George Robertson                Aged 30

Regimental No. 12351           Private               6th Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers

                                                                            28th Brigade, 9th (Scottish) Division

Killed in Action                                               25th September 1915, Battle of Loos

Commemorated                                              Loos Memorial, France

 

 

Personal Background

George was the second son of James Robertson, a mason, and Agnes, nee Younger.  George was a great-grandson of John Younger, the St. Boswells poet and shoemaker, and therefore a cousin of James Gurney, another man commemorated on the St. Boswells War Memorial.   In 1911 the family was living at East End, St. Boswells.  Agnes, by now a widow, was head of the household, and the grown up children still at home were William, aged 32, Violet, aged 29, George, 24, Henry, 22 and Agnes jnr., 20.  All the sons were masons and still single.  His brother,  Henry Robertson,  later lived at  Bonnyview, St Boswells. 

 

Military Background

George had enlisted at the beginning of the war and been five months in the trenches before the Battle of Loos began at 05.30 on 25 September 1915, and the 9th Scottish Division was to play its part from early on.  It was charged with attacking the enemy's position in front of Haisnes - Auchy Les La Bassee.  George's Battalion formed the right of the 28th Brigade, with the 10th Highland Light Infantry on their left.

 

At 06.30 the Battalion assaulted the German trenches at "Mad Point" and the south east of the "Madagascar Trench".  The leading companies of the KOSB pressed forward, at first without suffering very severely. The wind, unfortunately, was fitful, and not strong enough to carry on the gas, so the leading companies lay down until the gas had moved on.  As soon as the two supporting companies crossed the front parapet, they came under a withering rifle and machine gun fire, but in spite of many casualties they continued to push on and became mingled with the leading companies.  More conspicuous now than the crash of the guns was the menacing and ominous sound of machine guns, and when the KOSB resumed their advance, officers and men were mown down by a terrible fire to which they could not reply.  Nevertheless the survivors pressed on, only to find the German wire was virtually intact.  In front of the German line was a covered trench crammed with stakes and barbed wire, and as soon as the foremost men stepped on the top covering, they fell through and became entangled amongst the wire.  The air teemed with bullets and the survivors, unable to advance but too stubborn to retreat, sustained very heavy losses.

 

The Battalion was reinforced at 09.30 by two companies of the 11th HLI, and at 12.15, after a second bombardment, a further attack by the 28th Brigade was ordered.  This failed to reach the German trenches.

 

During that day, the survivors of the Battalion, under a senior Non-Commissioned Officer attached to the 11th HLI, succeeded in maintaining the trenches and carrying the wounded to the Regimental Aid Post.  The Battalion casualties, including George Robertson, were 22 officers and 189 other ranks killed, 8 officers and 261 other ranks wounded, plus 109 men missing.