War Hero's uniform donated to KOSB Museum

When Kirkcaldy native Bill McMahon (then aged 32) was called up for service in 1942 little did he know that he would return as a hero from the battle of Market Garden, part of the Arnhem campaign in Holland.

As a Corporal in 13 Platoon, “D” Company, 7 (Galloway) Battalion, KOSB, Bill was airlifted to Arnhem and landed nearby in a glider on September 17, 1944. After days of fierce fighting he was evacuated by boat across the River Rhine.

Of more than 800 KOSB who landed in Holland, 119 were killed in action or died of their wounds, only 74 escaped across the Rhine, the remainder, including the wounded, were taken as Prisoners of War. Of 13 Platoon, four, two Corporals (including Bill) and two Other Ranks, made it by boat across the river.

During the days which followed the landing Bill’s platoon came under heavy enemy fire in the town of Oosterbeek during which his Platoon Commander was killed - this left Bill as senior NCO and he took command of what was left of the platoon. Bill was to lead a bayonet charge from a position in Oosterbeek to take out an enemy machine gun post. His bravery in this action was to be recognised later with a Mention in Despatches.

The withdrawal to the Rhine took place during the night of September 25-26, during which a soldier was wounded - Bill was to help him to the river crossing and onto the waiting boats. Luckily for Bill and his wounded comrade the first boat they tried to board was too full and it sank during the crossing. However, they made it to safety on the next available boat.

Bill and the remaining KOSB who made it to safety were evacuated back to the UK for a well-earned leave. Bill was later posted to Norway with the Battalion to supervise the surrender of the enemy there.

But Bill had not seen the last of Arnhem as he was picked along with other KOSB members to return to the scene of the battle for the making of the film “Theirs Is The Glory” which retold the campaign.

During skirmishes with the enemy soon after the landing on September 17 it appears that Bill lost his gas mask holder. In 1991, some 47 years later, a researcher with a metal detector came across a small piece of metal embossed with a military number. After searching the UK military records it turned out that this belonged to Cpl Bill McMahon. Following the identification Bill was invited back to Holland to meet the researcher and to re-visit the scenes of the battle.

At the end of the war Bill McMahon, by then a Sergeant, returned to civvy street and his family, taking up his old job as a furniture factory manager in Kirkcaldy, later moving to Newport-on-Tay as factory manager at Justice of Dundee. His wife Jane having died in 1978, Bill died in 1998 at the age of 89, leaving his three daughters, Ethel, Edith and Jane.

Following the presentation of Bill’s uniform and other artefacts Gerry O'Neill, The KOSB Museum Officer, said: "On behalf of the Board of Regimental Trustees, the KOSB family is both grateful and excited by the items relating to Bill McMahon. Our museum is in the process of being redesigned as part of a much larger project. We already have a small number of items relating to our 7th Battalion, however the donation of this important collection of items will go a long way to enhancing our future Market Garden display and represent both Bill and the sacrifice those proud Borderers showed at Arnhem.”

Peter McCutcheon, the KOSB Museum's Education and Outreach Officer, commented: "There will always be something very special about holding objects that were present at a particular event, especially when they relate to a named individual.

“Military history is often about 'unremarkable people doing remarkable things' and Bill McMahon is a shining example of that. The men of 7 KOSB came from a very diverse geographic background, but every one of them embraced the Borderer identity, and that sense of cohesion and pride allowed them to achieve much at Arnhem.

“It is clear that these objects have held a special place in Bill's family and that will continue to be the case here in their new home in Berwick. We are deeply grateful to the family for their trust in us and for the opportunity to use the artefacts to ensure that 7 KOSB's story of sacrifice and endeavour will continue to be told.”