Thread by @OldBill504

A short thread illustrating how you can gain an insight into the bigger picture with just a little internet browsing.
My curiosity was started with these images of an original grave marker on the I.WM. image collection,
iwm.org.uk/collections/ph…

Images showed VLAMERTINGHE NEW MILITARY CEMETERY shortly after the end of the war, graves show their original markers. Wondered if I could read name on the ”stone” Zooming in shows the name Lieutenant Christison

Searching CWGC website brings up 13 results with 1 Lt. Christison
Lieutenant
Frederick John Christison
10th Bn. Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
4th December 1915, aged 20.
Plot I. D. 12.

cwgc.org/find-war-dead/…

Now we have plot number in the cemeter, I wondered if I could find any other original images of the cemetery showing the stone marker? Quick search for
VLAMERTINGHE MILITARY CEMETERY postcards bring up 2 showing the stone marker

Now begin to think who was Lt. Christison and what happened to him. Search of the 10th Bn. Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders War Diary at National Archives provides a brief sad note. “Killed by a hostile sniper“ different date of death 2/12/15 not 4/12/15

Location of shooting is given as junction between trench B4 and B7. A rough plan is given in the regimental war diary,

Now I’m a big fan of maps and geolocation and wanted to narrow down this broad description to a finer degree. Hence my earlier appeal for assistance,

But no luck, so changed tack, search war diaries of units in same area and struck lucky with a map in the 13th Middlesex regt

So now I have a location to visit next time over. Now can we find a picture of Lt. Christison? Via the “find a grave” website we get a picture of his new headstone

findagrave.com/memorial/11406…

Same site mentions New Calton CemeteryEdinburgh, City of Edinburgh, Scotland as the family plot and a search using this info comes up with a picture of the family grave containing the original marker stone. Close enough to me for a visit in the future!

And a search also brings up an image of the unfortunate Lt. Christison

Lots of other information available from your arm chair which help to fill in information, medal cards, soldiers effects, the latter shows a debt to be paid to George Purvis Russell Balfour Kinnair esq R.F.C who after the war published a number of books on fishing

Lt Christison father and brother also had very interesting stories but too much to go into here!