Major James Scott

Major James Scott, 10th ( Service ) Battalion, Cameronians ( Scottish Rifles ). He was killed in action in France , aged 47, on 25th September 1915 on the first day of the Battle of Loos. He had been born in Melrose to John and Violet Scott and was the husband of Christina Scott of Melrose. ( His forebears had been associated with the district since the time of Bannockburn ). He is commemorated on the Loos Memorial, Dud Corner, Loos, France. He had served in the Anglo-Boer War as a private in the Kings Own Scottish Borderers and when the Great War broke out he had been offered a commission in the Cameronians in October 1914 being promoted to Major in June 1915. Before the War he had run a motor engineers business in Palma Place, Melrose. He was an excellent rifle shot, winning many trophies and being part of the Scottish team who competed at Bisley. As part of the 46th Brigade of the 15th ( Scottish ) Division the Battalion had attacked the strong German defences at Loos and suffered 255 dead that day on the somewhat chaotic advance though the village of Loos and onto Hill 70. The first photo shows Scottish troops marching up to the line before the Battle. The second an actual assault with the troops disappearing into the gas clouds which the British Army had used for the first time in the War and the second photo shows Loos after its capture and the third shows Hill 70 looking over from Loos village.