Private John Hardie

Private John Thomas Hardie, “D” Coy, 1st/4th ( Border ) Battalion, Kings Own Scottish Borderers. He was killed in action on 12th July 1915 on Gallipoli during the “Charge”  on the Turkish trenches at Achi Baba Nullah. He was the son of John and Charlotte Hardie of Thistle House, Earlston and is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Helles, Gallipoli, Turkey. He was the brother of James Hardie above. ( “D” Coy. was based in Duns with detachments in Greenlaw, Lauder and Earlston.) Before the War he had been employed as an engineman with Messrs Simpson and Fairbairn of Rhymers Mill, Earlston. That fateful day became known as the “Black Day of the Borders” as only 70 unwounded men answered evening roll call out of the over 700 Officers and Other Ranks who had begun the attack. Few Border towns and villages had not lost at least one of their sons. The first photo shows Achi Baba, the objective of the attack, marked with a cross. This “hill” dominated the battlefield and was never captured. The second shows the Borderers attacking at Gallipoli.