William Joseph Cornwall Laurie

William Joseph Cornwall Laurie was born on the 13th August 1884 in Monmouth, Wales, but his father, Donald Laurie, a Surveyor of Taxes, was born in Barbados (the son of a Sugar Merchant). Leonora Laurie (nee Cornwall), Williamâ€™s mother, came from Aberdeen. She and Donald had two other sons, George Archibald Laurie and Donald Saunders Laurie.

Memorial chapel at the University of Glasgow — The Memorial Chapel at the University of Glasgow

William initially studied an Arts degree (including Latin, Greek, Roman History, Mathematics, Logic and Political Economy) at the University of Edinburgh from which he achieved a second class degree. Afterwards he enrolled at the University of Glasgow in 1905-1906 to study Political Economy, Moral Philosophy and Geology though he did not matriculate in any subsequent years and did not graduate. Laurie then registered at Christ Church, Oxford, in 1907, for one year as an Indian Civil Service Scholar but there is no record of him having taken any exams there.

In 1908 he was appointed to the Civil Service of India though when war broke out William joined the 124th Duchess of Connaughtâ€™s Own Baluchistan Infantry - an Indian Regiment with British officers - which was sent to Persia in 1916. 2nd Lieutenant William Joseph Cornwall Laurie died in action in Mesopotamia on the 6th January, 1917 and is buried in the Amara War Cemetery in Iraq. Along with his brother Captain Donald Saunders Laurie, 2nd Lieutenant William Joseph Cornwall Laurie is honoured on a memorial in the University of Glasgow Chapel.