William Logan (Deserter)

Sergeant William Logan, D.C.M. and Two Bars, Royal Highlanders (Black Watch)

William Logan was born at Helensburgh, near Glasgow, Scotland, on 19 January 1894. During the First World War he enlisted in the Royal Highlanders, better known as the Black Watch, and served under the regimental number 2702. He first went overseas as a Private with the 1st Battalion, Royal Highlanders, entering France on 14 August 1914, only days after Britain entered the war.

Logan’s early service placed him among the original British Expeditionary Force soldiers of 1914. He later returned home, either sick or wounded, after August 1915. He was then posted to the 2nd Battalion, Royal Highlanders, and it was with this battalion in Mesopotamia that he built an exceptional gallantry record.

His first Distinguished Conduct Medal was earned during the attack at Sannaiyat on 22 April 1916, part of the attempt to relieve the besieged British and Indian garrison at Kut-al-Amara. During the fighting, the officers of Logan’s company became casualties. Logan, then a Corporal, took charge of a party of men, controlled their fire, and kept them in action. He also helped a wounded officer to safety while under heavy fire. His citation described his conduct as one of “conspicuous gallantry and initiative.” The award was published in the London Gazette on 20 October 1916.

Logan was also mentioned in despatches for his service during the Kut relief operations. His first mention appeared in the London Gazette on 19 October 1916 and related to Lieutenant-General Sir Percy Lake’s despatch covering operations from 19 January to 30 April 1916.

He earned a Bar to his Distinguished Conduct Medal for a later action in Mesopotamia. On 6 September 1916, Logan led a party ordered to reconnoitre and grenade an advanced enemy saphead near Sannaiyat. He handled the party with care and discipline, not allowing his men to throw bombs until they had actually seen the enemy. After the bombs exploded, the party withdrew, although two men were wounded before they reached the British lines. The citation stated that the damage done to the enemy was believed to be considerable. This award was published in the London Gazette on 29 August 1917, by which time Logan was serving as a Sergeant.

During this same period, Logan’s record continued to be recognized. He was mentioned in despatches for a second time in the London Gazette on 15 August 1917, in connection with Lieutenant-General Sir Stanley Maude’s despatch covering operations in Mesopotamia from 28 August 1916 to 31 March 1917. He was also awarded the Russian Cross of St George, 4th Class, an allied gallantry decoration. The award was published in the London Gazette on 15 May 1917, and the Cross itself was officially numbered 807686.

Logan’s third Distinguished Conduct Medal action came during the Battle of Istabulat on 21 April 1917. At a critical moment, he led a party of bombers forward under heavy fire. He controlled them with great skill until he was wounded. His courage and coolness helped repel a counter-attack and recapture a redoubt. The citation described him as “an exceptionally fearless and efficient leader of men.” The Second Bar to his Distinguished Conduct Medal was published in the London Gazette on 1 May 1918.

He was mentioned in despatches for a third time in the London Gazette on 12 March 1918, following Lieutenant-General Maude’s despatch covering operations from 1 April to 30 September 1917.

By the end of the war, Logan’s medal group reflected an extraordinary record of repeated front-line gallantry. His awards consisted of the Distinguished Conduct Medal with two Bars, the 1914 Star with clasp, the British War Medal, the Victory Medal with Mentioned in Despatches oak leaves, and the Russian Cross of St George, 4th Class. Only a very small number of Distinguished Conduct Medals with two Bars were awarded during the First World War, making Logan one of the rare soldiers to receive the D.C.M. three times.

After the war, Logan was again posted to the 1st Battalion, Royal Highlanders, and went to India in September 1919. His later military service ended badly. While serving with the 1st Battalion at Allahabad, he deserted and returned to the United Kingdom. Sometime between the end of May and 14 October 1922, he reported himself as a deserter at Queen’s Barracks, Perth. He was tried by court martial for desertion and was dismissed from the service.

The desertion is part of Logan’s record and should not be hidden. At the same time, it does not erase what he did during the war. His gallantry in Mesopotamia was repeated, witnessed, officially recognized, and earned under extreme conditions. He was wounded, decorated three times with the Distinguished Conduct Medal, mentioned in despatches three times, and awarded a foreign gallantry decoration by Imperial Russia.

William Logan died at Kirkcaldy, Fife, on 31 January 1951. He remains one of the most remarkable Black Watch non-commissioned soldiers of the First World War, a man whose record combined courage, leadership, endurance, and later personal failure. His full story is not simple, but it is exactly the kind of story that deserves to be remembered honestly.