Private John Wood enlisted with the 8th (Service) Battalion of the Gordon Highlanders. The battalion was formed at Aberdeen in August 1914 as part of K1 and came under orders of the 26th Brigade in the 9th (Scottish) Division. Private Wood most likely got his training at Aldershot, where the battalion was stationed and went to Bordon in February 1915. He landed with the company at Boulogne (Fr) on the 10th of May 1915.

It is unknown when Cpl Wood was transferred to the 9th Gordon Highlanders, but it must have been after July 1915 because the 9th Gordon Highlanders only landed in France. We also know that he must have transferred later to the 5th battalion before January 1916 because the name 5th Bn was only known until January 1916

Private A. Dryburch disembarked with the 8th (Service) Battalion Gordon Highlanders in France on the 10th of May 1915. He served with the regiment till 3 April 1919. He is possibly the brother of Serjeant J. Dryburch, who was with the same company and battalion killed in action on 30 May 1916; both men's serial number is sequential. Serjeant J. Dryburch is buried at Vermelles Military Cemetery and was the son of Alexander and Elizabeth Dryburgh.

Private John Scott enlisted with the 7th (Service) Battalion of the Seaforth Highlanders. 

Private John Hills enlisted with the 1st Battalion of the Gordon Highlanders on the outbreak of the war under the command of Lt. Col. Neish and second in order, Bt. Col W.E. Gordon. He landed on 13 August 1914 in France and suffered the same faith as 500 of his comrades during the battle at Le Cateau, where he became a prisoner of war.

John Hills was born on 9 May 1892 as the first son and second child of Charles Hills and Susan Dick. He had two older and two younger sisters. His older sister Susan was born in Ireland, while the rest of the family was born in Edinburgh. John received 1897 his younger brother Robert and, two years later, his second brother. He studied at Latchmere School in Edinburgh and admission on 10 January 1898.

John enlisted in the Gordon Highlanders and was incorporated in C Company when the battalion left for France. From 19 December 1914 to 26 February 1916, he was registered as a prisoner at Sennelager in Münster on the outskirts of Paderborn. 

On 3 January 1917, John was registered as a prisoner at Königsbrück in Dresden. It is believed that Private Hills survived the war and returned to England.

Thomas Miller was born on November 17, 1885, and lived in Liverpool, where he worked as a chandler.

Two days before Great Britain declared war on Germany on August 4, 1914, Thomas Miller joined the Royal Naval Reserve and was enlisted at Mersey headquarters. Here he took training and drill until August 21. On August 22, Thomas was incorporated into the Hood Battalion. This Naval battalion was named to the 18th-century admiral Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood, who had participated in the American Revolutionary War.

On October 6, Thomas Miller arrived in a London bus on the outskirts of the Belgian town Lier to reinforce the Marines who had come two days prior. Before his embark, Thomas was armed (like all others) with an old charger-loading rifle instead of a more modern Lee-Enfield. The Hood battalion fought the fiercest battles the following days and was, after that, evacuated. This makes Thomas one of the possible members of the group that Major Gordon and Colonel Seely guided to the pontoon bridge over the river Scheldt and afterwards to St. Niklaas and Sint Gilles Waes.

After Thomas returned to Great Britain, he remained with the battalion in the Royal Naval Barracks at Portsmouth. From there, he boarded a ship called the Victory, transferred to the SS The Ramsay, and remained with it until January 3, 1915. The Ramsay sunk later that year while battling with the German SMS Meteor. Thomas returned to the Victory for three months after his service on The Ramsay. On September 11, 1915, Thomas boarded the Armed boarding steamer HMS Stephen Furness and served on it until December of that year. A German U-Boat torpedoed this ship on December 13, 1917. He served on the HMS Gunner, HMS Gunner and the HMS Pekin. On February 15, 1918, Thomas sent the ribbon of his 1914 star to the HMS. “St. Elivies”, a Scottish-made ship

owned by the Liverpool & North Wales Steam Ship Co.Ltd. and served during the war as a Minesweeper/Patrol vessel in the service of the Admiralty. In April 1919, Thomas received the clasp for his 1914-star (which is no longer attached as the medal's ribbon is replaced).