Private Walter Stewart

Private Walter Turnbull Stewart, 1st/4th ( Border ) Battalion, Kings Own Scottish Borderers. He was killed in action at Gallipoli, aged 18, on the 12th July 1915 during the “Charge” on the Turkish trenches at Achi Baba Nullah and is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli, Turkey. He had been born in Selkirk in 1897 and was the son of James and Margaret Stewart of Halliday Park and 6 Ettrick Terrace, Selkirk. He had been a member of the Territorials and was mobilised with the Battalion in August 1914. He landed on Gallipoli with the rest of the 52nd ( Lowland ) Division in June 1915. 12th July became known as the ” Black day of the Borders” as 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 photo shows the Borderers “going over the top” at Gallipoli. The second photo shows Achi Baba, the objective of the attack. The third shows the battlefield in 1922. ( His brother Robert also fell – see below).