Private Peter Whitlie

Private Peter Whitlie, 2nd Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers. He was killed in action in France on 23rd April 1917, aged 31, during the Battle of Arras. He was the husband of Mary Forsyth Whitlie of Dykegatehead Farm, Chirnside and is commemorated on the Arras Memorial, Arras, France. Previous to joining up he had been employed building huts for the soldiers in Ripon. He had been born in Cornhill-on-Tweed and had enlisted in Berwick.  His brother Edward Whitlie K.O.S.B. had been killed in action on 18th October 1914. He fell in the attack on German positions near Cherisy in the Sensee valley. The attack was stopped in its tracks by heavy machine gun fire and was then forced to repulse a German counter attack. Casualties were severe. 6 Officers and 55 Other Ranks were killed and 4 Officers and 195 Other Ranks were wounded. In addition another 213 men were posted missing. These figures constituted a 50% casualty rate. The photographs show British troops in a captured village near Arras.