battalion Reserve.

Pictures of the Household Battalion Reserve training in Richmond Park, London can be seen below.

On 3 December that year, he was posted to the 1st Household Battlion and transferred to the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France from the same date.

On 25 January 1918, still in France, he was transferred to the Scots Guards as Private No. 17216.

William Gordon suffered a gun shot wound (GSW) to his head and was killed in action on 13 March 1918.

He is buried in Duisans British Cemetery, 4 miles north west of Arras, France.