A Collection of Medals for the Gallipoli Campaign

Three: Private A. Brydone, King’s Own Scottish Borderers, who was killed in action at Gallipoli during the attack on the Turkish trenches at Achi Baba Nullah - later known as the ‘Bloody Valley’ - on 12 July 1915

1914-15 Star (6484 Pte. A. Brydone. K.O. Sco: Bord:); British War and Victory Medals (6484 Pte. A. Brydon. K.O. Sco. Bord.) good very fine (3) £100-£140

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Medals for the Gallipoli Campaign.

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Adam Brydone was born at Selkirk in 1896 and disembarked at Gallipoli with the 1/4th Battalion, King’s Own Scottish Borderers on 4 June 1915. Detailed to attack towards Krithia at approximately 7.30 a.m. on 12 July 1915 in one of the last attempts made by the 52nd (Lowland) Division to achieve a breakthrough at Helles, the Scottish Borderers went ‘over the top’ as part of four simultaneous waves. Within seconds the plan began to unravel. A contemporary account by a Hawick veteran, Private Nichol Robertson of the 1/4th K.O.S.B. states:
‘And of course the Turks could concentrate everything they had on one small sector, course so could we, but you see the Turks were on the defensive and we got everything they could possibly lay into us. And then as far as we were concerned we were to take three lines of trenches, well, when we got over the first, there was another practically obliterated, and there was no such thing as the third line and when we got right out in the open, we were outflanked on either side and when we turned to come back, we came into our own artillery fire as well as the Turk’s. Some of us had pieces of biscuit tin on our backs and of course, when we turned that flashed in the direction of the Turks and we just got it ...’

Brydone was killed in action during the engagement; he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Turkey.