William was born in Fochabers in 1922. to William Alexander Gordon and Jeanie (Jessie) McAllister.
Leading up to and during the war, William worked as a farm hand in the Dufftown / Glass area. In 1944 William's father passed away.
Currently unallocated to a patrol, it is believed he was part of the Cairnie Patrol.
He married Mary Lang McKenzie Hawthorne in 1950 and had 3 sons. His mother Jeanie (Jessie) passed away in 1966.
In later life was a gardener at Gordon Castle and lived in Apple Cottage on the estate. His wife Mary passed away in 2004.
William passed away in 2016 at the Speyside Care Home in Aberlour, the family mentioned that he recorded his experiences with the Gordon Highlanders Museum in Aberdeen. The Museum have no record of this and suggested it may have been the IWM in London who visited Aberdeen who recorded his memories. This is being followed up at the moment.
In showing Blairmore photos to the family, who recalled he had been trained at Blairmore mentioned that William had quoted "that photo should never have been taken". William adhered to the signing the official secrets act in never mentioning this to anybody.
We have some photos of William, however we are awaiting approval for their use from his son in Canada.
| Unit or location | Role | Posted from | until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeenshire's unallocated men | Patrol member | Unknown | 03 Dec 1944 |
Farm servant
TNA ref WO199/3388