ONE hundred years ago yesterday, Sergeant John Meikle met his death at the Second Battle of the Marne, the turning point for the Allies in the Great War. He was one of the bravest and most practical men his colleagues had ever known. He was all of 19.

On July 20, 1918 the Kirkintilloch-born railwayman, and his unit, No 2 Company, 4th Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders, were with the 51st Highland Division in the French Aisne-Marne Sector, defending the Ardre Valley.

Meikle, in the words of his posthumous Victoria Cross citation, emptied his revolver into the crews of two enemy gun positions and put the remaining Germans out of action with a heavy walking-stick he always carried.

A short time later, with no thought to his own safety, he seized the rifle and bayonet of a fallen comrade and sprinted forward to confront another gun crew, but he was shot dead. His selfless deed allowed two other men behind him to put the gun out of action.

“Your dear lad behaved as gallantly as every Britisher did,” one of his colleagues, Company Sergeant Major G W Sturrah, wrote to Meikle’s mother, Annie. “His death was instantaneous.”

Captain Claude Hamilton-Harris, Meikle’s company commander, wrote to Meikle’s family: “Your son on the fateful day did deeds which will last forever in the memory of all who knew him … It is the wish of every officer and man that this gallant and courageous work will be fully rewarded. He was laid to rest in the military cemetery as you later will be notified of the exact spot. To replace him is an impossible thing …”

The image of Sgt Meikle wielding a heavy walking-stick is one of many that have stayed with his descendants over the decades.

“There’s a story attached to the walking-stick,” says John Meikle, 76, a retired magistrate and former administrator in the food industry, who is named after his uncle. “He had been injured at the Third Battle of Ypres in 1917 and was sent home to Glasgow to recuperate. When he was returning to action in France, he went down to the railway station but he had forgotten his favourite walking-stick. His sister ran after him, saying, ‘You’ve forgotten your stick’. And we believe that that was the stick he was carrying on that day of action when he died, and that it was his last weapon of choice.”

Yesterday Mr Meikle, who lives on Teeside, was one of around 20 family members who were reunited as they arrived in Kirkintilloch for the unveiling of a memorial paving stone at Barleybank, next to St Mary’s Church. Representatives of East Dunbartonshire Council and of the 4 SCOTS Battalion were also in attendance.

Like many teenage boys at the time of the Great War, John Meikle lied about his age in order to enlist - he said he was 18 when in fact he was only 16. He subsequently received the Military Medal for bravery and leadership for his actions in France before being bayoneted and returning home to recover. When he returned to action he was promoted to sergeant. He is thought to be one of the youngest-ever recipients of the Victoria Cross.

“He was exceptionally brave,” said Mr Meikle. “I think he was highly respected by the older men in the regiment, and I think that was because of his character and the way he had been brought up.

“He was very keen to get back to France but his family didn’t want him to go. One of his older sisters, I think, knew what he was going back to, but such was his character that he didn’t want to turn his back on the men who were already out there.

“It is a very moving moment for the family that his death should have taken place 100 years ago to the day.

“It has meant so much to me to have been given John’s name. He has been a hero of mine for many reasons.

"It’s a mixed feeling from the point of view that I’m totally opposed to war in some respects but will not walk away if liberty or freedom are challenged. I would do my bit, as John certainly did.

“What he did on his final day has of course been heavily recorded, but for a young man of that age to carry on forward, and face the machine-guns yet again, takes an inordinate amount of courage. I think it fair to say that John and his colleagues faced death with equanimity.”

At yesterday’s ceremony a tribute from the family was read out. It says: “There was a young man we never met. Yet he has been with us every day of our life. That young man was our uncle, Sgt John Meikle, who at the age of 19 gave his life in defence of his king and country. His sacrifice has allowed us, and all around, to live in freedom.

"He gave his tomorrow to secure our today and set a path for us to follow.

"That gift of life, at the cost of a life, is some gift indeed, and for that we must never forget what he and so many others like him have given to us. They secured our freedom and we must strive to guard that freedom, to use it wisely, never forgetting their greatest sacrifice.

"They lost their lives in defence of freedom and gained the right to sit at that "great eternal table" and we as a free nation must protect that right. and show our eternal gratitude to all who serve our country.

"A life that touches others is never forgotten."

East Dunbartonshire Provost Alan Brown said: “John Meikle’s brave actions should never be forgotten and this exhibition and memorial will ensure his name and incredible actions will live on for future generations.

*An exhibition commemorating Sgt Meikle is on show in the lobby of the William Patrick Library in Kirkintilloch until July 26.