Private James Grieve

Private James Robert Grieve, 1st/4th ( Border ) Battalion, Kings Own Scottish Borderers. He was killed in action at Gallipoli, aged 22, during the “Charge” on the Turkish trenches at Achi Baba Nullah. He was born in 1893 in Kirkhope, Selkirkshire and was the son of James and Mary Grieve of 32 Ashy Bank Terrace, Selkirk and is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Helles, Gallipoli, Turkey. He had been employed at Yarrow Mill Selkirk, had been a Territorial in the K.O.S.B and was mobilised with the Battalion in August 1914 going to Gallipoli with the rest of the 52nd ( Lowland ) Division in June 1915. That fateful day, 12th July, became known as the “Black Day of the Borders” as out of over 700 Officers and Other Ranks who had begun the attack only 70 unwounded men answered evening roll call. ( The author’s Great Uncle Corporal Jim Murray from Coldstream was one of the wounded ). Few Border towns and villages had not lost at least one of their sons. 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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