Private James Leitch

Private James Leitch, ” D” Company, 1st/4th (Border) Battalion, Kings Own Scottish Borderers. He was killed at Gallipoli during the “Charge” on 12th July 1915 on the Turkish trenches at Achi Baba Nullah, aged 24. He had been born in Longformacus and was the son of Elizabeth and the late Matthew Leitch of Longformacus and is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Helles, Gallipoi, Turkey. (“D” Coy. was based in Duns with detachments at Greenlaw, Lauder and Earlston). He had enlisted in November 1914 and went to Gallipoli with the Battalion as part of the 52nd ( Lowland ) Division in June 1915. July 12th became known as the “Black Day of the Borders” as at evening roll call only 70 unwounded men answered out of the over 700 Officers and men who had begun the attack. Few Border towns and villages had not suffered loss on that fateful day. day. Both Colonel McNeile from Bowden and his Adjutant Captain Lang from Newstead were posted missing presumed killed. The first photo shows Achi Baba, the objective, marked with a cross. This “hill” dominated the battlefield and was never captured. The second shows the Borderers going into the attack and the third shows the Battlefield in 1922.

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