John & David
Maxwell

John & David were brothers whose great achievement was to help Britain and its allies win the First World War.  Tragically, both paid the ultimate price.

John Maxwell

John died at the Battle of Gallipoli (1915) in Turkey.  This battle lasted ten months and during it, almost 150,000 Allied troops were killed or injured.

John was aged 23 and fought bravely alongside his comrades, many of whom were as young as 17 or 18.  The conditions were appalling, and not just because of the fighting.  During the winter months, troops on both sides died from exposure in the snow and bitter cold. At one point, heavy rains flooded the mud-filled trenches and a number of soldiers were drowned.

John died during the fierce fighting and was commended for his gallantry and dedication to duty.  It was impossible to bring his body home and his broken-hearted but proud parents back in Forfar had to accept that their son would be buried in Turkey, a very long way from home.

The Battle of Gallipoli is known as one of the bloodiest in history with over a quarter of million dead and injured.  Despite the ferocity of the fighting, many acts of human kindness occurred.

At one point in the hot summer, casualties among the opposing armies were very high and the humid weather made the stench of bodies nauseating.  A day's truce was arranged to allow the removal of the dead and wounded.  A strange camaraderie developed between the armies and many gifts were thrown across no-mans land. Sweets and dates came from the Turkish side while cans of beef and cigarettes were returned by the Allied troops.

David Maxwell 

The Maxwell family had to cope with the loss of John while knowing that another son David was serving as a Captain with the famous Scottish regiment, The Black Watch.

David showed the same remarkable bravery as his younger brother.  He was awarded the Military Cross and Bar for 'conspicuous acts of gallantry' on two occasions.

On the first occasion, he was taking 24 mules with packs of barbed wire up to an important position on the battlefield when he came under fire. David quickly gathered together all the available men and organised them to repel the enemy attack.

On the second occasion, he was commended for his great bravery in helping to repel a fierce attack and inflict heavy losses on the enemy.

Despite his great bravery and the honours he received, David and his family knew his life was always in great peril. Sadly in August 1918, only a few months before the end of the war, he was wounded in action in France.  He died two days later and once again, the Maxwell family had to accept that a brave son would be buried in a foreign land, a long way from Forfar.

At 11 o'clock on the morning of November 11, 1918, World War I, (often called 'The Great War') came to an end.  This was the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, a time which is still marked every year with a minute's silence to mark the passing of John and David Maxwell, and many others like them, who have died in the defence of their country. 

When the war came to an end, people throughout the Allied nations could finally celebrate a  brave victory in the worst conflict the world had ever seen.  However, millions of families such as the Maxwells living in Forfar, knew this victory had been won at a terrible price.

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