Private George Telfer

Private George Telfer, 6th ( Service ) Battalion, Kings Own Scottish Borderers. He was killed in action in Belgium, aged 22, on the 25th April 1918 during the German spring offensive on the River Lys. He had been born in Edinburgh and was the son of George and Isabella Telfer of South Clerk Street, Edinburgh. He had originally enlisted in the 7th K.O.S.B. in Hawick but later served with the 2nd Battalion before being posted to the 6th K.O.S.B. He is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium. He fell in a major German attack near Kemmel where the French front on the right of the Battalion was pierced forcing the K.O.S.B. to retire to a further defensive position. Heavy casualties were sustained in “B” and “D” Companies but with the aid of the 8th Black Watch the attack was halted and a counter attack took a number of prisoners. ( The fighting in April cost the Battalion 21 Officers and 413 Other Rank casualties ). The photos show troops in rather makeshift defences.

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