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6th Battalion, Kings Own Scottish Borderers
The 6th Battalion, Kings Own Scottish Borders served with 15th (Scottish) Division. The 6th landed on the Normandy beaches on the 15th June 1944, and were in action in the fierce battles around Caen and the River Odon. They fought through France, Belgium and Holland, crossed the Siegfried Line, and advanced across the Rhine into Germany and were just beyond Hamburg when the war ended.
7th November 1942 Training 
20th Mar 1944 Training
22nd Mar 1944 Exercise
23rd Mar 1944 Exercise
24th Mar 1944 Exercise
25th Mar 1944 Exercise
1st Jun 1944 Orders
1st June 1944 Conference
2nd Jun 1944 Orders
2nd Jun 1944 Demonstration
2nd June 1944 Air Demonstration
3rd Jun 1944 Orders
3rd June 1944 Training
4th June 1944 Church Parade
5th June 1944 Training
6th Jun 1944 Aircraft Passing Over
6th June 1944 News
7th June 1944 Advance Party
8th June 1944 Orders Issued
9th June 1944 Orders
10th June 1944 Move
11th June 1944 Loading
12th June 1944 Loading
13th June 1944 Preparations
14th June 1944 On the Move
15th June 1944 On the Move
16th June 1944 Beaches Bombarded
17th June 1944 Preparations
18th Jun 1944 Recce
18th June 1944 Recce
19th June 1944 Conference
20th June 1944 Orders
21st Jun 1944 Orders
21st June 1944 Recce
22nd Jun 1944 Preparations
22nd June 1944 Change of Plan
23rd Jun 1944 Briefing
24th Jun 1944 Preparations
25th Jun 1944 Preparations
25th Jun 1944 Briefings
25th Jun 1944 Conference
26th Jun 1944 Move
26th Jun 1944 In Action
26th Jun 1944 In Action
27th Jun 1944 Advance Continues
28th Jun 1944 Orders
28th Jun 1944 Opposition
29th Jun 1944 Counter Attacks
29th Jun 1944 Enemy Attacks
30th Jun 1944 In Defence
1st Jul 1944 In Action
1st July 1944 Orders
2nd Jul 1944 Reliefs
2nd July 1944 Reliefs
3rd Jul 1944 Locations
3rd Jul 1944 At Rest
3rd July 1944 Relief Complete
3rd Jul 1944 Counter Attack
4th July 1944 Conference
6th Jul 1944 Paswords
6th Jul 1944 Training
6th July 1944 Passwords
7th Jul 1944 Reliefs
8th Jul 1944 Reliefs Complete
9th Jul 1944 Quiet
10th Jul 1944 Shelling
11th Jul 1944 Reliefs
11th July 1944 Conference
13th July 1944 Orders
14th Jul 1944 Orders
14th Jul 1944 Preparations
14th Jul 1944 Attack Made
14th July 1944 Orders
15th Jul 1944 Orders
15th July 1944 Orders
16th Jul 1944 Shelling
16th Jul 1944 Attack
16th July 1944 Air Raid
17th Jul 1944 Bombs
17th Jul 1944 Attack Repulsed
17th July 1944 Air Raid
18th Jul 1944 Attack Repulsed
18th Jul 1944 Orders
18th July 1944 Orders Issued
19th Jul 1944 Reliefs
19th Jul 1944 Minefields
19th Jul 1944 Moves
19th Jul 1944 Reliefs
19th July 1944 Instructions
20th Jul 1944 Reliefs Completed
20th Jul 1944 Quieter
20th Jul 1944 Moves
20th Jul 1944 Enemy Patrol
21st Jul 1944 Shelling
21st Jul 1944 Orders
21st July 1944 Orders
23rd Jul 1944 Reliefs
23rd Jul 1944 HQ Moves
23rd July 1944 Divisional HQ Moves
24th Jul 1944 Reliefs Completed
24th Jul 1944 Conference
24th July 1944 Conference
25th Jul 1944 Patrols
25th Jul 1944 Minefields
25th July 1944 Minefields
26th Jul 1944 Reliefs
26th Jul 1944 Orders
26th July 1944 Orders
27th Jul 1944 Reliefs Complete
28th Jul 1944 Orders
28th Jul 1944 Orders
28th July 1944 Instructions
29th Jul 1944 Reliefs
30th Jul 1944 In Action
30th Jul 1944 HQ Moves
30th July 1944 Divisional HQ Moves
31st Jul 1944 Advance
31st Jul 1944 Attack Made
31st Jul 1944 HQ Moves
31st July 1944 Orders
1st Aug 1944 In Action
1st Aug 1944 In Action
2nd Aug 1944 Consolidation
3rd Aug 1944 Forward
4th Aug 1944 Attacks Made
4th Aug 1944 Advance
5th Aug 1944 Ready to Move
5th Aug 1944 Regrouping
6th Aug 1944 Attacks
6th Aug 1944 Attack Made
6th Aug 1944 Attack Made
7th Aug 1944 On the Move
7th Aug 1944 Strong Opposition
8th Aug 1944 In Action
9th Aug 1944 Counter Attacks
10th Aug 1944 Patrols
10th Aug 1944 In Action
11th Aug 1944 No Change
11th Aug 1944 Shelling
12th Aug 1944 Reliefs
12th Aug 1944 Enemy Active
13th Aug 1944 Withdrawal
24th Aug 1944 On the Move
25th Aug 1944 On the Move
25th Oct 1944 In Action
26th Oct 1944 In Action
30th Oct 1944 Reliefs
3rd November 1944 In Action
17th Nov 1944 Planning
20th Nov 1944 In Action
18th Jan 1945 Reliefs
25th Mar 1945 Advance
 Sherman DD tank of 44th Royal Tank Regiment, 4th Armoured Brigade, passing carriers of the 6th King's Own Scottish Borderers east of the Rhine, 25th of March 1945. © IWM (BU 2486)
25th Mar 1945 Advance
If you can provide any additional information, especially on actions and locations at specific dates, please add it here.
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Those known to have served with 6th Battalion, Kings Own Scottish Borderers during the Second World War 1939-1945. - Beever Andy. Pte.
- Cotterell William Arthur. Pte.
- Cowley Samuel Henry. Mjr. (d.19th July 1944)
- Crowther Laurence. L/Cpl.
- Kay Frank. Pte. (d.10th August 1944)
- Leckie William. Pte. (d.2nd Nov 1944)
- Lovell John. Pte.
- Martin John Michael. Cpl. (d.4th Oct 1944)
- Minchin Henry Desmond Penkivel. Lt. (d.1st Jul 1944)
- Purvis Joseph. Pte. (d.18th Nov 1940)
- Wilson Ernest Hartley . L/Sgt
The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed,
please
Add a Name to this List
Records of 6th Battalion, Kings Own Scottish Borderers from other sources.
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Want to know more about 6th Battalion, Kings Own Scottish Borderers? There are:1470 items tagged 6th Battalion, Kings Own Scottish Borderers available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War. |
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Pte. Andy Beever 6th Btn. Kings Own Scottish Borderers Andy Beever was posted to 6th King's Own Scottish Borderers on the 10th of December 1944. Previously, on 6th of June 1944, he had landed at Gold beach with the 6th Green Howards of the 50th Northumbrian Division. The landing craft he was in got held up on obstacles, resulting in the troops being discharged farther from shore than planned. Andy was immediately plunged into water above his depth. The weight of equipment he carried did not allow him to rise above the surface to take a breath. Were it not for a burly Scot behind him who held Andy up until he touched bottom again, he would not have survived the first few minutes of the landing.
Andy survived the war and raised a family in New Zealand with his Dutch bride.
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Pte. John Lovell 6th Battalion, HQ Coy. Kings Own Scottish Borderers Coming from Newcastle Upon Tyne, my dad, John Lovell enlisted in the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers. At some point he and others were transferred to the Kings Own Scottish Borderers at Berwick. He was in HQ company, 6th Battalion.
He was wounded, I believe, when HQ company were fired on by German artillery, described by Capt Baggaley in his book 'The 6th (Border) Battalion the KOSB". The dates match my dad's Army records.
He recovered from his wounds and was released from service December 1945.
Two years later he joined his local TA RTR.
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Pte. William Arthur Cotterell 1st Btn. Kings Own Scottish Borderers Private William Cottrell is believed to have served with 1st Kings Own Scottish Borderers in 3rd Division and 15th Scottish Division with 6th Battalion.
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Lt. Henry Desmond Penkivel Minchin 6th Btn. Kings Own Scottish Borderers (d.1st Jul 1944) Henry Minchin is believed to have been born in Sussex ca 1923, and to have studied at Edinburgh University. He is not listed in the University records as a graduate, and I am still trying to trace his matriculation record.He is believed to have died in the Western European Campaign in 1944/45. His name appears on the University's Old College War memorial and appears to have been added after the initial installation of the WW2 names. I am compiling and revising a WW2 Roll of Honour for the University of Edinburgh Graduates' Association and would welcome any further information that we might share.
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Pte. William Leckie 6th Btn. King's Own Scottish Borderers (d.2nd Nov 1944) William Leckie was my father's cousin and died aged 20 years. He is buried in Mierlo Cemetery in the Netherlands. He was the grandson of William Leckie of Denny.
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Mjr. Samuel Henry Cowley 9th Btn. Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment (d.19th July 1944) My great uncle Sam Cowley was killed in Normandy in the fighting around Caen in July 1944. Although listed as being in the Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Regiment, 9th Battalion, his CWGC certificate says he was seconded to the King's Own Scottish Borderers and held the rank of Major.
I have managed to work out that the 1st King's Own Scottish Borderers landed on D-Day at Queens Beach and the 6th Battalion (as part of the 15th Scottish Division) also landed in Normandy on 15th June 1944. I would like to find out more.
If by sheer fluke anyone is able to shed more light on my great uncle through personal recollection or could recommend on-line links where I could find out more I'd be very appreciative. I live in Australia, so have to rely mainly on on-line services.
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Pte. Joseph Purvis 6th Btn. King's Own Scottish Borderers (d.18th Nov 1940) Joseph Purvis who died age 21 was born in Jarrow in 1919 to David and Catherine Jane Purvis (nee Botto) of Jarrow.
He is buried in Jarrow Cemetery and is commemorated on the WW2 Roll of Honour Plaque in the entrance of Jarrow Town Hall.
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Cpl. John Michael Martin 6th Battalion, D coy. Kings Own British Borders (d.4th Oct 1944) The Fighting Fools
by Cpl John Michael Martin,
D-Coy 6th KOSB
16th July 1944
Remember that hill termed 113?
To many just a number,
Except the KOSB
But wait,I'll tell it to you right
Of the KOSB's brave and gallant fight.
Though their numbers were few,
They did not quail,
They had been given a task,
And they would not fail.
They would hold that ground,
Come what may,
And though cut off,
Kept the Hun at bay.
The Boche tried everything they knew,
To try and make a big breakthrough,
But they'd underestimated those heroes all,
Who, before they'd retreat,
Decided to fight or fall,
So they took the strain and did not flinch,
And the Boche advanced not a single inch.
So praise those lads of the 6/KOSB
Whose stand made possible this victory,
Unknown till now, they've made their name,
And covered their Regiment with undying fame.
Cpl. John Martin was wounded in action and died at 4 am on the 4th Oct 1944 in 39th British General Hospital - due to a shell wound to his neck which left him paralised. He is buried in the Brussels Town Cemetary.
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