Lance Sergeant James Douglas

Lance Sergeant James Douglas, 1st/4th (Border) Battalion, Kings Own Scottish Borderers. He died from wounds in Palestine, aged 29 on the 14th November 1917 and is buried in Ramleh War Cemetery, Israel. He had been born in Galashiels and was the son of Robert and Wilhelmina Thompson but by 1891, aged 3, he was living with Philip and Margaret Douglas of 75 Queen Street, Galashiels. By 1911 he was a weaver in a Galashiels woollen mill and was a Member of the 43th Territorial K.O.S.B. joining his Battalion in Egypt as a Corporal before serving in Palestine. It is likely he was wounded in the attack on the Turkish positions in El Mughar which were stormed after fierce hand to hand combat. Hundreds of Turks were captured and several artillery pieces and machine guns captured. Casualties were high with 4 Officers and 31 Other Ranks killed and 9 Officers and 138 Other Ranks wounded. The photos show the Borderers in Palestine in late 1917. (The three men are Alec Lawrie, Willie Cockburn and Jim Murray all of whom played football for Coldstream F.C. Jim Murray went on to win a Scottish Amateur Cup Winners medal with Coldstream in 1925 ).