PRIVATE THOMAS ANDERSON 2659586�� Battalion Black Watch (Royal Highlanders)

(previously 1/6 Black Watch (Royal Highlanders)

Thomas Anderson was born in Scone in 1894. He lived with hisgrandparents George and Elizabeth Anderson and his mother MaryAnderson. The household in the 1901 census consisted of grandfatherGeorge born in 1847 who was a farm servant, grandmother Elizabethborn 1854, Mary born 1877 in Clunie and a farm worker, George born1887 in Scone a farm worker, Maggie born 1891 a scholar, Jeanie born1896 a scholar, Thomas born 1894 and James born 1898 all born inScone. They all lived together at Muir of Scone Cottages in Scone,

Perthshire. In 1911, the Andersons were still in the same house and Thomas (Tom) hadthree other siblings, Annie aged 9, Robert age 7 and Agnes age 3, all born in Scone Thomasattended Scone Public School with his sisters Thomas on leaving school was an apprenticegardener, the job which eventually led to him working in the gardens of Scone Palace.

Thomas initially enlisted in the 1/6�� Royal Highlanders (a Territorial Unit) in 1915, servicenumber 2960. He was stationed at Perth but then the battalion moved to Queensferry todefend the Forth defences and later the Tay defences. After training in various camps PteThomas Anderson transferred to 6�� Bn Black Watch and was sent to France.

The Description of The Battle of Arras is from Wauchope’s “History of Black Watch in theGreat War”.

The beginning of 1917 saw the 6�� Battalion Black Watch in the area of Drucat , France for aperiod of rest, the last few months having been spent in intolerable conditions, the menoften up to their waists in mud in their trenches. Rest, reorganisation and training alongwith the arrival of reinforcements brought them up to good strength, now at 25 officers and1028 other ranks. In early February, orders were received for the 6�� to move to theneighbourhood of Arras to prepare for a forthcoming attack. The rest of February and firsttwo weeks of March were spent carrying out railway construction in the Anzin-St Aubin-StCatherine area where the 6�� replaced 2ⁿ� Battalion Royal Fusiliers.

On the 16th March the Battalion moved into the line at Ecure. Preparations for an attack ona large scale, now known as the Arras Offensive were at this time in full swing. Workincluded preparation of assembly trenches, wire cutting, raids for identification purposesand most importantly, practising the attack on a taped out ground behind the front area.Throughout this time, the weather was atrocious, frost and snow being followed by thawand rain, reducing the trenches to a deplorable state and made work in them mostlaborious. On the 31�� March the Battalion carried out a successful raid and was able toestablish that the 51�� Division was opposed by Bavarians, amongst the most stubborntroops of the German army.

The first phase of the Battle of Arras began on 9�� April but the 6�� Battalion took no part init as the 153�� Brigade was in Divisional reserve, the Battalion being in Brigade reserve. Onthe 14�� April, the Battalion was ordered to move with the 153�� Brigade to go into the lineat Fampoux, relieving the 5�� Cameron Highlanders. There, orders were received that theDivision would take part in the second phase of the Battle of Arras on the 23��. They held theline at Fampoux for 5 days prior to the assault, all ranks making themselves acquainted withthe position although they were constantly harassed by enemy shelling. On the night ofApril 20��, the Battalion was relieved by the 8�� Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders andwithdrew to Arras for 48 hours rest. Here it received its full fighting equipment and movedup to the assembly positions in the Oppy Line during the night of 22ⁿ�. Zero hour was fixedat 0445 on 23��. The Battalion advanced, but on reaching the British front line, it had toextend owing to heavy machine gun fire which caused many losses in both the 6�� BlackWatch and 7�� Gordon Highlanders. After 0620 the advances of the 6�� became very difficultand was only carried out by means of short section rushes from shell hole to shell hole. TheGavrelle road was reached about 9am and the next 2 hours were occupied in driving offrepeated German counter attacks made in force.

Further advance was slow, held upby machine gun fire and snipers onGreenland Hill and in the chemicalworks in Roeux. In the earlyafternoon, by hard fighting andpersistent attack, the 6�� was firmlyestablished on the lower slopes ofGreenland Hill well east of theGavrelle-Roeux road. Enemymachine gun fire from the ridgeabove made any further advanceimpossible and the ground capturedwas consolidated. Throughout theafternoon the enemy attempted todislodge the 6�� from their positionbut on every occasion their attackswere broken up by Lewis guns andartillery fire. About midnight on 23��,the 6�� was relieved by a battalion ofthe 34th Division and reformed onthe old green line.

The losses suffered by the Battalion included 5 officers killed, 4 wounded, 25 other rankskilled, 123 wounded and 48 missing. On the afternoon of 25��, the 6�� was withdrawn fromthe battle and moved to billets in Arras.

Map of Arras Battle ZoneEach line was a new Objective

It is most likely that Thomas lost his life in this battle. Since his body was never found, hewould have been one of the 48 declared missing and presumed killed in action. He has nograve but his name is on Bay 6 of the Arras Memorial in the Faubourg-d’Amiens Cemetery,France. He was awarded The Victory and British War medals.

Thomas’s name appears onBay No 6, Course H, Stone No 9

of The Arras Memorial

Extract from Index No MR 20Arras Mem. Part 1

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