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1914 1918 first battalion regiment
2nd Battalion, Kings Own Scottish Borderers
2nd Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers were based in in Dublin serving with 13th Brigade, 5th Division when war broke out in August 1914. They proceeded to France with the British Expeditionary Force, landing at Le Havre on the 15th of August 1914. They were in action in The Battle of Mons and the subsequent retreat, The Battle of Le Cateau, The Battle of the Marne, The Battle of the Aisne, The Battles of La Bassee and Messines and The First Battle of Ypres. In 1915 they were in action at The Second Battle of Ypres and the Capture of Hill 60. In autumn 1915, many units were exchanged with units from the newly arrived volunteer 32nd Division, to stiffen the inexperienced Division with regular army troops, the 2nd Battalion remained with 5th Division. In March 1916 5th Division took over a section of front line between St Laurent Blangy and the southern edge of Vimy Ridge, near Arras. They moved south in July to reinforce The Somme and were in action at, High Wood, The Battle of Guillemont, The Battle of Flers-Courcelette, The Battle of Morval and The Battle of Le Transloy. In October they moved to Festubertand remained there until March 1917 when they moved in preparation for the Battles of Arras. On 7 September 1917 the 5th Division moved out of the line for a period of rest before, being sent to Flanders where they were in action during the Third Battle of Ypres. 5th Division was sent to Italy and took up positions in the line along the River Piave in late January 1918. They were recalled to France to assist with the German Advance in late March 1918 and were in action during the Battles of the Lys. On the 14th of August 1918 the 5th Division was withdrawn for two weeks rest. Then moved to The Somme where they were more or less in continuous action over the old battlegrounds until late October 1918 and saw action in the Battles of the Hindenburg Line and the Final Advance in Picardy. At the Armistice they were in the area of Le Quesnoy and moved to Belgium to the area around Namur and Wavre in December and demobilization began.
23rd Aug 1914 German attack at Mons The Battle of Mons began early in the morning with a German artillery bombardment of the British lines, concentrated near a bend in the canal close to the town of Mons. At 9:00 am the German infantry assault began as they attempted to force their way across the four bridges that crossed the Mons-Conde canal. The demolition charges had been placed beneath the bridges by the Royal Engineers, whilst under fire from enemy snipers.
Four German battalions attacked the Nimy bridges, defended by a single company of the 4th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers and a machine gun section led by Lieutenant Maurice Dease at the south side of the railway bridge. The 4th Royal Fusiliers were positioned along the canal between the two bridges, the swing bridge having been turned to prevent crossing. The German infantry suffered heavy losses as they advanced in "parade ground" formation, the well-trained British riflemen were making hits at over 1,000 yards So heavy was the British rifle fire throughout the battle that the Germans thought they were facing machine guns.
To the right of the Royal Fusiliers, the 4th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment and the 1st Battalion, Gordon Highlanders were suffering heavy casualties in facing the German assault. With reinforcements from the Royal Irish Regiment (acting as the divisional reserve) and fire support from the divisional artillery, they managed to hold the bridges. The Germans then widened their attack, to the British defences along the straight section of the Mons-Conde canal to the west of Mons. Aided by the cover of a plantation of fir trees they inflicted heavy casualties with machine gun and rifle fire on the 1st Battalion Royal West Kent Regiment and the 2nd Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers, who despite their losses, managed to repulse the Germans throughout the morning.
The order to withdraw was given at 3pm, after a German soldier swam out to the swing bridge and activated the mechanism, allowing his comrades to cross easily. To the east the Germans had crossed the canal and were advancing on the British flank. The 3rd Division was ordered to retire to positions a short distance to the south of Mons which necessitated a similar retreat in early evening by the 5th Division, and by nightfall a new defensive line had been established at the villages of MontrÅ"ul, Boussu, Wasmes, Paturages, and Frameries. The Germans had spent the late afternoon building pontoon bridges over the canal, and were approaching in great numbers. News arrived that the French Fifth Army was also retreating, dangerously exposing the British right flank as night fell.
23rd Aug 1914 Battle of the Canal The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment and 2nd KOSB at are at Tertre.
24th Aug 1914 The Battle of Mons At 2 a.m. on 24 August, II Corps was ordered to retreat into France to defensible a position along the Valenciennes to Maubeuge road, requiring a number of sharp rearguard actions against the pursuing Germans. 5th Brigade were ordered to to act as rearguard and fought a holding action at Paturages and Frameries, with Brigade artillery in particular, inflicting heavy casualties on the Germans.
At Wasmes, units of the 5th Division faced a heavy assault from German artillery which began bombarding the village at daybreak, followed at 10 a.m. by an infantry assault by German III Corps who advanced in columns and were "mown down like grass" by British Rifle and Machine Gun fire. Soldiers of the 1st West Kents, 2nd King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, 2nd Duke of Wellington's Regiment, and 1st Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment held off repeated German assaults on the village, despite taking heavy casualties, and then retreated in good order to St. Vaast at mid day.
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Pte. Edmund Adams 2nd Btn. King's Own Scottish Borderers (d.15th April 1918)
Edmund Adams formerly served with the Territorial Force, Highland Cyclists Btn. he was killed in action 15/04/1918 and is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial to the Missing in Belgium. He was born in Perth, Scotland. Husband to Christina Brown Henderson and father to Edna.
Corporal David Mathieson MID 2nd Battalion King's Own Scottish Borderers
My grandfather, David Mathieson, was sent to Belgium in the first contingent of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in August 1914. His unit was left with the rearguard at Mons to cover the retreat and he was captured along with his men. He then spent the rest of the war in a German POW camp.
He died when I was quite young, but I reflect that he would have come back to a country he did not recognize and an Army he did not recognize. I am given to understand that, except for the men he was captured with, pretty much everyone he had served with before the war was dead.
L/Cpl Arthur Davies 2nd Btn King's Own Scottish Borderers (d.26th August 1918)
Arthur Davies served with the 2nd Battalion Kings Own Scottish Borderers in WW1. He died 26th of August 1918 aged 26 years and is buried at Mory Abbey Military Cemetery, at Mory, France. Son of Thomas and Sarah Davies of 5 Dickson St., Widnes, Lancs.
Pte. John Rae 2nd Btn. Kings Own Scottish Borderers (d.3rd Sep 1916)
John Rae was my great Grandmother's nephew and a distant cousin of mine.
John served with the 2nd Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers in WW1.
He was killed in action at the Somme, 3rd of September 1916 aged 20. I have no photo.
Pte John McNally 2nd Btn King's Own Scottish Borderers (d.3rd Oct 1917)
John was third born of 6 brothers to Catherine and William McNally. Keen to do his bit, he followed his two older brothers into service with KOSB during WW1. Andrew: (Argyle and Southern Highlanders) and William: (a rifleman in the Army and then Royal Navy).
John was said to have a lovely singing voice and had won a singing competition in his home city of Glasgow.
He was brought up in the East End of Glasgow, his eldest brother Andrew was a pretty tough character and William was an amateur boxer, John was just a young lad.
He had three younger siblings who all went on to serve in WW2, Joe, Dominic and Frank.
Sadly John did not make it home and records show he died aged 20 on 1917-10-03 from gun shot wounds.
He was and still is very much remembered by all of his family.
Sgt. John Joseph Bacon 2nd Btn. Kings Own Scottish Borderers
John Bacon is my husband's grandfather. He was born in Normanton, Derby when his father was serving with the 54th West Norfolk Regiment of Foot. He joined the KOSB in 1897 aged 14.
He served in India, South Africa and France.
He was awarded the Queen's South Africa Medal & 3 clasps, the King's South Africa Medal & 2 clasps, the 1914 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal
He was part of the BEF that sailed for France on the 10th of August 1914. He was captured at the Battle of Le Cateau on the 26th of August 1914 when the BEF were retreating from Mons and was incarcerated in Doberitz and Dyrotz POW camps.
He was married with six children and lived in Belfast after the war. He died in 1938.
Cpl. Samuel Nisbet 2nd Btn. Kings Own Scottish Borderers (d.2nd July 1917)
Samuel Nisbet died in action. He was the son of John and Mary Ferguson Nisbet of 13 Front Street, Cuthill, Prestonpans now East Lothian at the age of 27. He was born in Broxburn, West Lothian. He is buried in Duisans Cemetery in France.
His brother James also fell, he was in the 6th Battalion KOSB and died 30th of September 1918 aged 27. He is buried in Dadizeele Cemetery in Belgium.
This information comes from his Great Great nephew.
Pte William Grant Patterson 2nd Battalion King's Own Scottish Borderers
William Grant Paterson was a long-time KOSB 2nd Battalion soldier who served as a teen in Egypt, Sudan and Kyhber Pass, India. When WW1 broke out he was called and went to Ireland followed by France to the Battle of Mons.
He survived that battle and dug trenches and
in Messines at the village church on 31st of October 1914. He was invalided on 1st of November and transported back to UK and finally to Craigleith Hospital in Edinburgh where he received treatment.
He did survive and returned home to become a Rolls Royce Mechanic training in Manchester and Derby.
He was a head Chauffeur at Rosyth, then married Mary Quinn in 1920 and had one son, William Paterson. They moved to Lockerbie to Balgray Estate where he also was a chauffeur, servicing 7 vehicles.
Later, under the Scheme, and thanks to Jardine Paterson he studied barbering and hairdressing in Edinburgh and purchased a shop in Kelty, Fife where he lived with his small family until he passed away from complications from his war wounds in 1930.
I am writing a story for publication about his life and his friend Patrick Duffy who died at Mons or thereafter and I would like to contact any of his family members.
Pte. Robert Price Saunderson 2nd Btn. Kings Own Scottish Borderers (d.31st July 1916)
Whilst we were going through an old box of photos (some from my husband's birthplace of Dundee), we came across a small photo and on the back was pencilled Robert Saunderson, K.O.S.B. Reported missing Delville Wood, August, 1916 in uniform and wearing the cap with badge of the K.O.S.B. We googled his name and found he died on 31st of July, 1916 and is listed as missing at the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France. My husband's connection is his Grandmother was Catherine Price Saunderson and Robert Price Saunders may have been her brother.
Pte. Thomas Baily Ward 2nd Btn. Kings Own Scottish Borderers
My Grandfather Thomas Ward served some time in Dubin with the KOSBS, where he met my grandmother. I dont have much to go on but I would like to know more about his time with the 2nd Btn. I understand that in August 1914 he was sent to France. He made it though the war. He passed away sometime in the 70's.
Pte. Thomas Flanagan 2nd Btn. King's Own Scottish Borderers
Thomas Flanagan was shot during the Battle of Oppy Wood in May 1917, he was picked up by the Canadian field ambulance a day later, he spent months recovering in Alder Hey hospital before being reassigned to the border regiment.
He had bad lungs after being gassed earlier in the war and still suffered from physical effects from the gunshot wound he sustained in 1917, he was found unfit for military service and sent back to Oldham.
In 1921 he committed suicide by kneeling in the road and refusing to move, he was struck by a motorcar, suffered a fractured skull and died in hospital later that night, leaving behind a wife and 4 children.
Pte. James Rooney 2nd Battalion King's Own Scottish Borderers (d.22nd Jul 1916)
James Rooney was my great-grandfather, husband of Catherine and father of nine. As I've heard it, notification of the date James was to leave for his service arrived at the house and Catherine hid it. She did not want him to go. According to records, his service spanned one year and two days. He was killed at France and Flanders. In the family photo, Catherine is pregnant with child number nine. The boy standing in front of her is my grandfather.
Pte. John Fox 2nd Btn King's Own Scottish Borderers (d.17th April 1918)
My great grandfather John Fox joined the Highland Light Infantry in 1915. After suffering from kidney problems and hypothermia during training he was invalided out. It seems he immediately reenlisted with the King's Own Scottish Borderers in 1915. He died during skirmishes associated with the Battle of the Lys, on 17th of April 1918, and he is commemorated on The Ploegsteert Memorial to the Missing. He left behind a wife and 13 children. I know very little of the KOSB's movements during 1918, and if anyone can point me in the right direction I would be grateful.
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