Andrew McLaughlin
Name: Andrew Joseph McLaughlin
Rank: Private
Service Number: 2202
Units Served: 27th Battalion
Personal Details: Andrew McLaughlin was born in October, 1888, in Port Pirie, the son of Martin andf Ellen Mclaughlin. He described his occupation as a labourer, and had been convicted of assault and fined £5. When he enlisted on the 2nd June, 1915 he was 26 years and 9 months old, weighed 146lbs, had a fair complexion, blue eyes and light brown hair, and was 5'8" tall.
Enlistment Details: He enlisted in the war on the 2nd of June 1915 at Keswick when he was 26 years and 9 months of age. His enlistment number was 2202 and he was a part of the 27th Battalion.
Military Service: On the 12th of January 1916, Andrew Joseph McLaughlin was taken on strength with the 27th battalion in Tel-el-Kebir, Egypt. From here he proceeded to join the British Expeditionary Forces in Alexandria on the 15th of March 1916 and disembarked in Marseilles on the 21st of March.
On the 3rd of May 1916 Andrew was admitted to the 6th field ambulance with a fractured ulna. A day later his left arm was also fractured in an accident. Due to his injuries he was transferred to the Woodcote Park Hospital in England and granted furlough.
While in England Andrew was convicted of A.W.L from 3pm on the 16th of September 1916 till 3pm on the 18th of September. On the 27th of November 1916 Andrew marched in from Perham to Rollestone. Not long after this he was again convicted of A.W.L from 12 am on the 16th of December to 3pm on the 7th of December (obviously he hadn’t learnt his lesson!). After this he proceeded overseas aboard ‘Princess Clementina’ on the 16th of January 1917 and landed in Etaples, France,on the 17th. Andrew rejoined his battalion on the 19th of February. In the following few months the 27th Battalion was involved in some minor battles as the Germans withdrew to the Hindenburg Line. The first major battle that the battalion fought was on the 20th September at the Battle of Menin Road, just outside of Ieper in Belgium. It was on this day that Andrew McLaughlin was killed in action.
Date of Death: 20th September 1917
Age at Death: 28
Memorial Details: Andrew is commemorated on the wall of the Menin Gate Memorial in Ieper, Belgium.
