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233465 Pte. William Merrilees British Army 1st Btn. Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) from:Leith, Scotland My grandfather was William Merrilees. He enlisted in the 1st Battalion of the Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) on 15th February 1915 and served in France. He took part in the Battle of the Somme and, in particular, the attacks on the Bazentin Ridge on 18th of August 1916 and in High Wood on 3rd September 1916. It was during this latter engagement he was taken prisoner of war, probably as part of the company of the 1st Black Watch who captured the mine crater and held it isolated for a couple of hours before being overrun in the German counter-attack. He remained in captivity until the end of the war when he was repatriated via Calais to Dover on 20th November 1918. He appears on the Red Cross repatriation list R52028. For his war service he was awarded the Victory Medal, British War Medal and the 1915 Star and was demobilised to the Special Reserve list on 25th February 1919. Please type your message:      We recommend you copy the text about this item and keep a copy on your own computer before pressing submit. Your Name:             Email Address:       @ **Please put first part of your email, (before the @ sign) in the first box, and the second part in the second box. Do not include @, it is automatic. Do not enter your full email in each box or add an @ sign or random spaces.**