1899 Mar 9. Born in Dysart in Fife in Scotland
1901 census gives at 72 St Clair St, Dysart, Sinclairtown, Fife
1911 census still at Dysart, Fife with his father and brother William. His mother died in 1906
Educated Kirkaldy High School and George Watson College, Edinburgh. The Edinburgh University.
1917 May 14. Enters RAF. His next of kin was his father at 72 St Clair St, Kirkcaldy, Fife. The address changed to Coombe, Buckfastleigh, Devon. His RAF service record is available. Posted to 2 OCW at Farnboro
1917 Jul 27 to 2 SMA
1917 Aug 30. Appointed 2nd Lt on probation
1917 Sep 19 To ABO for instruction
1917 Sep 20. Posted to Egypt
1917 Dec 8 . To 194 TS on appointment as Flying Officer.
1918 Jan 10. To 23 TS
1918 Feb 13. To 193 Training Squadron as Assistant Instructor
1918 Apr 1. Appointed Lt in A&S Branch
1918 Sep 22. To 193 Training Squadron
1918 Oct 26. Discharged from Hospital
1918 Oct 28. Posted to 20 TDS
1918 Dec 15 Posted to FIS
1919 Jan 5. To 20 TDS
1919 Feb 22. To 22 TDS Duty as assistant instructor
1919 Mar 30 Posted to India went on SS Pentakata
1919 Apr 13. With 114 squadron in Middle East
1919 Oct 30. To 31 squadron in Kiralpur.
1919 Nov 11. Mentioned in Dispatches in Afghan War
1920 Jan 1, In Deolali en route the UK
1920 Feb 15. Dispersal in UK and unemployed list
1920 Jan/Mar marries Irene H Peach at Amersham. His wife was a nurse in Afghanistan when she met him while they were both serving in Afghanistan. She went to Ireland with her husband and worked in a hotel at Macroom. She lived with him in Macroom Castle. She was pregnant when Cecil was murdered.
1920 Aug 17. RIC no 77863, ADRIC no 294 . C Company ADRIC.
1920 Nov 28 Moved from C to Depot Coy administratively and posted "Missing"
1920 Nov 30 Shot while a captive after the Kilmichael Ambush. There are some accounts from Irish writings that he was recognised as the man the shot James Lehane in the village of Ballymakeera about a month before the Kilmichael ambush. It is difficult to know whether this is post rationalisation for the shooting of Gutherie while he was a prisoner.
Cecil Gutherie was the driver of the second Crossley Carrier at the Kilmichael ambush. Although wounded he walked over four miles trying to return to barracks at Macroom but was captured, shot and was buried in a bog at Annahala.
Charlie Browne, an IRA man, in the "Story of the 7th" says that Gutherie, "armed only with a revolver, made his way on foot towards Macroom when darkness fell. When passing Dromey's Public House, at Droumcarra, after covering 3 miles he was seen by 2 Volunteers who, realising the danger of letting him into town with the certainly of immense reprisals on the surrounding country held him by using a pipe disgusied as a gun, and shot him with his own weapon"
Twohig, a Catholic Priest who was a native of Ballyvourney in "Green tears for Hecuba" writes a more detailed account "[Guthrie] headed for the town of Macroom, through the winter darkness, rain and cold, alone wounded and despairing. The local Toames Company under Captain Nicholas, but known as Louis, Dromey, could not let him be. Word was passed on that he had called at Twohigs of Cooldaniel, and asked to be driven into Macroom. They pleaded that the horse was indisposed. He moved on past Dromcara Bar, where the Dromeys have been for over a hundred years, and down the bog road towards the Gaeragh. He was trailed first by the O'Mahony brothers, Jerry and John, who were then joined by Danny and Mikey O'Shea. A message was sent to Louis Dromey, the captain. At the "cross of four roads" they lost him in the darkness. They headed for the wilderness crossing and passed him sitting in a bush. He said "Good Evening" They walked on a little, then returned. He said "If I had ammunition for this, you fellows wouldn't take me" He threw out his now useless revolver. Louis Dromey arrived and a council of war was held. There were no alternatives. He was taken to a section of the Annahalla bog, shot and buried
If one assumes Twohig's account is substantially correct, it would seem that Guthrie had walked 4 miles or so before the IRA picked him up. And that he was walking done a road towards the Gaeragh. It is difficult to be absolutely certain where the "cross of four roads" is, as Twohig says that it is now submerged by the Gaeragh Reservoir. . He would appear to have been shot within a a few hundred yards of being captured.
A later communication from the Free State Gov to the British Government confirms this
1921 Jan 15. Cecil's wife (pregnant at the time) returned to her parents' home at Amersham and it is there that her daughter Dorothy was born. £5300 compensation was awarded
1926, His body remained in the bog until 1926 when it was disinterred and buried at Inchigeelagh Churchyard. His relatives in Scotland were notified but expressed doubts that the remains were his
The headstone stone reads:
"In Memory Of / Lieut. Cecil J. Guthrie , November 28 1920"