Lance Corporal Walter Johnstone

Lance Corporal Walter Johnstone 1st/4th ( Border ) Battalion, Kings Own Scottish Borderers. He was killed in action at Gallipoli, aged 19, on the 12th July 1915 during the ” Charge ” on the Turkish trenches at Achi Baba Nullah. He was born in Selkirk in 1896 and was the son of Robert and Janet Johnstone of 30 Heatherlie Park, Selkirk and is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Helles, Gallipoli, Turkey. He had enlisted in the Territorials in November 1913 and was mobilised with his Battalion in August 1914 landing on Gallipoli with the rest of the 52nd (Lowland) Division in June 1915. 12th July later became known as the ” Black Day of the Borders” because out of the over 700 Officers and Other Ranks who had begun the attack only 70 unwounded men answered evening roll call. Few Border towns and villages had not lost at least one of their sons that fateful day. The photograph shows the Borderers ” going over the top” at Gallipoli and the second shows Achi Baba, the objective of the attack, marked with a cross. The third shows the battlefield in 1922.

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