Lance Corporal Hugh Adamson

Lance Corporal Hugh McQuillin Adamson, 6th ( Service ) Battalion, Kings Own Scottish Borderers. He was killed by shellfire in France on 24th March 1918 during the German March Offensive, aged 20. He had been born in Newcastleton and lived in the village where he also enlisted. He was the son of Thomas and Margaret Adamson of 5 North Hermitage Street, Newcastleton and is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial, Pozieres, Somme, France.  ( His photograph below shows him dressed in the kilt so presumably he was one of the Battalion pipers as only they wore the kilt ) He had been a member of the Territorial K.O.S.B. and was mobilised with the Battalion in August 1914. In 1916 he was posted to the 1st Battalion in France where he was transferred to the 7th/8th Battalion. He was wounded in August 1917 and on return he was posted to the 6th Battalion. He fell in a fighting rearguard action near Moislains in which the villages of Combles and Guillemont were lost but which prevented the Battalion being cut off by the advancing Germans. Casualties during this fighting were severe with 26 Other Ranks killed, 177 wounded and 189 missing. Many of the missing would have been Prisoners but others would have been killed. These losses represented 44% of the Battalion strength since  21st March which was the day of the opening of the Offensive. The photographs show Allied troops preparing to resist the German advances.

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