Private William Brockie

Private William Russell Brockie, 1st/4th ( Border ) Battalion, Kings Own Scottish Borderers. He was killed in action in Palestine on 19th April 1917, aged 22, during the Second Battle of Gaza. He was the son of Robert and the late Jemima Brockie and he had been living in Morebattle when he enlisted in November 1914. He is commemorated on the Jerusalem War Memorial. He fell in the heroic but ultimately unsuccessful assault on the Turkish positions on “Outpost Hill” led gallantly by Major Wattie Forrest of Kelso which cost the Battalion 6 Officers and 44 Other Ranks killed or missing and 9 Officers and 152 Other Ranks wounded. ( Another Brockie, Private Walter Brockie from Selkirk was wounded and captured by the Turks in the same attack). The photos show the Borderers in Palestine in 1917. The final photo shows Alec Lawrie, Willie Cockburn and Jim Murray all of whom had played football for Coldstream F.C. Jim Murray went on to win a Scottish Amateur Cup medal with Coldstream in 1925.