Soldier Record

My Grandfather joined The Queens Edinburgh Rifles in 1912, when the war began they became part of the 4/5 Royal Scots, and he was sent to Gallipoli as part of the 88th Brigade/29th Division, after that appalling disaster, he ended up in France (Ypres) no home leave.

He spent the rest of the war fighting in France, then Germany and was finally demobbed in 1919.

When I was born he was a man of 55 years, he was always ready with funny stories and he would take me on walks of the City, he would also show me where he used to drill with the QER

then launch into his stories of fighting the Turks then the Germans, he always had a healthy respect for the Turkish Soldier.

He brought back a Turkish rifle as a souvenir, which he cleaned on a regular basis, then with the outbreak of the Second World War, handed it in to Police Headquarters in answer to an appeal.

He always joked that the reason he survived the war was because he was small, the bullets used to "whistle" over his head.

A few years ago along with my Uncle (my Grandfather's son) we

toured the Battlefields, my Uncle had taken along his Father's old war diary, and visited the actual areas he had been in, Irish Farm, Hill 61, etc etc.

I wish now I had paid more attention to all those stories, names of old pals, exotic place names, dates of actions, but when you are young, you think that your family will be around for ever!!!

My Grandfather was fortunate in that he survived the war, resumed his old job back in the printing trade, and remained pretty healthy the rest of his days.

He remained extremely proud of his connection with The Royal Scots, the oldest line regiment in the British Army, founded in 1633 by Col. John Hepburn.

Sadly the Scottish Regiments have all gone, thanks to some faceless wonder in Whitehall, all part of the cost cutting excerise, which we are told is vital, tradition it seems counts for less than the pennies at the end of the day!!!!

This special memory is for Walter Chisholm my Grandfather, a true Scottish Gentleman.