Private Sydney Cairns

Private Sydney Cairns, 6th ( Service ) Battalion, Kings Own Scottish Borderers. He died in Germany on 29th May 1917, aged 20  whilst a Prisoner of War and is buried in Niederzwehren Cemetery, Kassel, Germany. He had been born in Kelso was the son of Mrs Margaret Richardson, East End, Denholm, Hawick. He had taken his mother’s name after her second marriage to John Richardson and enlisted under Richardson rather than Cairns. He had originally enlisted in the 1st Battalion in July 1915 and was sent to Gallipoli before being transferred to the 6th Battalion in France. He was wounded and taken prisoner during the Battle of Arras on 3rd May 1917. His name is also on the Denholm Memorial. The photo shows the Memorial raised to the 9th ( Scottish ) Division, of which the Battalion was part, to commemorate their part in the Battle. A Plaque on the Memorial contains a quote from the Declaration of Arbroath in both English and Gaelic.