William Thorburn’s father, Will, was a lawyer from Whitehaven, Cumberland. Will’s father and grandfather were both Master Mariners. Will Thorburn married Grace Duff from Port William, Wigtownshire, whose father was a grocer, in Mochrum Church. They moved to Edinburgh and lived in Stockbridge, where William (Stanley) Thorburn was born in 1890.

The 1/1st Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry were part of 145 Brigade, 48th Division and were involved in the Battle of the Hindenburg Line, which took place from 14th March to 5th April 1917.

Extract from “First Buckinghamshire Battalion 1914-1919” by P.L. Wright

“The following day, March 27, the Battalion took over the outpost line, which now ran from Roisel (captured by 1/4th Battalion Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry) to Villers-Faucon (exclusive). Battalion Headquarters being at Hamel."

"At 5.30 in the afternoon, the 5th Cavalry Division attacked and captured Villers-Faucon. At 7 p.m. that part of the line covering Roisel was handed over to the 2/4th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment (59th Division), and B Company were dispatched to Villers-Faucon to assist the cavalry, who, in taking this village, had met with considerable opposition from the enemy rear guards, and suffered a number of casualties from their machine-guns."

“The following day the enemy shelled the village pretty heavily with 77mm’s and 5.9’s and after dark the cavalry were withdrawn, being relieved by C Company. There can have been fewer darker or wetter nights than this one. Telephone lines were cut, and communication forward entirely broke down, owing to the difficulty of finding Company Headquarters in the dense darkness."

"Strong patrols were sent forward at dawn to ascertain whether the enemy were still holding St. Emille, and they were found to be there in considerable numbers.”

While there is no definitive record of how and when William Thorburn lost his life, it is likely that he was one of the casualties during this action. He was 26 years old.

Perthshire Advertiser, 14th April 1917

“LATEST CASUALTIES"

“On 28th March Lance-Corporal W. S. Thorburn, R.E., attached to the Buckinghamshire Regiment, only son of the late Mr Wm. Thorburn and Mrs Thorburn, Glasgow Road, Perth, was killed in action."

"Lance-Corporal Thorburn was studying for the law, and at the outset of war was employed in Dundee, but had sometime worked for J and J Miller, W.S., Perth.”

William Thorburn is also commemorated on the Perth West Church War Memorial.