Post by di on Dec 8, 2008 0:45:10 GMT
Have been reading about the above James Sutherland & thought it may be of interest to one of our members.
James SUTHERLAND was born 31 Jan 1890 at Whanclett Farm on the island of Flotta in Orkney.
He was the eldest son of James SUTHERLAND, a farmers son, and Margaret Sutherland ms SIMPSON.
James left Flotta for Glasgow aged 20, where on 1 April 1910 he boarded the 9,599 ton steamship, Hesperian, bound for Boston USA.
James enlisted in the American Army in Illinois and was drafted into the 305th Infantry Regiment, part of the US 77th Division which was the first National Army division to arrive in France, beteen 13 April & 13 May 1918.
Sadly, James was killed during the fierce fighting in the Argonne Forest which made the 77th Division famous, when a group of men from several of its units were cut off for five days behind German lines near Binarville and became know as the "Lost Battalion".
Before James died in the Argonne fighting on 3 Oct 1918, aged 28, he had been promoted to Sergeant and awarded the distinguished cross.
James SUTHERLAND was buried in Grave 19, Row 6, Plot F in the Meuse-Argonne Cemetery which is the biggest American military cemeterty in Europe with 14,246 graves.
Citation reads:
The Distinguished Cross is presented to James Sutherland, Sergeant, US Army, for extraordinary herosim in action in the Forest of Argonne, France, October 3rd, 1918.
Displaying exceptional devotion to duty and conspicuous courage, Sergeant Sutherland led his platoon up the steep slope of a ravine, under murderous machine-gun fire in an attack on a series of strong enemy machine-gun nests; and in so doing was seriously wounded.
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James SUTHERLAND was born 31 Jan 1890 at Whanclett Farm on the island of Flotta in Orkney.
He was the eldest son of James SUTHERLAND, a farmers son, and Margaret Sutherland ms SIMPSON.
James left Flotta for Glasgow aged 20, where on 1 April 1910 he boarded the 9,599 ton steamship, Hesperian, bound for Boston USA.
James enlisted in the American Army in Illinois and was drafted into the 305th Infantry Regiment, part of the US 77th Division which was the first National Army division to arrive in France, beteen 13 April & 13 May 1918.
Sadly, James was killed during the fierce fighting in the Argonne Forest which made the 77th Division famous, when a group of men from several of its units were cut off for five days behind German lines near Binarville and became know as the "Lost Battalion".
Before James died in the Argonne fighting on 3 Oct 1918, aged 28, he had been promoted to Sergeant and awarded the distinguished cross.
James SUTHERLAND was buried in Grave 19, Row 6, Plot F in the Meuse-Argonne Cemetery which is the biggest American military cemeterty in Europe with 14,246 graves.
Citation reads:
The Distinguished Cross is presented to James Sutherland, Sergeant, US Army, for extraordinary herosim in action in the Forest of Argonne, France, October 3rd, 1918.
Displaying exceptional devotion to duty and conspicuous courage, Sergeant Sutherland led his platoon up the steep slope of a ravine, under murderous machine-gun fire in an attack on a series of strong enemy machine-gun nests; and in so doing was seriously wounded.
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