Places > Book of remembrance for Tweeddale > Landward Parishes

CouNTi- OF Peebles Boox of Remembrance.
27
In tlie mere wreck of nobly-pitclied designs.
Plucks Heartsease, and not 'Rue.
Eight in the van,
On the red rampart's slippery swell.
With heart that beat a charge, he fell
Foeward, as fits a man ;
But the high soul burns on to light men's
feet
Where death for noble ends makes dying
sweet."
PRIVATE ROBERT NICHOL
(Deumelziee)
GOEHON HiGHLAXnEES.
1915. Saturday, September 25.
About Robert Nichol nothing is known save
that " He died for his country at Loos." A
fitting epitaph for any man. He did not be-
long to Drumelzier, but had been employed on
Dawyck Estate previous to the war. But as
one who gave his life for us, he is ujentioned
and commemorated here.
There is no portrait of him to be had.
" To me," said Lochiel, " it was at once the
saddest and the proudest day of my life. I
do not suppose any Commanding Officer ever,
in the annals of the British Army, had better
or braver men to serve under him, and Scot-
land may rest absolutely contented that the
Highlanders of the 5th Battalion proved
themselves in every way worthy of their gal-
lant forefathers. In saying this, I do not
underrate the part played in the advance by
the Highland Brigade as a whole, and when
the story comes to be written, the country
will doubtlessly learn how valiantly each unit
fought.
" Instances of personal bravery in my bat-
talion are far too numerous to recount, but
two might be cited as examples. A lance-
corporal, finding the telephone connection be-
tween the Brigadier and myself cut, climbed
to the top of a slag heap to get into visual
communication. Here he went on waving his
flags amid a perfect tornado of shell fire,
until finally a shell burst right over him, and
all that was found of him afterwards was a
piece of his kilt and his notebook.
" Another corporal did yeoman service as a
bomb-thrower. The German bombers were
coming along a trench, and owing to the pre-
sence of snipers it was courting death for our
men to get out of the trenches to check them.
The corporal in question, however, volunteer-
ed to go, and taking up a bag of bombs he
managed to get near to the parapet of the
enemy trenches and continued to throw the
bombs down on the Germans. While so occu-
pied he was exposed to fire from all direc-
tions, but he succeeded in driving back the
bombers until he himself was wounded."
And men in desert places, men.
Abandoned, broken, sick with fears,
liose singing, swung their swords again.
And laughed and died among the spears.
PRIVATE ROBERT FAIRBAIRN
(Walkerburn)
12th Eoyal Scots.
1915. Saturday, September 25.
Mrs Fairbairn, 6 Pink Bank, Walkerburn,
received official notification that hei' son, Private
Robert Fairbairn, Royal Scots, who was re-
ported missing on 25th September last, was now
reported killed on that date. At the time of
enlistment Private Fairbairn was employed as
a woolsorter in Tweedholm Mill. His brother
Andrew, who previous t-o enlisting was employed
as a grocer in Peebles Co-operative Society, was
a member of the 3 /9th Royal Scots.
Infantry attacks were taking place' on a con-
siderable scale south of La Bassee. The British
captured enemy trenches on a five mile front,
and took the village of Loos and the mining
works around it, and Hill 70. The British also
attacked north of La Bassee, and drew strong
reserves of the enemy towards these points.
1700 prisoners were captured.
Death whining down from heaven,
Death roaring from the ground,
Death stinking in the nostril,
Death shrill in every sound :
Doubling we charged and conquered —
Hopeless we struck and stood.
Now when the fight is ended
We know that it was good.
LCE.-CPL. WILLIAM DOUGLAS
(Walkerburn)
Cameron Highlanders.
1915. September 26.
Mrs Douglas, Beattie's Buildings, Walker-
burn, received official intimation from the War
Office that her husband, Lance-Corporal W.
Douglas, Cameron Highlanders, who was re-
ported missing on Sunday, 26th September,