Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Downie was returning to his station at Dalry after policing the annual Merrymass races in Irvine. The train he boarded did not stop at Dalry but when it stopped for a signal at a junction near the town, Sergeant Downie took the opportunity to jump off, with the intention of walking back. It is thought he walked up the line to speak to the crew of the engine before leaving, but he was struck by an express train coming from Glasgow and was killed instantly.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-GB-AYC-737912D3- Stewardship
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- Added to badge.nw
- April 8, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
130 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Sergeant Downie served with the Ayrshire Constabulary.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sergeant James Downie is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In SCT, 149 of 308 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 48.4% of this state's fallen. That is 17.4 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Ayrshire Constabulary, 4 of 4 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James Downie's cause is highlighted.
How James Downie Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. James Downie is highlighted in Aug.
Others Who Wore This Badge
3 officers from Ayrshire Constabulary are honored on badge.nw.
