Pioneer James Lawrie

Pioneer James Lawrie, 303rd Road Construction Coy. Royal Engineers. He was killed in action by a stray shell in Belgium on 17th November 1917 along with three of his comrades and is buried in Solferino Farm Cemetery, near Ypres, Belgium. Before enlisting he had been employed by the North British Railway as a porter at Norham Station. He is also commemorated on the Norham War Memorial. The Royal engineers were very hard pushed to keep trying to repair the roads and transport systems in Flanders during the Battle as the incessant shelling had destroyed the drainage systems and turned the ground into a quagmire as can be seen from the photographs.