Private William Martin

Private William Martin, “D” Coy., 1st/4th ( Border) Battalion, Kings Own Scottish Borderers. He died of disease, aged 21, on 10th October 1916 whilst a Prisoner of War of the Turks, aged 21. He had been born in Duns and was the son of Alex and Anne Martin of 6 Murray Street, Duns and is commemorated on the Basra Memorial, Iraq. He had worked as a tailor in Duns and was a member of the Territorial K.O.S.B. and was mobilised in August 1914 going to Gallipoli in June 1915. He had been captured on 12th July 1915 during the ” Charge ” at Achi Baba Nullah where the Battalion had suffered heavy casualties including 13 men captured. ( The men taken prisoner were Sergeant A. Wood ( Stow ),and Privates C. Burgess ( Galashiels ), A. Wark ( Hawick ), H. Turnbull ( Earlston ), F Wallis ( Selkirk ), R. Renilson ( Jedburgh ), A. Graham ( Edinburgh ), J Thompson ( Kelso ), A. Nixon ( Hawick ), W. Shanks ( Kelso, R. Thomson ( Hawick ) and M. Davidson ( Hawick ). Besides Private Martin Privates Turnbull, Thomson and Wood also died whilst P.O.W. s. ). He died in the camp at Belemedik in the Taurus Mountains which was associated in the construction of the Baghdad Railway.

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