Private George Thomson

Private George Thomson, 16th ( Service ) Battalion, Royal Scots. He died in a Casualty Clearing Station in France on 25th April 1917, aged 22, of wounds received during the Battle of Arras and is buried in the Haut-Avesnes British Cemetery in France. He had been born in Oldhamstocks and was the son of Mr. and Mrs. George Thomson of Oldhamstocks, Berwickshire. His Headstone is inscribed ” Thou Wilt Keep Him In Perfect Peace Whose Mind Is Stayed On Thee”. He had originally enlisted in the Territorial 8th Royal Scots in November 1914 going to France in July 1916 where he was posted to the 16th Battalion. His brother John also fell – see above. The photograph shows troops and a tank in a captured village near Arras. The 16th Battalion was known as “McRae’s Battalion” after its founder Sir George McRae. It was formed in November 1914 from professional footballers from Heart of Midlothian, Hibernian, Falkirk, Raith Rovers, Dunfermline and their supporters. By 1917, however, many of the originals had gone.