Private William Bookless

Private William Bookless, 1st/4th ( Border ) Battalion, Kings Own Scottish Borderers. He was killed in action on Gallipoli, aged 27, on 12th July 1915 during the” Charge” on the Turkish trenches at Achi Baba Nullah and is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Helles, Gallipoli, Turkey. He is also commemorated on the Swinton War Memorial. He had been born in Swinton and was the son of John and Mary Bookless of Swinton and the husband of Lizzie Bookless of Auchencrow, Reston.   Before enlisting in December 1914 he had been employed as a mole trapper. That day became known as the “Black Day of the Borders” due to the very heavy casualties in Officers and Other Ranks Twenty Officers took part and seventeen became casualties including Colonel McNeile from Bowden and his Adjutant Captain Lang from Newstead both of whom were killed.  His brother John also fell during the War. The first photo shows Achi Baba marked with a cross. This “hill” dominated the battlefield and was never captured. The second shows the Borderers attacking at Gallipoli and the third shows the battlefield in 1922.