Private John Middlemas

Private John Fairgrieve Middlemas , 1st/4th ( Border ) Battalion,  Kings Own Scottish Borderers. He was killed by a sniper at Gallipoli on 4th September 1915 aged 25. He had been born in Eccles, Berwickshire and was the son of Andrew and Margaret Middlemas of 12  Market Square, Coldstream and is buried in Redoubt Cemetery, Helles, Gallipoli, Turkey. His Headstone is inscribed ” Their Glory Shall Not Be Blotted Out “. Before enlisting in November 1914 he had been employed as a grocer in Coldstream. He had already been wounded and had spent some time in hospital in Alexandria before returing to the Peninsula in August. At that time the Battalion, were continually at work repairing trenches, patrolling and taking their turn in the firing line where snipers on Achi Baba hill were always a danger. ( After the very heavy casualties suffered during the ” Charge ” on 12th July the Battalion was only 230 strong less than a quarter of its original size when it first landed on the Peninsula. ) The photo shows Achi Baba marked with a cross. This “hill” dominated the battlefield and was never captured. The second photo shows the Borderers ” going over the top” at Gallipoli.