Private George Cockburn

Private George Fisher Cockburn, 16th ( Service ) Battalion, Royal Scots. He was killed in France on 1st July 1916, aged ,29, on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. He had been born in Duns and was the son of Peter and Margaret Fisher Cockburn of 16a Bridgend, Duns and is buried in Gordon Dump Cemetery, Ovillers, Somme, France. Before enlisting he had been working as a draper in Selkirk. He fell in the assault on the strong German positions to the West of the village of Contalmaison. Unfortunately the preliminary bombardment had not silenced the enemy machine guns and the attack despite much heroic endeavour was only partially successful and heavy casualties were incurred. This Battalion was known as ” McRae’s Battalion ” having been recruited by Sir George McRae in Edinburgh in 1914. Most of the Heart of Midlothian football team joined up along with players from Hibernian, Dunfermline, Falkirk and Raith Rovers together with many of their fans. Many of these players and supporters were killed or wounded on that fateful day. The photo shows troops advancing over a wide “no mans land” with very little cover. The colour image shows a peaceful Somme landscape today with ” no gas, no barbed wire, no guns firing now”

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