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245101
Capt. Andrew Galloway
British Army 2nd Btn. Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
from:Ayr
Andrew Galloway was born in Girvan in the West of Scotland in 1901 died in 1999 aged 98.
One of 10 children, one of his brothers died of tuberculosis at the age of 6.
He Left school at 12 and was indentured by his father to a local farmer for the grand sum of £50 in 1913.
Andrew joined 2nd Battalion, Cameronians Scottish Rifles in 1918 as a Piper.
He served in Ireland and Northern India, Iraq and Afghanistan during the 1920's and 30's.
He had stories to tell about leading the battalion on the march through the Khyber Pass and being shot at constantly and lots of small skirmishes but rarely even having sight of the attackers.
He left the army in 30's at which point he was the Pipe Major of the battalion.
He was re-enlisted as a Captain at the beginning of 2nd World War back into 2nd Cameronians where they were part of The British Expeditionary Force sent to France to fight the Germans.
His major military action was at the Battle of The Ypres-Comis Canal, 26th to 28th of May 1940.
The 2nd Cameronians were in the vanguard of an attack by The British 5th Division in a do or die attempt to hold the German troops at bay to allow the main body of the BEF to retreat back to Dunkirk. They succeeded in doing this for 3 days which was critical in allowing the main British fighting to escape the German blitzkrieg.
Most of his friends and comrades many of whom he served with for many years in the Cameronians were killed. A part of his life he never spoke about.
He worked as a green keeper at Belleisle Golf Course in Ayr after his military service and was a keen golfer and a very modest, kind, stable and very well respected member of his local community in Ayr where he continued to serve as a Major in the Territorial Army after leaving the Regular Army.