Private James Waters

Private James Waters, 1st/4th ( Border ) Battalion, Kings Own Scottish Borderers. He was killed in action at Gallipoli, aged 27, on the 12th July 1915 during the ” Charge” on the Turkish trenches at Achi Baba Nullah. He had been born at Hownam and was the son of William and Catherine Waters of Bedrule and is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Helles, Gallipoli, Turkey. He had been employed as a gardener by Sir Robert Usher of Wells when he enlisted in November 1914, going to Gallipoli with the Battalion as part of the 52nd ( Lowland ) Division in June 1915. 12th July became known as the ” Black Day of the Borders” as out of the over 700 Officers and Men who began the attack only 70 unwounded men answered evening roll call. few Border towns and villages had not lost at least on of their sons that fateful day. ( the author’s Great Uncle James Murray was wounded and spent 6 weeks in hospital in Alexandria before returning to his comrades on the Peninsula or the “Pen” as he called it ). The first photo shows Achi Baba, the ultimate objective of the attack, marked with a cross. This “hill” dominated the battlefield and was never captured. The second shows Borderers “going over the top” at Gallipoli and the third shows the battlefield in 1922.