Lance Corporal William Hardie

Lance Corporal William Hardie, 9th (Service) Battalion, Black Watch. He was killed in action in France, aged 30, on the 25th September 1915 on the first day of the Battle of Loos. He had been born in Stow, Midlothian and was the son of Christopher and the late Betsy Hardie of Colmslie, Galashiels. He had been working working as a butler in Newton Mearns when he enlisted in Glasgow landing in France with his Battalion in July 1915. He is commemorated on the Loos Memorial, Dud Corner, Loos, France. He fell in the Battalion attack on the Lens Road Redoubt or the “Jew’s Nose” as it was called. Within 5 minutes the German front and support lines had been stormed and the village of Loos captured. On the Scots swept up the slopes of Hill 70 towards Cite St. Auguste. Here due to heavy machine gun fire from the flanks and confusion amongst the attacking battalions of the 15th (Scottish) Division caused the attack to stall. Reinforcements were slow to arrive and the attackers were forced to consolidate their gains which were 4 lines of enemy trenches, the village of Loos and the crest of Hill 70. The Battalion was relieved the following day. The cost was horrendous. Out of the 960 All Ranks who had begun the attack 10 Officers and 360 Other Ranks were killed or missing and 11 Officers and 320 Other Ranks were wounded. The first photo shows Highlanders marching up to the line at Loos and the second shows Loos after its capture. The third shows Hill 70 looking from the northern edge of Loos.