Private William Stewart

Private William Stewart, 1st/4th Battalion King’s Own Scottish Borderers. He was killed in action at Gallipoli on 12th July 1915, aged 20, during the ” Charge” on the Turkish positions at Achi Baba Nullah . He had been born in Melrose and was the son of William and Jessie Stewart of Stanley Place, Newtown St. Boswells and is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Helles, Gallipoli, Turkey. ( His brother John also fell – see below ).  He had been a Territorial in the K.O.S.B.  and was mobilised with the Battalion in August 1914 landing on Gallipoli in June 1915. Out of the over 700 attackers that day only 70 unwounded men answered the Roll Call that evening. That fateful day became known as ” The Black Day of the Borders” as nearly every Border town and village had lost at least one of their sons. The first photo shows Achi Baba, the objective, marked with a cross. This “hill” dominated the battlefield and was never captured. The second shows the Borderers attacking at Gallipoli.