Old Photograph Bridge Guardbridge Fife Scotland

Old photograph of the bridge over the River Eden at Guardbridge, Fife, Scotland. The village takes its name from a 15th century six arched bridge built by Bishop Henry Wardlaw who founded the University of St Andrews. David Finlay, the most famous villager from Guardbridge, was the son of of a shepherd George Finlay and his wife Susan Small. He was 22 years old, and a lance corporal in the 2nd Battalion, The Black Watch, Royal Highlanders, British Army during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the Victoria Vross. On 9 May 1915 near Rue du Bois, France, Lance Corporal Finlay led a bombing party of 12 men in the attack until 10 of them had fallen. He then ordered the two survivors to crawl back and he himself went to the assistance of a wounded man and carried him over a distance of 100 yards of fire swept ground into cover, quite regardless of his own safety. He was killed in action in Mesopotamia on 21 January 1916 and is remembered on the Basra Memorial.





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