Private Thomas Turnbull

Private Thomas Turnbull, 1st/4th ( Border ) Battalion, Kings Own Scottish Borderers. He was killed in action at Gallipoli on 12th July 1915 during the “Charge”  on the Turkish trenches at Achi Baba Nullah, aged 21. He had been born in Gordon and was the son of David Turnbull of Swinton Bridgend and is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Helles, Gallipoli, Turkey. Before the War he had been employed at Swinton Bridgend as a farm servant. That fateful day became known as the “Black Day of the Borders” as at evening Roll Call only 70 unwounded Men answered out of the over 700 Officers and Other Ranks who had begun the attack. Few Border towns and villages had not lost at least one of their sons. Both Colonel McNeile from Bowden and his adjutant Captain Laing from Newstead were posted missing presumed killed. The photograph shows Achi Baba, the objective, marked with a cross. This insignificant looking pimple dominated the battlefield and was never captured. The second photo shows the Borderers going over the top at Gallipoli and the third shows the Battlefield in 1922.

Scroll to Top