Private David Borthwick

Private David Adam Borthwick, 16th ( Service ) Battalion ,Royal Scots. He died of wounds in France on 27th April 1918, aged 25. He was the son of Thomas and Janet Borthwick of Redpath, Melrose.and is buried in Lille Southern Cemetery, Lille France. His Headstone is inscribed ” In the Midst Of Life We are In Death “. It is likely he was wounded during the Battle of the Lys, a rearguard action in the face of the German ” Georgette ” Offensive. As Lille was in German hands until October 1918 it is possible that Private Borthwick  had been taken prisoner before dying of his wounds. The Battalion was known as McRae’s Battalion after Sir George McRae who caused it to be raised in November 1914. It originally consisted of professional footballers and their fans from Heart of Midlothian, Hibernian, Raith Rovers Falkirk and Dunfermline. By 1918, however, few of the originals would have been left. The photos show British troops behind makeshift defences preparing to resist  further German advances.