Private William Dodds

Private William Dodds, 13th ( Service ) Battalion, Royal Scots. He was killed in action in France, aged 30, on the 23rd April 1917 during the Battle of Arras. He had been born in 1887 in Co. Meath, Ireland and was the son of Alexander and the late Agnes Dodds of Dalkeith. He was the husband of Euphemia Dodds of Mill Street, Selkirk and is buried in Windmill Cottage British Cemetery, Monchy-Le-Preuxs, Arrasa, France. He was working as a insurance agent in Dalkeith when he enlisted in December 1915. He was mobilised into the 2nd/7th Royal Scots before joining the 13th Battalion in France in February 1917. He fell in the general attack north of the Scarpe near the village of Monchy. 13th R.S. attacked south of Monchy at “Dragon Lane” into the face of very intense machine gun fire. The attacks were repulsed with very heavy casualties of 9 Officers and 92 Other Ranks were killed and 4 Officers and 169 Other Ranks were wounded. “Dragon Lane” was later captured by the Royal Scots Fusiliers. The photos show troops during the Battle