Major Norman Teacher D.S.O.

Major Norman McDonald Teacher, D.S.O., 1st Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers.  He died in Belgium on 26th September 1917, aged 39, of wounds received during the Battle of Third Ypres. He was the husband of Dorothy Annadale Teacher of Samiestion, Oxnam and Newtown Hill, Leixlip, Co. Kildare and is buried in Ypres Reservoir Cemetery, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium where his Headstone is inscribed ” Faithful Unto Death “. ( The C.W.G.C. site and the Regimental History both give his Rank as Lieutenant Colonel when he died ). In addition to his Distinguised service Order, awarded in January 1916  he had been awarded the Order of Osmanieh 4th Class ( Turkey ) and the Order of the Medjidieh 3rd Class ( Turkey ). He hyad been educated at Clifton College before being commissioned into the R.SF. in the 1890s. He was mortally wounded in an attack near Zonnebeke where the Battalion was faced with an impassable swamp and being forced to go round it lost the protection of the barrage. As they reformed on the far side of the swamp they came under attack from German machine guns at Hill 40 near Zonnebeke Station. It was here that Teacher, who was a very tall man, received his fatal wound. Despite counter attacks the Battalion held the ground won and were relieved next day. Casualties were high. 8 Officers and 53 Other Ranks were killed and 8 Officers and 317 Other Ranks were wounded. In addition 67 Other Ranks were posted missing. The photographs show the atrocious state of the battlefield where the incessant shelling had destroyed the Flanders drainage system and allowed the autumnal rains to flood the ground.