Remembering the fallen of Portsoy: Freddie McLean

Today, 14th June, marks the anniversary of the death of Lieutenant Frederick William McLean, who served in the Royal Flying Corps.  Freddie was born in 1894 to William McLean, schoolmaster, and his wife Elizabeth, who lived at Seaview House in Portsoy.

On leaving school, Freddie took up employment as an engineer at the Great North of Scotland Railway works in Inverurie.  He enlisted for war service in January 1915  and passed through cadet school as an officer in September 1916, at which point he joined the Royal Flying Corps. After further training, he was made a Flying Officer in April 1917.

Freddie had been on active service in France for just under a month when his plane crashed on June 13^th 1917. He received mortal injuries and died on the evening of June 14^th 1917.

Freddie is commemorated by a gravestone at Avesnes-le-Compte Communal Cemetery Extension, Pas de Calais, France.