ONE of the names carried by schoolchildren in Peebles during Saturday's Remembrance Parade was that of Sapper Andrew Barron.

The father of two was killed in action on New Year's Day 1917 - having enlisted to set an example to his fellow hotel workers in Peebles.

Having worked his way through the ranks at the North British Hotel in Edinburgh, where he had learnt French and German, Andrew became head porter at the Peebles Hydropathic Hotel.

Andrew, along with his wife, relocated from the city to Bridgehouse Terrace.

The couple's first daughter, Andrewina, was born in the year war broke out.

And 18 months later her sister Margaret was born at the family home.

But as war was escalating across Europe and beyond Andrew enlisted with the Royal Engineers during 1915.

His example was followed by many fellow staff members at the Hydro - yet all came home except the head porter and his colleague, Andrew Barclay, who was also killed in action.

Andrew's grand-daughter Joyce Hall told us: "My grandfather enlisted to set an example to the men who worked beneath him at the hotel.

"His story was never talked about until just a few years ago when he was mentioned by an aunt - ever since I have been attempting to find out as much as I can."

The news of Andrew's death from a shell explosion during fighting in the northern French town of Laventie arrived back in Peebles just after New Year.

A letter to his widow stated: "Your husband was extremely popular with all ranks.

"In Egypt and in France he could always be depended upon to do his duty cheerfully and well, under very trying circumstances, in the various battles we have taken part in.

"It may be a little consolation to you to know that his death was instantaneous."

Although Andrew's grieving family decided to move back to the capital following Armistice, bosses at the Peebles Hydro made sure their former head porter's widow was financially comfortable.

Joyce added: "The Hydro was great with my grandmother - they paid her a pension up until the day she died in the early 1950s."