Second Lieutenant John Routledge

Second Lieutenant John Routledge, 1st Battalion, Kings Own Scottish Borderers. He was killed in France on 16th April 1917, aged 21, during the Battle of Arras. He had been born in Castleton was the son of the late Richard of Gorrenbury, Castleton and Jane Routledge of Galeaberry House, Irthington, Brampton, Cumberland and is commemorated on the Arras Memorial, Arras, France. He had been educated at St Bee’s school in Cumberland before becoming a farm student with his Uncle Mr. Ballantyne at Shaws in Liddesdale. He then emigrated to the U.S.A. IN 1913 to farm but returned to enlist. He originally enlisted in the 13th Royal Scots and as a Corporal landed in France in July 1915 before being commissioned into the K.O.S.B. in September 1916. On 16th April the Battalion was holding and trying to improve front line trenches in the Monchy sector under continuous artillery and machine gun fire. Three Second Lieutenants were killed here at this time whilst with the working and covering parties. ( The other two were P. Mackay and D. Robertson ). The photos show British troops accompanied by ” a wee pal ” in the main street of a captured village near Arras.

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