Private Andrew Knox

Private Andrew McDougall Knox, 1st/4th (Border) Battalion, Kings Own Scottish Borderers. He was killed in action at Gallipoli, aged 18, on the 12th July 1915 during the “Charge” on the Turkish trenches at Achi Baba Nullah.. He had been born in Newcastle and was the son of Margaret and the late Andrew Knox of 7 Low Buckholmside, Galashiels. He had been employed as an apprentice sawyer at the Buckholmside sawmill in Galashiels and was a Member of the Territorial 4th K.O.S.B. He was mobilised with his Battalion in August 1914 and landed on Gallipoli with the rest of the 52nd (Lowland) Division in June 1915. 12th July became known as the “Black Day of the Borderers” as out of the over 700 Officers and Other Ranks who took part in the attack only 70 unwounded men answered evening roll call. Few Border towns and villages had not lost at least one of their sons that fateful day. The first photo shows Achi Baba the objective of the attack. This “hill” dominated the battlefield and was never captured. The second shows the Borderers “going over the top” at Gallipoli and the third shows the battlefield in 1922.