The date of 12th July 1915 is a sad one in the history of the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division, which incorporated:

• 155th South Scottish Brigade, including 1st/4th and 1st/5th KOSB.
• 157th (Highland Light Infantry) Brigade.

By the end of the day, one third of the division were casualties (killed and wounded). Three 1st/5th KOSB Langholmites died; others were seriously wounded but recovered.

Achi Baba is an area of prominent high ground which was used by the Ottomans as their key defence base on the Gallipoli peninsula. A ‘nullah’ is a narrow gully. The Achi Baba peak and the battle area of Achi Baba Nullah, which runs southwest from the peak, are shown below.

The British offensive began at 4.30 am with aerial bombardment, followed at 6.55 am by land artillery. The first of four charges across no man’s land was at 7.35 am.

The objective of the first two charges (incorporating 4th KOSB) was to proceed through two lines of Turkish trenches and take the third. The third and fourth charges (incorporating 5th KOSB) were to consolidate the taking of the first two lines of Turkish trenches. Only bayonets were to be used, with no shots fired.

However, the third line of trenches turned out not to exist, so the attackers turned to retreat, exposing themselves to fire from behind. This was exacerbated by wearing tin strips on their backs, glinting in the sun, which were intended to make them more visible to their own artillery.

The first two lines were indeed taken, but the casualty rate, particularly among the 4th KOSB, was extremely high. The trench positions at 1800 on 12th July are shown below, with red indicating 157th brigade.

A Langholm soldier (unnamed) wrote a letter published in the E&L on 4th August 1915, saying:

… along the whole trench the enemy were lying two and three deep. The wounded were to be found under the dead where they had crawled for protection, and to one of the machine guns that was captured the men were chained, while there were two couches in a dug-out for German officers.

Major Edward Bell of 5th KOSB, in the third wave, was shot in the chest while crossing no man’s land, with bullet only just missing his lung. He lay for eight hours before being rescued by his batman.

Various counter-attacks over the next two days were repelled and the trenches were held. 5th KOSB returned to the rest camp on 16th July. Their deaths totalled 11 officers and 259 men, including the three from Langholm below.

Deaths

Date	Surname	Forenames	Section	Rank/No.	Age	Address	Comments
12th July	Dunbar	Charles	1/5 KOSB	Private 1938		Formerly Westwater Cottage	Worked in Brampton, Cumbria
12th July	Warwick	John	1/5 KOSB	Private 1115			Died of wounds; bugler
18th July	McVittie	Thomas	1/5 KOSB	Private 1113		Henry Street	Died of wounds at sea