Private William Anderson

Private William Paterson Anderson, 2nd Battalion, Royal Scots. He was killed in action in France , aged 20, on the 3rd May 1917 during the battle of Arras. He had been born in Heriot and was the son of Robert and Margaret Anderson of Stage Bank, Heriot and is commemorated on the Arras Memorial, Arras, France. He fell in an attack near Monchy which was soon halted by intense machine gun fire with the Battalion suffering heavy casualties. Many of the troops had to lie out in no mans land in the scorching sun until nightfall when they could make it back to friendly lines. Between the 24th April and the 6th May the Battalion lost 11 Officers and 254 Other Ranks in killed wounded and missing. The photos show troops during the Battle.