Private Alexander Borthwick

Private Alexander Borthwick, 1st/7th ( Territorial ) Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers. He was killed in action in France on 15th September 1916 during the Battle of the Somme and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Thiepval, Somme, France. He fell in an attack on the German positions in ” Bow Trench ” and ” Sunken Road ”  The attack was partially successful and two lines of German trenches were captured. As usual the cost was very high. 4 Officers and 40 Other Ranks were killed and 7 Officers and 219 Other Ranks were wounded. In addition 74 Other Ranks were posted missing ( In Great War parlance this usually meant dead ).Alexander Born 7th March 1888 in Berwick on Tweed.He was a Postman. His father was James and his mother was Eleanor Wilson. They lived in the Greenses part of Berwick on Tweed.  His father was a fisherman and his mother was born in Holy Island. The photos show Troops on the SommeThe colour photo shows the impressive Memorial to commemorate the fallen of the 50th ( Northumbrian ) Division of which the Battalion was part until February 1918 when it was transferred to the 42nd ( East Lancashire ) Division as the Pioneer Battalion. It was erected near the village of Weiltje in the Ypres Salient where nearby the Division fought its first action of the War on 26th April 1915 only days after landing on the continent.