Lance Corporal Archibald Reid

Lance Corporal Archibald Reid, 1st/4th ( Border ) Battalion, Kings Own Scottish Borderers. He was killed in action, aged 20, at Gallipoli on the 12th July 1915 during the ” Charge” on the Turkish trenches at Achi Baba Nullah. He was born in Selkirk in 1895 and was the son of Walter and Rachel Reid of 20 Cannon Street, Selkirk. Before enlisting in August 1914 he had been employed as a book keeper with the Co-op in Rosewell, Midlothian. He was given his stripe in May 1915 and landed at Gallipoli with his Battalion as part of the 52nd ( Lowland ) Division in June 1915. 12th July afterwards 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 Other Ranks who had begun the attack. Few Border towns and villages had not lost at least one of their sons that fateful day. He and many of his comrades are commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Helles, Gallipoli, Turkey. ( His brother Donald also fell- see below ). The first photo shows Achi Baba, the objective of the attack. The second shows the Borderers going ” over the top” at Gallipoli and the third shows the battlefield in 1922.