THE FOUNDER of the Carrick Herald, who died in the Great War, will be recognised in the Girvan and District Great War Project.

Ritchie Conaghan and his wife Lorna who have been working on the project on their own discovered that Hugh Brown Wallace, who created the paper in 1909, died in service on August 31, 1917.

Lorna has spent the last two months researching the 192 soldiers from Girvan who died in WW1 and discovered the late Private Wallace in the process.

Service records from 1917 show that Private Hugh Brown Wallace, Royal Army Medical Corps, died in hospital and was the son of Archibald and Elizabeth Wallace of Saltcoats.

At the time our sister paper, the Ardrossan and Saltcoats, reported: “The death occurred last week in a military hospital at the front after a short illness.

“Private Hugh Brown Wallace was the second son of Archibald Wallace a printer and stationer in Saltcoats.

“Trained in the stationary trade, Private Wallace for several years occupied an important place in this department of his father’s business

“And about 12 years ago he acquired the printing and stationary business of Mr McMorran in Girvan.

“In this new venture he proved his proved commercial capacity, his enterprise and personal qualities which lead him to create the Carrick Herald in 1909.

“But out the outbreak of the war, Private Wallace, in spite of his business responsibilities, felt it was his duty to offer his services in France but was rejected on physical grounds.

“In January 1917 he was accepted for service with the R.A.M.C and went to the military hospital in April.

“But he took suddenly ill and died in August 1917.“

He was buried on September 3, 1917 with full military honours.

He will now be recognised in the Girvan and District Great War Project 100 years after the war ended. 

More details on the project to follow.