World war 1 losses

[Ftivano1]

Interesting story in the local press that Dumfries suffered the most losses during this horrendous war of all the towns in Scotland - 1,448 soldiers lost their lives amounting to 4.79 of the population which they say was 30,258 (1911 census). Tragic stats and devastating losses but surely Dumfries town did not have a population anywhere near
30,000 in those days - any historians out there who can throw light on this ?

[ALBERTZ_11]

Interesting story in the local press that Dumfries suffered the most losses during this horrendous war of all the towns in Scotland - 1,448 soldiers lost their lives amounting to 4.79 of the population which they say was 30,258 (1911 census). Tragic stats and devastating losses but surely Dumfries town did not have a population anywhere near
30,000 in those days - any historians out there who can throw light on this ?

Heard the same story on the Scottish news but I'm sure this is accurate enough.

[ODB]

Heard the same story on the Scottish news but I'm sure this is accurate enough.

Going by an article I have on Queens from the Sunday Post in March 1922, they give the population of Dumfries as "over 20,000", going on to say that including the town and the surrounding area, which I take to be Dumfries and Galloway, Queens could draw on a population of "between 40,000 and 50,000".

[Ftivano1]

Got on to D and G News and they in turn contacted Ancestry who gave them the info and they again said it was the town of Dumfries only which is total nonsense - the population in the 1901 census was 14,440 and the next census 10 years later in 1911 it was 16,000-odd. Even in the 1951 census Dumfries population was 26,322 so where they get 30,000 from in 1911 is a mystery.

[ALBERTZ_11]

Got on to D and G News and they in turn contacted Ancestry who gave them the info and they again said it was the town of Dumfries only which is total nonsense - the population in the 1901 census was 14,440 and the next census 10 years later in 1911 it was 16,000-odd. Even in the 1951 census Dumfries population was 26,322 so where they get 30,000 from in 1911 is a mystery.

Seems as if they are taking the D&G region rather than the town itself.

[Edqos1]

When did Maxwelltown get annexed to Dumfries? Was that not about 1926? Might explain some of the difference?

[ALBERTZ_11]

Queens still play in Maxwelltown.

[Ftivano1]

Maxwelltown joined Dumfries in 1929

[Ftivano1]

Ancestry's official reply :- the figure provided covers the main registration district of Dumfries the main administration region noted for the 1911 census that best matched that given by soldiers when enlisting - so work that one out

[JRSLEFTPEG]

I walk through the graveyard in Cresswell when taking the wee ones to school. There are many, many First and Second World War graves in this cemetery. Many of these were only 18 and 19 year old boys. A tragic waste to have your life ended before you have really lived it.