Corporal John Renton

Corporal John Renton, 1st/4th ( Border ) Battalion, Kings Own Scottish Borderers. He was killed in action in France, aged 28, on 1st September 1918 ,during the ” Advance To Victory”. He had been born in Fogo, Berwickshire and was the son of Betsy Renton of 14 Market Square Coldstream and is buried in Queant Road Cemetery, Buissy, France. He was a noted footballer and played for Coldstream F.C. and is also commemorated in the football Pavilion in Home Park, Coldstream. He was a member of the 4th Territorial K.O.S.B. and was mobilised with the Battalion in August 1914 going to Gallipoli in June 1915. He later fought in Egypt and Palestine against the Turks before going to France in April 1918 with the rest of the 52nd ( Lowland ) Division to help stem the German Spring Offensives. He fell in the attack on a trench called ” Tank Avenue”  which was a strongpoint in the German Hindenburg defence system. ” B ” and ” C” Companies led the attack with ” D” Company as ” moppers up ” and ” A” Company in reserve. As the  troops took the Objective and moved on  the right flank suffered heavy enfilade machine gun fire which held up the advance and forced a retirement back to “Tank Avenue” which was then consolidated.   Casualties were heavy 138 in total with 2 Officers and 26 Other Ranks being killed and 104 wounded. The photographs show Allied troops pressing after the retreating German Army during the last 100 days of the War. The final photo shows three of ” Jocky’s” comrades who also played for Coldstream F.C., Alec Lawrie, Willie Cockburn and Jim Murray, pictured in Palestine.