Private Henry Hogarth

Private Henry Knox Hogarth, 6th ( Service ) Battalion, Kings Own Scottish Borderers. He was killed in action in France, aged 28, on 25th September 1915 on the opening day of the Battle of Loos and is commemorated on the Loos Memorial, Dud Corner, Loos, France. He had been born in Kelso and was the son of the late George and Helen Hogarth of Kelso. He lived in the Town and had enlisted in Galashiels. The Battalion’s main objective was the village of Haisnes but the first the German trenches named “Little Willie” and “Mad Point” had to be stormed. A storm of enemy fire and fields of uncut barbed wire made any advance an impossibility. Casualties were very severe. 358 men were killed or missing whilst 272 men were wounded or gassed. 11 Officers were killed and 8 wounded. The Battalion was practically destroyed in a few minutes for no gain whatsoever. 60 year old Pipe-Major Robert Mackenzie played the men out of the trenches and died from his wounds but was awarded no medal for gallantry. The first photo shows an actual attack with the troops disappearing into the clouds of smoke and gas. This was the first time the British Army had used gas. The second shows the village of Loos after capture. The Artist’s nightmarish image shows attacking troops in their new gas helmets.

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