Private James Ross

Private James Ross, 1st/14th Battalion, London Regiment ( London Scottish ). He was killed in action, aged 34, in Belgium on 1st November 1914 and is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium. He had been born at Rutherford, Maxton and was the son of Emily and the late Richard Ross of Maxton. He had been educated at Fettes College, Edinburgh and by 1914 he was working as a stockbroker in London. Whilst there he had played rugby for the London Scottish and was capped five times for Scotland between 1901 and 1903. The London Scottish were the first Territorial Unit to see action in the Great War when they were ordered to hold the British lines near Messines. They were tasked to fill the breach near ” Huns Farm ” and to try and stem the powerful German attacks. Twice they did so in fierce hand to hand combat but a third assault broke through and a retreat was ordered to save the Battalion from being cut off. The Germans had been too roughly handled to follow up the retirement. The Battalion lost 394 Officers and men out of 700. The photo shows the London Scottish marching to the front. ( His brothers Thomas and Richard also fell – see above ).