Private Andrew Nairn, M.M.

Private Andrew Nairn, M.M., 1st/4th ( Border ) Battalion, Kings Own Scottish Borderers. He died in Palestine, aged 23, on 23rd November 1917. He was the son of James and Mary Nairn of Kaimflat, Ednam and is buried in Jerusalem War Cemetery. He was killed by shellfire on the way to attack the Turkish positions at El Jib. He was a signaller in the Battalion and the same shell also killed Private Taylor from Hawick and wounded Private Tom Leitch from Galashiels who later had to have his foot amputated. Before enlisting in October 1914 he had been employed as a ploughman at Springwells Farm, Berwickshire. He had won his gallantry award of the Military Medal during the Second Battle of Gaza for mending wire entanglements whilst under heavy artillery fire. ( Whilst Private Nairn is on the Ednam War Memorial he is not commemorated on the Coldstream Memorial. As he had been born in Coldstream we felt that we should include him here).