John Wallace

John and the Battalion arrived at Boulogne on the 14/08/1914 and were part of the 5th Brigade, 2nd Division. John was Killed in Action on the 2nd week of the Battle of Loos : Battalion War Diary 03/10/1915 - "The line was heavily shelled from 4pm to 5pm. Very little damage was done however. After dark we were relieved by the Scots Guards of 3rd Guards Brigade and we marched back to billets in BEUVRY which was reached at 6am". The Battle from the 25th September until the 15th October 1915 : The first genuinely large scale British offensive action but once again only in a supporting role to a larger French attack in the Third Battle of Artois. British appeals that the ground over which they were being called upon to advance was wholly unsuitable were rejected. The Battle is historically noteworthy for the first British use of poison gas. The 2nd Battalion Highland Light Infantry had 358 casualties, 8 Officers. On the opening day of the Battle the Battalion attacked the enemy lines at Givenchy. SEE PHOTOS x 8 FOR THE BATTALION WAR DIARY FROM THE 20/09/1915 - 05/10/1915. One of the first British formations to move to France, the 2nd Division remained on the Western Front throughout the war. It took part in the following battles and engagements up until John's death - 1914 : The Battle of Mons and the subsequent retreat, including the Affair of Landrecies, the Rearguard affair of Le Grand Fayt and the Rearguard Actions of Villers-Cotterets (August), The Battle of the Marne (September), The Battle of the Aisne including participation in the Actions on the Aisne heights (September), First Battle of Ypres (October-November). 1915 : Winter Operations 1914-15, The Battle of Festubert (May), The Battle of Loos (September-October). Scottish Regiments lost a huge amount of brave men at Loos. Here is a list of Infantry Battalions who lost more than 500 men at the Battle of Loos from 25/09/1915 to 16/10/1915 - 7th Cameron Highlanders 687, of which 19 Officers, 9th Black Watch 680, of which 20 Officers, 6th King's Own Scottish Borderers 650, of which 20 Officers, 10th Highland Light Infantry 648, of which 20 Officers, 7th King's Own Scottish Borderers 631, of which 20 Officers, 8th Devons 619, of which 19 Officers, 8th Royal West Kents 580, of which 24 Officers, 8th Buffs 558, of which 24 Officers,12th Highland Light Infantry 553, of which 23 Officers, 8th Black Watch 511, of which 19 Officers, 5th North Staffordshire 505, of which 20 Officers, 8th Seaforth Highlanders 502, of which 23 Officers. John was 1 of 99 men from the Coatbridge Memorial who fell during and from injuries from the Battle of Loos. See Directory for John's brother William's page. See photos for John's Medal Index Card, his Newspaper clippings x 2, his Army Register of Soldiers Effects, his Service Medal and Award Rolls x 2, his CWGC Grave Registration, his name on the Loos Memorial Panel List, his name on the Loos Memorial, John's Pension Records x 7 (brother William on 4 of them), the Highland Light Infantry Cap Badge and John with his comrades (kindly donated by Peter Deigan).