Roland Oscar Norton Tucker was born on 22 November, 1893, at 56 Wilton Street, in the district of Kelvin in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, the youngest child of Robert William Tucker, then a volunteer bandmaster, and Margaret Elizabeth Tucker (formerly Taylor). His father had been the third generation of his family to have served with the 20th Regiment of Foot, which, in 1881, became the 1st Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers, from which he was discharged in March, 1893. Roland had four siblings: William Hamilton (c.1883); Thomas Frederick (c.1885); Lilian Elizabeth (c.1886); and Helen Esther Minto (1891), all of whom were born at various locations where their father was serving.

The family moved address repeatedly and by 1901 they were living at 121 Reidvale Street, in Leity, Glasgow; in 1904 at 519 Alexander Parade; by 1911 at 36 Armadale Street, in Dennistoun, when Roland was employed as a laboratory assistant at a chemical depot; and by 1916 at 10 Glenfield Street, in Dennistoun.

By 1915 Roland was living as a tenant at 23 Garscadden Street, off Port Dundas Road, and had been employed as a temporary postman since the beginning of the war.

However, in the summer of 1915 he fell foul of the law, with the circumstances being reported in The Scotsman newspaper on 6 June, 1915, as follows:

Glasgow Postman's Dishonesty: "A young man named Roland Oscar Norton Tucker was charged before Sheriff Craigie, in Glasgow Sheriff Court yesterday, with having, between April 25 and May 15, stolen nine postal packets containing postal orders to the value of £27 6d. He pleaded guilty. An agent said [the] accused had been employed as a temporary postman in Glasgow since the outbreak of war. He was 21 years of age, and had been furnishing a house for the purpose of getting married. This had caused him to get into debt. Sentence of six months' imprisonment with hard labour was imposed."

The Edinburgh Evening News, the day before, had added that he was about to get married, but his parents disapproved, and he furnished a house for himself and ran into debt, but that he had repaid the amount stolen.

On release from his six months' imprisonment, in December, 1915, Roland would have been without employment, which was probably the catalyst for him enlisting in the army the following month.

The young woman he was, or had been, intending to marry was almost certainly Catherine Campbell Church, of 12 Garscadden Street, in Glasgow, to whom, in his first will, dated 19 August, 1916, he left everything he possessed, including his endowment from the Prudential Insurance Company.

This relationship clearly ended, for in his second will, dated 31 July, 1918, he left all his personal belongings to his mother Mrs M. E. Tucker of 10 Glenfield Street, Dennistown, including his £50 endowment, with the Prudential Insurance Company.

Roland Oscar Norton Tucker's service papers have not survived, but, as Roland Tucker, he originally enlisted at Glasgow into the Scottish Horse, a Territorial yeomanry unit, as a Private, number 5119. The amount of war gratuity paid after his death calculates his enlistment to have been around January, 1916.

He subsequently transferred into the 1/6th (Perthshire) Battalion, the Black Watch (Royal Highlanders), with the number 5049. The use of this first Royal Highlanders' service number on his medals indicates he first entered into a theatre of war as a member of the 1/6th Battalion.

He probably entered France in the summer of 1916, possibly as a reinforcement for the 1/6th Battalion following the attacks at Contalmaison during July, and later actions at Drop Alley, Flers; Fricourt Wood; and Eaucourt l'Abbaye.

However, he had transferred to the 1st Battalion, the Black Watch, probably by September, 1916, and was allocated the new number, S/40275.

He next transferred to the 9th (Service) Battalion, the Black Watch, quite possibly on return to front line duty after recovering from sickness or wounds.

He then transferred to the 8th (Service) Battalion, the Black Watch, perhaps around May, 1918, on the reduction of the 9th (Service) Battalion to a cadre. On 21 March, 1918, the 8th Battalion, the Black Watch, was part of the 26th (Highland) Brigade, 9th (Scottish) Division, which was engaged in the German Spring Offensive.

By September, 1918, Roland Tucker was serving with his battalion in Belgium. Between 1-12 September they were training in the area of Racquingnem, followed by a move to Wormhoudt, until 18 September.

On the night of 18/19 September they moved into the trenches, had a quiet period in the line until relieved on the night of 22/23 September, and then moved to Siege Camp until the night of 27/28 September, when preparations were made for active operations to attack Passchendaele Ridge.

At 5.30 am on 28 September, a general attack by the Belgian Army and the British Second Army commenced. The 9th Division attacked with the 26th and 28th Infantry Brigades on the right and 17th Belgian Regiment on the left. The object of the attack was to capture the main Passchendaele Ridge. The attack commenced in heavy rain, which did not cease until about 2.00 pm. By 8.00 am news that the Freizenburg Ridge had been captured was confirmed. By 1.00 pm the main ridge and all the objectives had been taken. The enemy's artillery and resistance was feeble throughout and the casualties in the brigade amounted to approximately 150. By 5.00 pm the brigade had moved forward to Butte de Polygone. The weather cleared in the afternoon and the night was dry but cold. The 8th Battalion suffered one officer killed, with two wounded, and eight other ranks killed in action.

The advance eastwards resumed at 8.00 am on 29 September, by the 28th Brigade, with the 26th and 29th Brigades in reserve. About 10.30 am a gap between the left of the 28th Brigade and the Belgian right occurred, and the 5th Battalion, Cameron Highlanders, with the 8th Battalion, Black Watch, and 7th Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders in reserve, were sent to fill it. In doing so they were instrumental in assisting the Belgians in the capture of Moorselede, which, until the 26th Brigade got well forward, were held up by the enemy's resistance. 'B' and 'D' Companies of the 8th Battalion advanced into gaps in the line: the 8th Battalion lost just one killed.

The advance continued to the Menin-Roulers road by the night of 29/30 September, halting between Danizeele and St. Pietre. Casualties throughout the day were very slight, with about 50 for the whole brigade: those for the 8th Battalion, the Black Watch, for the period 28 September to 5 October, 1917, amounted to 29 killed; 170 wounded; and 31 missing.

One of the casualties was Roland Tucker, who was wounded in the operations on 29 September.

He was evacuated down the medical chain, some 33 miles from where he was wounded, to No. 3 Australian Casualty Clearing Station, at Bandaghem, north-west of Poperinghe, where he died six days later, on Saturday, 5 October.

A death notice was published The Glasgow Herald on 16 October, 1918, which identified him as: No. 40275 Private Roland Tucker, Black Watch (Scottish Horse). Roland Tucker was buried in Haringhe (Bandaghem) Military Cemetery, his gravestone bearing the epitaph: UNTIL THE DAY BREAK AND SHADOWS FLEE AWAY. CANT.2.17.

His name has not been identified on any local war memorial.

Roland Tucker's service earned him the British War Medal, 1914-20; and Victory Medal, 1914-19.