Sergeant John Waite

Sergeant John Waite, 1st/4th (Border) Battalion, Kings Own Scottish Borderers. He was killed in action, aged 24, at Gallipoli on the 12th July 1915 during the “Charge” on the Turkish trenches at Achi Baba Nullah. He is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli, Turkey. He had been born in Selkirk in 1890 and was the son of Margaret Wait (e). He landed on Gallipoli with the rest of the 52nd (Lowland) Division on the 15th June 1915. The 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 and the second shows Achi Baba, the attack objective. This “hill” dominated the battlefield and was never captured.