Sergeant John Patterson

Sergeant John Huggan Patterson, 1st Battalion, Gordon Highlanders. He was killed in action in France, aged 22, at the very end of the Battle of Arras on 17th June 1917 and is commemorated on the Arras Memorial, Arras, France. He was the son of John and Christina Patterson of Windywalls, Sprouston. He had worked as a plate layer on the railways before enlisting as a Regular Soldier in August 1914. He fell in the attack on “Hill 100” ( Infantry Hill ) near Monchy-le-Preux which was captured together with 150 prisoners. Three German counter attacks were repulsed with the Gordons suffering 4 Officers and 38 Other Ranks killed and 7 Officers and 179 Other Ranks wounded. In addition 17 Other Ranks were posted missing. The illustration is an artist’s impression of the fierce fighting near Monchy and the photograph shows British troops accompanied by a “Wee Pal” in the main street of a captured village near Arras.