Private Thomas Gallon

Private Thomas Gallon, 7th ( Service ) Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders. He was killed in action in France during the Battle of the Somme on 7th July 1916, aged 23. He was the son of William and Mary Gallon of Crookham Eastfield, Cornhill-On-Tweed and is buried in Carnoy Military Cemetery, Somme, France. At this time the Battalion which was part of the 9th ( Scottish ) Division were in the Trenches preparing for the attack on the German strongpoint of Longueval. He had first enlisted in the Northumberland Fusiliers in  October 1914 but had been medically discharged as unfit. Such was his enthusiasm that he re-enlisted together with his chum James Brown in the Seaforths. He was killed by shellfire and a letter was sent to his parents by the Chaplain describing his burial. Before the war he had assisted his Father who was in charge of the Hon F.W. Lambton’s brood mares. ( His chum James Brown had already been killed in Belgium in November 1915 ). The photograph shows a group of Seaforths checking a German dugout after capture of the trench.