Soldier Record

I only really spoke to my grandfather before he died about his expereinces in world war one. I wish I had been older and understood more about what he went through now. He joined up at 17 and joined the 7/ 8 territorial battalion The Royal Scots. They were called pontius pilots body guard and were the oldest infantry regiment in the army and have recently been merged to form the Royal Scots Borderers.

He joined up with all his friends when he was 17 and underage. He fought at Ypres and Paschendale and witnessed his battalion and all his friends being wiped out going over the top. He said he was given a metal box for christmas with chocolate which the Queen gave to everybody and a bullet hit this and stunned him, rather than killing him.

My grandfather suffered from shell shock after the war. He was a watch maker and did a lot of work for ex servicemen organisation TOCH. He came from a bretheren church who did not agree with him fighting and did not support him. He also served in the Home Guard in world war 2.

I am very proud of my grandfather. I am not sure I could have done the same in those circumstances and I know my grandfather suffered during and after the war for doing his duty as did many of his generation. I will always remmember him and them.