Sergeant Joseph McGuire

Sergeant Joseph Maguire, 1st Battalion, Kings Own Scottish Borderers. He was killed in action at Gallipoli, aged 35, on the 26th April 1915 during the landings at “Y” Beach. He had been born in Selkirk in 1880 and was the son of the late John and Elizabeth McGuire. Before enlisting as a Regular he had been employed in Lanark as a cabinetmaker. He was the husband of Mary McGuire whom he had married in India in February 1914 when the Battalion was stationed in Lucknow. The Battalion was part of the 29th Division and had landed at “Y” Beach on the 25th April to draw the Turks away from the main landings further South at Cape Helles. The Turks put up a fierce resistance but the cliff tops were secured with the help of the pre dreadnought battleship H.M.S. Goliath ( pictured below ) and the counter attacks repulsed until some sort of mix up in orders saw the landings evacuated to reinforce the Helles attacks further South. Casualties were heavy especially amongst the Officers and he is commemorated with many of his comrades on the Helles Memorial, Helles, Gallipoli, Turkey. ( His brother Harry also fell- see above ).