Company Sergeant Major John Wood

Company Sergeant Major John Wood, 1st/4th ( Border ) Battalion, Kings Own Scottish Borderers. He was killed in action at Gallipoli on 12th July 1915, aged 26, during the ” Charge ” on the Turkish trenches at Achi Baba Nullah and is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Helles, Gallipoli, Turkey. He had been born in Duns and was the son of Mr and Mrs Wood of Easter Street, Duns and before the War had been employed as a postman in Duns. He had been a member of the Berwickshire Volunteers and the new Territorial Force which came into being in 1908. He was mobilised with the Battalion in August 1914 and landed on Gallipoli on 15th June 1915. At the time of his death his brother John was also serving in Gallipoli with the 1st Battalion and two of his cousins Glen and Archie of Galashiels were also killed on 12th July. That fateful day became known as the “Black Day of the Borders” as at evening roll call only 70 unwounded men answered out of the over 700 Officers and Other Ranks who had begun the assault. Both the Colonel and his Adjutant were posted missing and were later presumed killed. The contemporary photograph shows Achi Baba marked with a cross. This “hill ” dominated the battlefield and was never captured. The second photo shows the Borderers attacking at Gallipoli.