Private David Gillan

1. Private, 85th Battalion, Infantry (Army).
2. Private, 185th Battalion, Infantry (Army).

Son of John Gillan and Emily Gillan, of Florence, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

Private Gillan was one of 5 soldiers killed during the riots at Kinmel Park in Bodelwyddan, Wales on March 5th, 1919, almost 4 months after the armistice. He was the only soldier killed under orders to quell the riot, and is the only soldier buried in St. Margaret's Churchyard that has a gravestone different than the rest. A large sandstone cross on a stepped base rises nearly 2 metres above the ground. The inscription reads: No. 877467. Private David Gillan; Aged 22 Years. Of Florence, Cape Breton, Canada. Who was killed at Kinmel Park on March 5th 1919, defending the honour of his country.

David Gillan was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland on December 2, 1900. In 1901 he was living with his parents John and Emily and older brother John at 28, Hope Street, Lanarkshire. On the 25th April, 1903, he left Lanarkshire, aged 2, with his parents and brother John on the passenger ship Mongolian bound for Halifax, Canada. A family of coal miners, they eventually settled in Florence, Nova Scotia and David became a coal miner at a very young age. David's older brother John enlisted in Halifax in Feb. 1916 and a month later David's uncle Joseph Gray enlisted in Sydney Mines, NS. David must have gone with him, as he lied about his age and joined up on the same day, March 13th, a few hours after his uncle. He was only 16 at the time and certainly looked very young. Standing 5'5'' at 108 pounds with a 30 inch chest, his slight frame was considered fit for service in the newly created 185th Battalion of Cape Breton Highlanders being actively recruited. Later, many of these divisions were merged with the 85th Battalion of Nova Scotia Highlanders, and David and his brother John Gillan (Service No. 223414) were separated when John joined Company D of the famous 85th while David stayed with the 185th in a reserve position as a gunner. They both sailed for England on the Olympic on October 13th, 1916 and landed in France in February of 1917, just in time for brother John to join the attack on Vimy Ridge.

David participated in the battles at in Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele, where his brother John was wounded, but his luck ran out as the war wound down.

After WWI ended, David joined the 17 thousand other Canadian soldiers who were shipped off to Wales to await transportation back to Canada. Unfortunately, for political and bureaucratic reasons, the ships designated for these troops were either not up to standard, held up due to strikes on the waterfront, or were being commandeered for other troops, including American, that had seen little service on the Western Front. Add to that frustration overcrowded quarters, fear of influenza, an extremely cold Welsh winter, reduced pay and half-rations; the situation grew ripe for revolt.

Rioting broke out in the camp on March 4th. The men broke into the sergeant's and officer's messes and later smashed the temporary civilian stores of Tintown and looted army supplies. "They appropriated all the tobacco and emptied the central canteen stores. They took all the Quartermaster's stores and looted the Y.M.C.A. but not the Salvation Army." With alcohol now fueling things further, waves of rioting again broke out on March 5th as angry soldiers attempted to free the prisoners from the night before. Colonel Colquhoun had ordered all ammunition to be locked away, but a group of soldiers were armed against orders and stationed near Camp 20 to defend the guardroom and nearby records office. Private David Gillan was one of this group, and referred to as a member of the 'Camp Police'. When the drunken rioters approached the area, they were armed mostly with sticks and rocks. Witnesses stated that the mob hesitated upon seeing the armed guards, but were rushed at by the camp defenders armed with guns with fixed bayonets. A shot rang out and the next shot fired was the one that felled Private Gillan. The coroner's report states that: The bullet had grazed the chin after it passed through the top of the shoulder and come out in front of the neck." At this time, however, no evidence has ever been forthcoming as to whom may have pulled the trigger, and no formal inquiry ever made into the matter. Eventually, the fierceness of the fighting lead the rioters to raise a white flag and surrender. The shooting lasted at least 15 minutes, according to witnesses, and eight other soldiers were also shot, with dozens more injured.

In the aftermath of the Kinmel Riots, 75 men were arrested, 50 were charged with mutiny, and 27 were eventually convicted. It was a disgraceful event in WWI history that sullied the good name of the Canadian Troops, and could have been prevented if the boys had just been repatriated sooner, according to length of service . The riot did get other results though. Before the end of March, ships hurriedly appeared and 15,000 men were shipped back home to Canada.

Official records state that five Canadians were killed during the riots. Three of these were directly involved in the rioting, while one soldier, Gunner John F. Hickman, was killed instantly by a stray bullet through the chest. He and Pte David Gillan were buried with full military honours on March 10th. Unfortunately for the Gillan family, their first knowledge of his death was in reading the highly inaccurate newspaper accounts of the day. David's parents were never notified by the customary telegraph, nor did they ever receive the memorial medal (silver cross) given to the wives or mothers of soldiers killed in active duty. Within 2 months, Hickman's body was disinterred and sent back to New Brunswick, but Gillan's body never was. No one knows for sure who commissioned his unique headstone, but it certainly wasn't his family as they did not have the money to do so, and knew his actual age was not 22, as stated on the memorial.

Sad to think that 4 months after the hostilities had ended, Private Gillan was one of the last soldiers of the Great War to be killed in the line of duty, obeying direct orders from an officer. He was only 20 years old.