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Title: The Pipes of War - A Record of Achievements of Pipers of Scottish and Overseas - Regiments during the War 1914-18
Author: Grant, John, Seton, Sir Bruce
Language: English
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*** Start of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "The Pipes of War - A Record of Achievements of Pipers of Scottish and Overseas - Regiments during the War 1914-18" ***
TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE
Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
A superscript is denoted by ^{x}.
In the pipe music notation an accent over a group of letters xyz is
denoted by [(xyz]; for example end[(are], and hodr[(od]in.
Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been
corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within
the text and consultation of external sources.
More detail can be found at the end of the book.
THE PIPES OF WAR
GLASGOW
PRINTED AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS BY
ROBERT MACLEHOSE & COMPANY LTD. FOR
MACLEHOSE, JACKSON AND CO., PUBLISHERS
TO THE UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW
MACMILLAN AND CO. LTD. LONDON
THE MACMILLAN CO. NEW YORK
MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA TORONTO
SIMPKIN, HAMILTON AND CO. LONDON
BOWES AND BOWES CAMBRIDGE
DOUGLAS AND FOULIS EDINBURGH
MCMXX
[Illustration: PIPER JAMES RICHARDSON, V.C., 16TH CANADIAN SCOTTISH
AT REGINA TRENCH, VIMY RIDGE
_From the Painting by J. Prinsep Beadle_]
THE PIPES OF WAR
_A Record of the Achievements of Pipers
of Scottish and Overseas Regiments
during the War 1914-18_
BY
BREVET-COL. SIR BRUCE SETON, Bart., of Abercorn, C.B.
AND
PIPE-MAJOR JOHN GRANT
WITH CONTRIBUTIONS BY
NEIL MUNRO, BOYD CABLE, PHILIP GIBBS, AND OTHERS
[Illustration]
GLASGOW
MACLEHOSE, JACKSON & CO.
PUBLISHERS TO THE UNIVERSITY
1920
Wherever Scottish troops have fought the sound of the pipes has been
heard, speaking to us of our beloved native land, bringing back to
our memories the proud traditions of our race, and stimulating our
spirits to fresh efforts in the cause of freedom. The cry of "The
Lament" over our fallen heroes has reminded us of the undying spirit
of the Scottish race, and of the sacredness of our cause.
The Pipers of Scotland may well be proud of the part they have played
in this war. In the heat of battle, by the lonely grave, and during
the long hours of waiting, they have called to us to show ourselves
worthy of the land to which we belong. Many have fallen in the fight
for liberty, but their memories remain. Their fame will inspire
others to learn the pipes, and keep alive their music in the Land of
the Gael.
[Illustration: D. Haig F.M.
6 Dec^{r} 1918]
PREFACE
This record of the achievements of pipers during the war of 1914-18
is not intended to be an appeal to emotionalism. It aims at showing
that, in spite of the efforts of a very efficient enemy to prevent
individual gallantry, in spite of the physical conditions of the
modern battlefield, the pipes of war, the oldest instrument in the
world, have played an even greater part in the orchestra of battle in
this than they have in past campaigns.
The piper, be he Highlander, or Lowlander, or Scot from Overseas,
has accomplished the impossible--not rarely and under favourable
conditions, but almost as a matter of routine; and to him not
Scotland only but the British Empire owes more than they have yet
appreciated.
In doing so he has sacrificed himself; and Scotland--and the
world--must face the fact that a large proportion of the men who
played the instrument and kept alive the old traditions have
completed their self-imposed task. With 500 pipers killed and 600
wounded something must be done to raise a new generation of players;
it is a matter of national importance that this should be taken in
hand at once, and that the sons of those who have gone should follow
in the footsteps of their fathers.
This is the best tribute that can be offered to them.
The Piobaireachd Society intend to institute a Memorial School of
piping for this purpose, and all profits from the sale of this book
will be handed over to their fund.
The compilation of the statistical portions of the work has involved
correspondence with commanding officers, pipe presidents and pipe
majors of many units in the Imperial armies; to them, for their
enthusiastic assistance in obtaining information, is due the credit
for the mass of detail that has been made available.
To the other contributors--authors, artists and poets--is due in
large measure such success as may follow the publication of this
work. They have helped a cause worthy of their efforts.
It is earnestly to be hoped that Scotland will rise to the occasion.
To the compilers it has been a privilege to record the achievements
of men--many of them personal friends--who contributed so largely to
the success of their gallant regiments.
B. S.
J. G.
CONTENTS
PAGE
FOREWORD BY FIELD-MARSHAL EARL HAIG OF BEMERSYDE, K.T. v
PREFACE vii
THE PIPES OF WAR. By BREVET COL. SIR BRUCE SETON, Bart.,
of Abercorn, C.B.
INTRODUCTION 3
A HISTORY OF THE PIPES 9
THE PIPES IN THE WAR, 1914-1918
The Western Front 18
Gallipoli 31
Salonika 33
Mesopotamia 33
The Last Stage 34
Pipers in the Ranks 35
Pipers on the March 37
Pipe Tunes 42
Individual Achievements 46
Foreigners and the Pipes 63
The Pipes in Captivity 64
MILITARY PIPE BANDS AND REFORM 66
REGIMENTAL RECORDS
The Scots Guards 71
The Royal Scots 73
The Royal Scots Fusiliers 82
The King's Own Scottish Borderers 86
The Cameronians (The Scottish Rifles) 91
The Royal Highlanders (The Black Watch) 96
The Highland Light Infantry 105
The Seaforth Highlanders 114
The Gordon Highlanders 124
The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders 130
The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders 135
The London Scottish 143
The Tyneside Scottish 145
The Middlesex Regiment 146
The Liverpool Scottish 147
The Royal Fusiliers 147
The Argyllshire Mountain Battery 148
The Ross and Cromarty Battery 148
Miscellaneous 148
The Pipe Band of the 52nd (Lowland) Division 149
Prisoners of War Band 150
Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry 150
The Royal Highlanders of Canada 151
The 48th Highlanders of Canada 152
The Canadian Scottish 153
The Cameron Highlanders of Canada 154
The 21st Canadians 155
The 25th Canadians 155
The 29th Canadians 156
The 236th Canadians 157
The Canadian Pioneers 158
The 2nd Auckland Regiment 158
The 42nd Australians 159
The South African Scottish 159
ROLL OF HONOUR, 1914-1918 161
CANNTAIREACHD. By MAJOR J. P. GRANT, M.C., Yr. of
Rothiemurchus 179
THE IRISH PIPES: THEIR HISTORY, DEVELOPMENT AND DIVERGENCE
FROM THE SIMPLE HIGHLAND TYPE. By W. H. GRATTAN
FLOOD, Mus.D., K.S.G. 191
THE TUITION OF YOUNG REGIMENTAL PIPERS. By JOHN GRANT,
Pipe Major 195
THE SPIRIT OF THE MACCRIMMONS. By FRED. T. MACLEOD,
F.S.A.(Scot.) 201
A GOSSIP ABOUT THE GORDON HIGHLANDERS. By J. M. BULLOCH 219
TO THE LION RAMPANT. By ALICE C. MACDONELL OF KEPPOCH 228
THE MUSIC OF BATTLE. By PHILIP GIBBS 232
THE PIPES IN THE EVERYDAY LIFE OF THE WAR. By ARTHUR
FETTERLESS 239
THE OLDEST AIR IN THE WORLD. By NEIL MUNRO 246
THE PIPES: ONSET. By JOSEPH LEE, Lieut. 255
FLESH TO THE EAGLES. By BOYD CABLE 258
THE BLACK CHANTER. By CHARLES LAING WARR 267
THE PIPES. By EDMUND CANDLER 286
ILLUSTRATIONS
PIPER JAMES RICHARDSON, V.C., 16TH CANADIAN SCOTTISH,
AT REGINA TRENCH, VIMY RIDGE _Frontispiece_
From the Painting by J. PRINSEP BEADLE.
PIPER DANIEL LAIDLAW, V.C., 7TH KING'S OWN SCOTTISH
BORDERERS, AT LOOS _Page_ 24
From the Drawing by LOUIS WEIRTER, R.B.A.
"THE COMRADES WE LEFT IN GALLIPOLI" " 32
From the Pipe Tune composed by COLONEL H. A. C. MACLEAN
of Pennycross, C.M.G. Set by MRS. A. C. MACDIARMID.
PIPER KENNETH MACKAY, CAMERON HIGHLANDERS, AT
QUATRE-BRAS " 64
From the Painting by LOCKHART BOGLE, by kind permission
of the Officers of the 1st Cameron Highlanders.
PIPE-MAJOR HOWARTH, D.C.M., 6TH GORDON HIGHLANDERS,
AT NEUVE CHAPELLE " 120
From the Painting by J. PRINSEP BEADLE.
BEN BUIDHE, ARGYLLSHIRE " 136
From the Water-colour Drawing by GEORGE HOUSTON, A.R.S.A.
BORDER OF CELTIC DESIGN BY ALEXANDER RITCHIE, IONA " 161
THE PIBROCH " 208
From the Painting by LOCKHART BOGLE.
DUNIQUAICH, LOCH FYNE " 248
From the Water-colour Drawing by GEORGE HOUSTON, A.R.S.A.
THE PIPES OF WAR
BY
BREVET-COL. SIR BRUCE SETON, BART. OF ABERCORN, C.B.
INTRODUCTION
The history of the bagpipes as a military institution is a long and
honourable one, inseparable from that of Scottish troops, Highland
and Lowland, wherever they have fought, for centuries past. The
strains of _piob mhor_ have been heard all over those bloody European
battlefields on which Scottish soldiers of fortune died--too often
for lost causes--from the time when Buchan's force joined the
Lilies of France in 1422, throughout the Hundred Years' War, in the
Low Countries, in Germany, in Austria; and they have handed on a
tradition which has been lived up to in the later days of the regular
Scottish units of the British Army.
But memories are short; and, in the army as elsewhere, the passion
for reform before the greatest war of all was threatening many
old-established institutions whose utility was not immediately
apparent.
And so it came about that to many observers, indeed to a considerable
section of military opinion, it appeared likely that along with the
kilt, the use of tartan, bonnet, doublet and other special features
of the dress of Scottish regiments, the bagpipe must be regarded as
a picturesque anachronism destined to disappear as the conditions
of war changed and as the yearning of high military authorities for
a deadly khaki uniformity of clothing and equipment became more
insistent.
"Why," it has often been said, "should Scottish units find it
necessary, either in peace or on active service to retain an obsolete
musical instrument of their own? In days past, before the rifle had
revolutionised tactics, when shooting was erratic at 100 yards'
range, there might have been something to say for an instrument
which experience showed to be capable of stimulating men at the
psychological moment when effort was failing; but is it reasonable
to expect that the educated twentieth century soldier will prove to
be responsive to any such stimulus--even if it were possible, under
modern conditions of rifle and shell fire, to provide it?"
The reply to such a line of argument is clear enough; and its truth
has been demonstrated in every action in which Scottish troops have
taken part during the war.
The strength of an army depends, to an incalculable degree, on
the strength not only of individual regimental _esprit de corps_,
but of the national sentiment of its units. The retention of
time-honoured territorial titles in the New Armies, instead of a
soulless numbering of units, was itself due to a recognition by the
authorities of the principle that the individual soldier is a better
fighting man when he feels that he has to live up to an ancient and
brilliant regimental record. The Rifleman, even in peace, would never
voluntarily be transferred to a "red" regiment, nor does a 10th
Hussar yearn for the cuirass of the Life Guardsman. When a man joins
a regiment, voluntarily or compulsorily, he adopts for the whole
period of his military service the customs, the prejudices, and the
traditions of his unit, and is himself moulded by them in a manner
which is as inexplicable as it is marked.
And if regimental _esprit de corps_ and tradition are strong,
national and territorial sentiment are stronger. In the old army,
as a result of the system of recruitment, this factor was of less
importance than in the, comparatively speaking, unmixed units of the
new army of to-day. All our military history shows that the appeal to
such national sentiment is as certain in its effects as the appeal
to regimental tradition; and this war has enormously accentuated its
importance.
All observers agree--and military despatches confirm the view--that
the rivalry of national sentiment has proved invaluable; units,
whether battalions or divisions, have literally competed for
distinction for their own nationality, and have succeeded in
associating particular exploits with themselves for ever. It may
truly be said that behind the achievements of the 9th, 15th, 51st and
52nd and Canadian Divisions the motive impulse was national rather
than merely regimental.
In the keeping alive of this national sentiment in Scottish units,
their distinctive dress and, still more, the retention of the
national instrument, have played an important part; and this applies
with equal force to units composed of Scotsmen who have left their
native land permanently or temporarily.
Throughout the war these units have more than maintained the great
traditions of their past history, carrying on the records of Scottish
gallantry which have been excelled by no troops in the world and
equalled by few.
And so with the pipers.
How important a contributory cause they have been to the success of
their battalions is recognized by all alike, men and officers--and
not least by the Field Marshal Commanding in Chief. In spite of
modern conditions they have, in cases too numerous to record, played
the part which was normally theirs in the olden days of set battles.
To many of the men in the ranks the music of the pipes in peace
time may have had no special association other than with dances and
gatherings; but whenever the piper assumed his historic _rôle_--so
long dormant--of fighting man, the inherited peculiarities of the
Scottish soldier were aroused and the music made an overpowering
appeal to his national sentiment.
Inherited sympathy of this kind is no doubt inexplicable--but it
exists. It certainly cannot be ascribed to the Celtic strain in
individuals, for we know that the bagpipe was in general use for
centuries all over the Lowlands--perhaps even before it displaced the
bard and the harper and became the war instrument of the Highlands.
We cannot analyse what Neil Munro describes as "the tune with the
river in it, the fast river and the courageous, that kens not stop
nor tarry, that runs round rock and over fall with a good humour,
yet no mood for anything but the way before it"; we only know that
it works on some individuals and some races as no other instrument
does, and we need not try to satisfy ourselves whether this is due to
the flat seventh in the scale, or the ever-sounding drones, or the
inherited memory it arouses.
The idea that the piper would be too conspicuous an object to be
employed in his proper capacity has proved to be partly true, as
indicated by the casualties among them when playing; but the same
argument might be applied to any other soldier in the ranks. Shells
show no discrimination in their objective.
To a certain extent this objection is a sound one; but it is all a
matter of relative values. Many commanding officers have expressed
the opinion that at times when, on account of the all-pervading noise
of the battlefield, not a note of his music could be heard by the
men nearest to him, it was the actual presence of the piper that
supplied the stimulus to the men; in fact, it was the piper, not his
instrument, that was followed.
For obvious reasons pipers are harder to replace than the ordinary
soldier, and, in trench warfare especially, most regiments have tried
to keep them in relative security; but in the records of units which
follow it will be seen that, when the trouble comes, the piper has
always been to the fore, and "the tune with the tartan of the clan in
it" has been heard again as it has for centuries past.
From the military point of view the bagpipe has the merit of
accentuating national sentiment at just those moments when the
stimulus is most necessary, of rousing the "_mir cath_," the frenzy
of battle, and of rallying men when the ideal is liable to be lost
sight of in the presence of the nerve shattering realities of action.
In all these ways the company pipers have justified their existence.
In the discharge of a duty which may be regarded as sentimental in
the highest sense of the term, they have, literally by hundreds, made
the supreme sacrifice; wherever Scottish units have fought these men
have exposed themselves, unhesitatingly, recklessly, playing their
companies to the attack in conditions which, as regards intensity
of personal risk, have never previously been experienced. Many
battalions have lost all their pipers more than once, but, as long as
reinforcements were available, there has never been any difficulty
in getting fresh men out of the ranks or from home to take their
place; and the new men have followed the old, just as heedless, as
they played their comrades forward, knowing quite well that for many
of them the urlar of "_Baile Inneraora_" or "_The March of the
Cameron men_" might suddenly change to the taorluath of "_Cha till mi
tuille_."
The Germans at least, though they may not recognise the tune when
they hear it in the streets of Cologne, appreciated the grim
significance of _piob mhor_ when "_I hear the pibroch sounding,
sounding_" followed the lifting of the barrage.
The war also has afforded many instances of another function of the
pipes in action. Charging the enemy at a foot pace through deep mud
is after all but a "crowded hour of glorious life," which may or may
not be completely or even partially successful, and men may have to
be rallied when their nerves have given out under intolerable strain.
Of this there have been several instances.
It must not, of course, be imagined that regimental pipers, during
this or any other war, have been normally employed in playing their
units to the attack; the whole condition of modern fighting makes
this impossible in the same way and for the same reason that it has
made impossible spectacular charges by battalions in line.
It would be a more accurate presentment of the case to say that the
military piper, _qua_ piper, normally exercises his functions behind
the front line, in billets and on the line of march; and in this
respect he resembles other army musicians whose duty--according to
old Army Regulations of 300 years ago--is "to excite cheerfulness and
alacrity in the soldier."
But, recognising all this, the peculiarity of the piper is that,
in open fighting, when his unit has been committed to the attack,
he often assumes the _rôle_ which distinguishes him from all other
musicians, and takes his place at the head of his company.
Instances of this during the war are innumerable, and those which are
detailed below are but typical of what has occurred in every field of
operations, and in most units which possessed pipers.
And if it is impossible to say too much of the regimental pipers of
the British Army, it is equally so in the case of those of Overseas
units, notably of the Canadians. From the point of view of the
historian who wishes to demonstrate what pipers have done during this
war, no more remarkable case could be selected than that of the 16th
Canadian Scottish. The pipers of this distinguished battalion won
one V.C., one D.C.M., one Military Medal and Bar, and eight plain
Military Medals--a record which is unique. No man was put up for a
decoration unless he had played his company over the top at least
twice, and no piper was ever ordered to play in action--it was left
to volunteers, who, it was found, had to resort to the drawing of
lots to obtain the coveted privilege of playing.
The colonel of the regiment--himself a V.C.--commenting on the
casualties says: "I believe the purpose of war is to win victories,
and if one can do this better by encouraging certain sentiments and
traditions why shouldn't it be done? The heroic and dramatic effect
of a piper stoically playing his way across the ghastly modern
battlefield, altogether oblivious to danger, has an extraordinary
effect on the spirit and enterprise of his comrades. His example
inspires all those about him."
And so it comes to this: the method of employment of the regimental
piper during this war has depended largely on opportunity--and still
more on the individuality of commanding officers. Men vary within
very wide limits in the price they are prepared to pay for attaining
their object; and where one man will deliberately sacrifice a certain
number of men to get a position, another will as deliberately avoid
the sacrifice, even if it costs him his objective.
As far as pipers are concerned, the decision arrived at by commanding
officers of the two schools is equally indicative of the esteem in
which they hold them.
A HISTORY OF THE PIPES
At what stages of his development primitive man discovered he could
obtain musical sounds by blowing on a hollow reed we cannot now
ascertain; if we could do so we could at once determine when the pipe
came into existence. It is unprofitable to speculate on this point.
What we do know, however, is that men playing the pipe are portrayed
in sculptures the date of which is fixed by the best authorities as
about 4000 B.C., and we conclude that in Chaldaea, Egypt, Assyria
and Persia at least, the pipe--but not necessarily the bagpipe--had
become a recognised musical instrument.
Actual specimens of the Egyptian pipe dating back to at least 1500
B.C. are in existence, and we know that they had a reed giving a
scale almost identical with the chromatic scale; they also had a
drone. Such a pipe had, clearly, advanced some way on the upward
development to "_piob mhor_."
Every stage in its evolution still persists in some country in the
world, and by comparing these it is possible to trace the actual
process. Thus, besides the single pipe, which is world-wide in
its distribution, we have the Egyptian "arghool," which consists
of a pipe "chanter" and drone lying side by side; and the later
development, the "zummarah," has a bag. In India the twentieth
century snake charmer has an instrument in which chanter and single
drone lie side by side fixed into a small gourd with a lump of wax.
The chanter has a small reed very similar to our own chanter reeds,
and, although the scale differs, the sound produced is remarkably
similar. This instrument is essentially a single drone bagpipe, and
is to be found all over India, in Yunnan and other parts of China.
_Note._--The author takes this opportunity of acknowledging his
indebtedness for much of the early history of the instrument to
Manson's _The Highland Bagpipe_ and Dr. Grattan Flood's _The
Story of the Bagpipe_, both monuments of research.
It would have been more than surprising if the pipe, in some form or
other, had not been used in ancient Greece and Rome. There are, in
fact, very many references to it in classical literature, and by 100
A.D. we know that the "askaulos" had evolved into the bagpipe proper,
and Chrysostomos speaks of a man who could "play the pipe with his
mouth on the bag placed under his armpit."
Martial, Suetonius, Seneca, and other Latin writers refer to the
"tibia utricularis," and there is practically no doubt that it
was used as a marching instrument in the armies of Julius Caesar.
A bronze showing a Roman soldier in marching order playing the
utriculus has been discovered in England, and the writer Procopius
refers to Roman pipe bands in this country.
But when we come to the question of the introduction of the bagpipe
into the British Isles, and especially into Scotland, we are at once
on highly controversial ground.
It is obvious enough that the instrument is not peculiar to the
Celtic races; that it has maintained its hold on them long after
its disappearance in other European nations is equally so. But who
introduced it into these favoured isles, whether the Cruithne or
Prydani or Picts or the later "C" Gaidheal branch of the Celtic
stem--who shall say?
Some authorities--students of the subject would be a safer term--are
prepared to assert that the bagpipe was introduced first into
England, thence to Lowland Scotland, and only long afterwards into
the Highlands; and one recent writer in the _Celtic Magazine_ says
the evidence of its association with the Scottish Gaels does not go
back beyond the middle of the sixteenth century!
The matter is one of academic interest, no doubt, but there is no
likelihood of its ever being settled.
Records did not exist in the ancient Highlands, and we have to turn
to early Irish literature for reference to the bagpipe. In the
Brehon Laws of the fifth century it is spoken of as the "cuisle";
and, although Tara's halls are usually associated with the harp,
it is recorded that at the assemblies which took place there in
pre-Christian days it was the custom for the pipes to play at the
banquets.[1]
It is possible the bagpipe was brought over from the north of
Ireland, "Scotia" as it then was, on the invasion of the Highlands by
Cairbre Riada, who founded the kingdom of Dalriada in Argyle in A.D.
120; or in the later great colonisation, about A.D. 506, under Lorne
and Angus, the sons of Ere.
It certainly does not appear likely that the bagpipe came over from
"Scotia" in the first place, unless we are to accept the view that
the Scottish Celt came over by the same route; unfortunately we have
very little accurate knowledge of the early history of the Highlands,
and there are no local written records extant to prove--as they do in
the case of Ireland--that the instrument existed in those early days.
We do know that the harper and the bard were national institutions
of immense antiquity in the Highlands, and that, as the bagpipe
became an increasingly important feature of everyday life, they were
bitterly opposed to it.
Even Latin authors, who were familiar with the bagpipe as a marching
instrument in their own army, omit to refer to the existence of _piob
mhor_ in the Highlands. The Greek writer Procopius, in 530 A.D.,
dismisses the Highlands with the statement that "in the west the air
is infectious and mortal, the ground covered with serpents, and this
dreary solitude is the region of departed spirits." And so we are
thrown back on tradition.
In the absence of records of the employment of the bagpipe in war in
the Highlands it is to Ireland, the so-called Lowlands of Scotland
and to England that we have to turn for information; at the same time
we must bear in mind that evolution of the instrument itself had
begun to operate, and the English and Lowland pipes were different
from the variety now known as the "Highland," which has supplanted
all others.
As regards Ireland it is known that the Irish troops who fought
in Gascony in 1286 had pipers with them, and a drawing of their
instrument appears in a manuscript of 1300 A.D. in the British
Museum. There were also Irish pipers at the battle of Falkirk in
1298, and they are again referred to in contemporary accounts of the
battle of Creçy.
The military piper therefore goes far back into history. But it was
as a social instrument that one finds most frequent reference to
bagpipes of some pattern or other in the Middle Ages. There was a
pipe band at the English Court in 1327, and an old inventory of 1419
shows that at the Palace of St. James' were "foure baggpypes with
pypes of ivorie ... the bagge covered with purple vellat."
But, whereas the English pipes went the same way as the Continental
varieties, it was otherwise in Scotland. Two institutions existed
there which fostered the tradition and saved _piob mhor_ from the
fate of disappearance--the Burgh piper and the Clan piper; and by
1450 A.D. these had certainly become part of the national life.
In Edinburgh in 1487 A.D. there were three town pipers, who were
paid three pence daily; one of their duties was "to accompany the
toun's drummer throw toun morning and evening." In 1505 A.D. the town
records of Dumbarton, Biggar, Wigton, Dumfries and Linlithgow refer
to burgh pipers.
In Aberdeen in 1630 A.D. exception appears to have been taken to the
custom of playing through the streets, as it is placed on record
that this was to be stopped "it being an uncivill forme to be usit
uithin sic a famous burghe, and being oftene found fault uith als
weill be sundrie niehbouris as by strangeris." That the citizens of
this "famous burghe" are peculiarly susceptible to the criticisms
of "strangeris" might never have been suspected by superficial
observers, and it is well that there is official testimony to the
fact.
The effect of their daily music on the inhabitants of Perth was
different,--or perhaps Perth was less amenable to the criticisms of
"strangeris." In any case it is recorded of a burgh piper, who used
to rouse the citizens at 5 a.m., that his music was "inexpressibly
soothing and delightful."
At Dundee the piper played through the town "every day in the morning
at four hours and every nicht at aucht hours," and was paid twelve
pennies yearly by each householder.
The pipes, at least in the pre-Reformation days--were sometimes
played in church; in course of time, however, piping on Sunday
scandalised the authorities, religious and civil, and, in the burgh
records, we find repeated instances of pipers being punished for this
misdemeanour.
The burgh piper was a man of peace; the clan piper was a man of
war. For many centuries he had to compete with the "clarsair," or
harper, and the bard, and aroused feelings of acute hostility from
the latter. In 1411 A.D. one bard, MacMhurich of Clan Ranald, wrote a
poem of a most uncomplimentary nature about the bagpipes.
The recitation of the bard before battle was probably last heard
at Harlaw in 1411, and the clan bards disappeared finally in 1726;
the last clan harper died in 1739, and the "croistara"--the fiery
cross--was sent round the clans for the last time in the '45.
The last Scottish piper will pass when the Scottish race itself
passes--which will certainly be the last of all.
The clan pipers were highly esteemed as musicians--from the musical
point of view they, no doubt, left us far behind. The courses of
training, lasting over years, at the old piping schools such as
existed at Boreraig, turned a man into a piper. As Neil Munro has it:
"To the make of a piper go seven years of his own learning and seven
generations before; at the end of his seven years one born to it
will stand at the start of knowledge, and, leaning a fond ear to the
drone, he may have parley with old folks of old affairs."
One of the results of the Heritable Jurisdiction Act of 1747, which
so completely altered the conditions of life in the Highlands, was
the disappearance of the office of hereditary clan piper.
The tunes these men played were the old tunes we know so well; and
so it has happened that in this war we find companies marching into
and through machine-gun and artillery barrage and into broken French
villages and through German trenches while the company piper plays
the same melodies that inspired their forebears to fight their
neighbours lang syne--melodies which have been heard, too, in the
same part of the world in the days when Scottish troops fought for
the Lilies of France against all comers.
The association of the bagpipe with military operations is probably
very ancient in Scotland. Perhaps the tradition that the Menzies
pipers played at Bannockburn rests on an insecure foundation, but if
the Bruce had no pipers, his son David most certainly had, as witness
the Exchequer Rolls. In 1549 a French writer states that "the wild
Scots encouraged themselves to arms by the sound of their bagpipes";
and in 1598 Alexander Hume of Logie wrote:
"Caus michtilie the warlic nottes brake
On Heiland pipes, Scottes and Hyberniche.
Incidentally, this reference to three different kinds of pipes is
interesting.
The first authentic reference to pipers in the Forces of the Crown
appears to have been in 1627, when Alex. Macnaughton of Loch
Fyne-side was commissioned by King Charles I. to "levie and transport
twa hundredthe bowmen" for service in the French war. Writing in
January 1628 to the Earl of Morton, Macnaughton says:
"As for newis from our selfis, our baggpyperis and marlit plaidis
serwitt us in guid wise in the pursuit of ane man of war that hetlie
followed us."
The records show that this company had a harper, "Harrie M'Gra frae
Larg," and a piper, "Allester Caddell," who, in accordance with the
custom of the time, had his gillie to carry his pipes for him.
Regimental pipers undoubtedly existed in the numerous bodies of
Scottish troops which served at various times on the Continent. Thus,
in 1586, in the "State of War" of Captain Balfour's company in the
Scots Brigade in Holland, there were two drummers and a piper; and
in "the worthy Scots regiment called Mackeye's" raised by Sir Donald
Mackay in 1626 there was an establishment of thirty-six pipers.
Pipers are also found on the rolls of the "regiment d'Hebron"--now
the Royal Scots--and to that very distinguished regiment we may
safely accord the further distinction of being the first "Regular"
regiment of the British Army to have pipes. The "North British
Fusiliers," now one of the battalions of the Royal Scots Fusiliers,
also had pipes as far back as 1678, and probably as early as 1642.
Writing in 1641, Lord Lothian said:
"I cannot out of our armie furnish you with a sober fiddler.... We
are sadder and graver than ordinarie soldiers, only we are well
provided with pypers. I have one for every company in my regiment,
and I think they are as good as drummers."
The great Montrose had pipers in his armies, and tradition has it
that, in the action of Philiphaugh in 1645, a piper stood on a small
eminence and played the old Cavalier tune, "Whurry, Whigs, awa' man,"
until he was shot by one of Leslie's men, and fell into the "Piper's
Pule" in Ettrick river.
An exactly similar incident occurred in the case of one of the pipers
of Bonnie Dundee at Bothwell Brig in 1679.
At the Haughs o' Cromdale in 1690 a wounded piper climbed on to a big
rock and went on playing till he died, thus setting an example which
has been followed by his successors in many actions in this war. The
stone on which this unknown hero stood is known to this day locally
as "Clach a phiobair."
There are many such in France and elsewhere to-day.
In Wodrow's letters in 1716 there is a reference to the company
pipers of the "Argyle's Highlanders": "They entered in three
companies, and every company had their distinct pipers, playing three
distinct springs. The first played "The Campbells are coming" ... and
when they entered Dundee the people thought they had been some of
Mar's men, till some of the prisoners in the Tolbooth, understanding
the first spring, swung the words of it out of the windows, which
mortified the Jacobites."
Again, in 1715, when Argyle's troops marched to Leith, it was stated
by Cockburn (Historical MSS. Commission): "While our generals were
asleep the rebels marched to Seton House, leaving the piper in the
citadel to amuse."
The piper, by this time, had clearly become a recognised military
institution.
In the '45 the unfortunate Sir John Cope was undoubtedly aroused
by the music of _piob mhor_ at Prestonpans, though it is doubtful
whether "Hey Johnnie Cope" was composed for the occasion.
Prince Charlie had thirty-two pipers of his own, besides those
belonging to the clans with him. One of these men, James Reid, was
taken prisoner in the operations of 1746. He pleaded that he had not
carried arms, but the Court decided that "no Highland regiment ever
marched without a piper: therefore his bag pipe, in the eye of the
law, was an instrument of war"--and they dealt with him accordingly.
This view was confirmed by the Disarming Act of 1747, which nearly
succeeded in attaining its object of abolishing the bagpipe, the
kilt, the tartan and national sentiment generally--only Regular
regiments being exempted from its operation.
Penal legislation against the bagpipe was no new thing. Cromwell had
tried it in Ireland, and, under William II., 600 Irish pipers and
harpers were persecuted with relentless rigour. And in Ireland it
succeeded.
Saxon governments have always done the piper the honour of regarding
him as an exponent and supporter of national sentiment.
Even in Scotland the years between 1747 and 1782, when the iniquitous
Disarming Act was repealed, were very nearly fatal to the continued
existence of the bagpipe as a national institution; and it was the
Regular Army which saved it--though no one could ever accuse the
military authorities of unduly favouring the instrument. Even General
Officers have publicly sneered at them--as when Wolfe at Quebec
contemptuously refused to allow the pipes of the Fraser Highlanders
to play, or when Sir Eyre Coote in 1778 described them as a "useless
relic of the barbarous ages."
Both generals had to withdraw what they had said.
The opinion of the Court Martial which tried poor James Reid, that
his bagpipe "was, in the eye of the law, an instrument of war," was
after all as shrewd an expression of the truth as their sentence was
harsh.
In later times the pipes in the army have received little official
recognition. In 1858, when the King's Own Scottish Borderers applied
for their pipers to be placed on the establishment, the Commander in
Chief grudgingly consented "as the permission for these men is lost
in time," but on condition that they were not to cost the public
anything as regards their clothing.
Nor has the modern War Office shown more sympathy to an institution
whose value, even on theoretical grounds, should have been
recognised. The ancient and honourable title of Pipe Major has been
abolished and that of "sergeant piper" has been substituted. Pipers
themselves, on mobilisation, are returned to the ranks with the
exception of six men. In Lowland regiments, indeed, the piper, though
tolerated, is not officially recognised at all.
A bandsman may in due course become a first-class warrant officer--in
one or two units, indeed, he has attained commissioned rank; but the
"sergeant piper" remains a sergeant, and can hope for nothing more.
This, surely, is an injustice which is remediable at small cost to
the nation.
The apathy of the War Office in regard to the training of pipers
as pipers is another matter which is in urgent need of reform.
Commanding officers and pipe presidents are sometimes pipers
themselves--though not always; it is absurd to leave to them the
responsibility of training men in the art. The time has come for
a thorough reform of the whole system and method of training of
military pipe bands.
THE PIPES IN THE WAR, 1914-1918
THE WESTERN FRONT
During the autumn[2] and winter of 1914-15 pipers, for obvious
reasons, had few opportunities of attracting much attention, still
less of performing their highest duty, viz. playing their companies
into action. They were necessarily, on account of the extreme
shortage of men, for the most part employed in the ranks; and in many
of the old Regular battalions pipe bands disappeared altogether.
For a time it seemed that the critics were right, and that in warfare
in the twentieth century there was no longer a place for a class of
man which was destined to disappear, as the bard and the harper had
done in days lang syne.
This view was widely held, and in some regiments was never modified.
But gradually, as attacks became more frequent and movements set
in, and as the British Army grew stronger in numbers, the position
changed, and the piper became more than an invaluable marching
instrumentalist or performer at _ceilidhs_ in billets.
The first occasion on which pipers played, or tried to play, their
companies into action was at Cuinchy on 25th January 1915, when the
1st Black Watch suffered such heavy casualties in advancing through
deep mud up to their knees.
It was at Neuve Chapelle in March 1915 that the company piper
really had his first chance of showing what he could do, as a
piper, in action. On this occasion the 20th Brigade had to carry
the stronghold of Moulin du Piètre, and lost very heavily; the 2nd
Gordons were in the main attack and the 6th Gordons, a Territorial
unit, in reserve. The 6th Gordons were called upon to support their
comrades of the old Regular Army, and advanced, headed by their
pipes and drums, with a rush which carried many of them beyond their
objective.
From that time onwards, right up to the end of the war, pipers
have repeatedly played their units into action, in spite of the
unfavourable conditions resulting from modern rifle and artillery
fire and gas, and have established the standard of gallantry in this
respect which has been at once the admiration of all observers and an
incentive to their successors to emulate them.
During the first weeks' heavy fighting, in April-May 1915, on the
left of the attenuated British line of the Ypres salient, the pipers
of Canadian battalions took a prominent part. In their advance on
the St. Julien wood the 16th Canadians were led by their company
pipers, two of whom were killed and two wounded while playing; their
places were at once taken by others, who played the battalion through
the German trenches at the heels of the retiring enemy to the tune
"We'll tak' the guid auld way." In many subsequent actions these men
distinguished themselves in the same way.
After the failure of the first attack on the German line at Rue des
Bois on 9th May 1915, in the action of Richebourg-Festubert, the 1st
Black Watch were played to a fresh attack by their company pipers.
"With their characteristic fury they had vanished into the smoke, and
the only evidence that remained was the sound of the pipes." When
they reached the German trenches a piper, Andrew Wishart, stood on
the parados playing until he was wounded. Another piper, W. Stewart,
was awarded the D.C.M. on this occasion.
The same thing happened in the case of the 2nd Black Watch at
Festubert, the companies being led by their pipers. Of these men
two, Pipers Gordon and Crichton, were specially mentioned for their
gallantry. The Seaforth pipers, too, suffered heavily in this as in
many later actions--"Caber Feidh" has often been heard along that
line which looked so weak, but was too strong for the Germans.
In the action at Festubert on the 17th May the 4th Camerons got
further than any other battalion, and were played in by their pipe
major, J. Ross, and four pipers. These men got through untouched,
though their pipes were all injured.
Later again, on 16th June 1915, when the Hooge salient was
straightened by the 3rd Division, the attack was led by the 8th
Brigade, and the enemy front and support lines were taken. On this
occasion Pipe Major Daniel Campbell, although wounded, played his
battalion, the 1st Royal Scots Fusiliers, over the top.
Dawn was just breaking when the Pipe Major scrambled out on the
parapet and started playing. The men raced forward after him until
stopped by uncut wire. In the hand-to-hand fighting which ensued the
Pipe Major threw aside his pipes and, catching up a bayonet, joined
in the attack.
It was during the Ypres fighting, where gas was first used against
us, that an incident occurred of which the facts are as stated, but
unfortunately it has been found impossible to get the names of the
men concerned.
"The men, looking into the storm of shells that swept their course
and at the awful cloud of death now almost on them, wavered, hung
back--only for a moment. And who will dare to blame them?
"Two of the battalion pipers who were acting as stretcher bearers
saw the situation in a moment. Dropping their stretcher they made
for their dug-out and emerged a second later with their pipes.
They sprang on the parapet, tore off their respirators and charged
forward. Fierce and terrible the wild notes cleft the air ...
after fifteen yards the pibroch ceased; the two pipers, choked and
suffocated with the gas fumes, staggered and fell."[3]
Although in these earlier actions pipers had done much to maintain
the traditions of the past they had never had the opportunities
of distinguishing themselves that came to them during the great
operations about Loos in September 1915. The attack of two army
corps, in which were thirty Scottish battalions, along a seven-mile
front, was a chance for these men, and one of which they were not
slow to avail themselves. Three pipers at least earned the title
of "The piper of Loos," and one of these, Daniel Laidlaw, of the
7th King's Own Scottish Borderers, was awarded the Victoria Cross;
but, in the general orgie of gallantry which characterised those
operations, individual pipers in very many cases won the highest
praise in their own units but escaped the official recognition they
had earned.
The attack by the 28th Brigade on the Hohenzollern Redoubt was
accompanied by fearful casualties; with uncut wire in front, in
an atmosphere heavily laden with gas, exposed to machine-gun fire
in front and flank, the 6th K.O.S.B., 10th and 11th H.L.I. and
9th Seaforths were decimated. The K.O.S.B. were played over the
top by their veteran Pipe Major, Robert Mackenzie, an old soldier
of forty-two years' service. He was severely wounded and died the
following day.
On the right of this Brigade the 26th had better luck, as the wire
was found to be more thoroughly cut. The 5th Camerons and 7th
Seaforths led the way followed by the 8th Gordons and 8th Black
Watch, and reached Fosse 8, where they hung on, though reduced to the
strength of a single battalion.
"The heroism of the pipers was splendid. In spite of murderous fire
they continued playing. At one moment, when the fire of the machine
guns was so terrific that it looked as if the attack must break down,
a Seaforth piper dashed forward in front of the line and started
'Caber Feidh.' The effect was instantaneous--the sorely pressed men
braced themselves together and charged forward. The Germans soon got
to realise the value of the pipes and tried to pick off the pipers."
In this one attack the 5th Camerons had three pipers killed and eight
wounded. Further south the pipers of the 2nd and 6th Gordons led
their companies in the costly attack on Hulluch and the Quarries. An
officer of the Devons, on their flank, writes:
"I shall never forget those pipes.... During the charge a Gordon
piper continued playing after he was down."
On the other side of the Hulluch road the 15th Division received its
baptism of fire, and lost 6000 men in the two days' fighting. One
of the battalions of the 46th Brigade, the 7th King's Own Scottish
Borderers, afforded an admirable example of the value of the pipes
in rallying men when the position is critical. The piper concerned,
Daniel Laidlaw, was awarded the Victoria Cross and the Croix de
Guerre. The _London Gazette_ Notification, which does not err on the
side of uncontrolled emotionalism, describes the award as follows:
"For most conspicuous bravery.... During the worst of the
bombardment, when the attack was about to commence, Piper Laidlaw,
seeing that his company was somewhat shaken from the effects of gas,
with absolute coolness and disregard of danger, mounted the parapet,
marched up and down and played his company out of the trench. The
effect of his splendid example was immediate, and the company dashed
out to the assault. Piper Laidlaw continued playing his pipes until
he was wounded."
The evidence of eye-witnesses shows that, at the time, a cloud of gas
was settling down on the trench and there was heavy machine-gun fire.
Laidlaw played "Blue Bonnets over the Border," and the effect on the
men was indescribable; as they followed him over the top he changed
to "The Standard on the Braes of Mar." The old tune was surely never
played to better purpose; and if Laidlaw's action stood alone, if he
were the only piper during the war who stimulated a company at the
moment when things were at their worst, surely that achievement amply
supports the view that, even in the warfare of to-day, _piob mhor_
is an instrument of war which can justify all claims made for it. As
it is, Piper Laidlaw, "the Piper of Loos," stands as type of a class
of men who, throughout the war, have lived up to the traditions of a
great past.
Another piper of the same battalion, Douglas Taylor, being wounded
and unable to play, spent thirty-six hours bringing in gassed men
without relief, until he himself was dangerously wounded. Further
on, the 44th Brigade--the 8th Seaforths, 7th Camerons, 9th Black
Watch and 10th Gordons--made the historic charge which captured
Loos and then went on, until, for want of support, they could get
no further and were compelled to retire. They rallied on Hill 70
round a tattered flag made out of a Cameron kilt. The battalions of
this brigade were played into and beyond Loos; and, when they were
widely scattered and mixed up, pipers played to rally the men of
their own battalions. Among many others, Piper Charles Cameron of the
11th Argylls stood out in the open playing unconcernedly, and was
thereafter known in his battalion as "the Piper of Loos."
The shattered remnants of the 15th Division were withdrawn in the
evening from the blood-stained slopes of Hill 70, but the battalions
were played in by their own pipers. The 9th Black Watch numbered
only 100 of all ranks and one piper; the 7th Cameron pipers were
practically annihilated, the 8th Seaforths lost ten, and others
suffered in similar degree.
It is a far cry from Hill 70 to Scaur Donald, and they were only
regimental pipers, but to these brave men the words of the old song
are surely applicable.
"There let him rest in the lap of Scaur Donald,
The wind for his watcher, the mist for his shroud,
Where the green and the grey moss shall weave their wild tartan,
A covering meet for a chieftain so proud."
In the fighting subsidiary to the main action of Loos, at Mauquissart
and in the neighbourhood of Neuve Chapelle, the 2nd Black Watch
pipers distinguished themselves greatly. They played their companies
into and beyond the first line of German trenches. One of them, A.
Macdonald, stood playing on the German parapet while the position was
being cleared, and then on, through a hurricane of fire, over three
lines of trenches, until dangerously wounded. For this he was given
the D.C.M.
Three others, J. Galloway, R. Johnstone and David Armit, did
precisely the same; and yet another, David Simpson, behaved with such
gallantry that he also came to be known as "the Piper of Loos," the
third of the brave trio to earn that honourable title. He had already
played over three lines of German trenches, and was leading towards
the fourth when he was killed. Johnstone, on this occasion, played
till he fell gassed.
Throughout the long succession of actions which punctuated the Somme
operations in 1916, the pipes continued to be much in evidence,
and references to them and to their effect upon the men during
that bloody fighting are frequent in the contemporary reports of
observers, and in private letters subsequently published. French
reports also have placed on record their admiration for the company
pipers of Scottish regiments. "Some of the finest work," writes one
well-known French military writer, "was accomplished at the very
outset by the Highlanders, who carried the trenches in lightning
fashion, urged on by the inspiriting music of their pipes."
The fighting at Loos had shown, on a comparatively small scale,
that the pipes, when freed from the restrictions placed upon their
employment by the exigencies of trench warfare, were still capable
of fulfilling their historic _rôle_ in open fighting The gallantry
of the pipers at Hulluch and Hill 70 was worthy of the units they
led, and established a record which was hard to beat; but for months
on end their great achievements were emulated by those of their
successors in the new armies which had poured into the field.
The opening attack on the 1st July affords numerous examples of
pipers playing their companies into action, and a few may be taken as
representative of the whole.
In the attack by the 32nd Division the 17th H.L.I, succeeded, with a
loss of over 500 men, in capturing and holding part of the Leipzig
redoubt, though unsupported for a considerable time. The Commanding
Officer writes:
"I told the Pipe Major to play; he at once responded, getting into a
small hollow, and playing and greatly heartening the men as they lay
there hanging on to the captured position. Pipe Major Gilbert showed
a total disregard of danger and played as if he were on a route
march. For this action he obtained the Military Medal."
In the advance on Mametz on the same day the 2nd Gordons were led by
their company pipers. An officer of an English battalion in the 20th
Brigade describes how "we heard their pipes play these fellows over.
It sounded grand against the noise of shells, machine guns and rifle
fire. I shall never forget them."
The same thing occurred later when the battalion attacked the
orchards of Ginchy. On both occasions the casualties were very heavy.
[Illustration: PIPER DANIEL LAIDLAW, V.C., 7TH KING'S OWN SCOTTISH
BORDERERS
AT LOOS
_From the Drawing by Louis Weirter, R.B.A._]
At Fricourt Pipe Major David Anderson of the 15th Royal Scots stood
out in front of the battalion until he was wounded, and played across
shell-beaten ground under heavy fire. He was awarded the Croix de
Guerre.
The two battalions of Tyneside Scottish were similarly played to
their attack on La Boiselle and the ridge in front of it on the
opening day of the battle of the Somme. A correspondent who was
present says:
"The Tynesiders were on our right, and, as they got the signal to
advance, I saw a piper--I think he was the Pipe Major--jump out
of the trench and march straight towards the German lines. The
tremendous rattle of machine-gun and rifle fire completely drowned
the sound of his pipes, but he was obviously playing as though he
would burst the bag, and, faintly through the roar of battle, we
heard the mighty cheer his comrades gave as they swarmed after him.
How he escaped I can't understand, for the ground was literally
ploughed up by the hail of bullets; but he bore a charmed life, and
the last glimpse I had of him as we, too, dashed out showed him still
marching erect, playing on regardless of the flying bullets and of
the men dropping all round him."
Of the two battalions 10 pipers were killed and 5 wounded, and Pipe
Major Wilson and Piper G. Taylor both got the Military Medal. Many
of these pipers, having played their companies up to the German
trenches, took an active part in the fighting as bombers.
Again, at Longueval on 14th July, regimental pipers were conspicuous.
As the 26th Brigade--8th Black Watch, 10th Argylls, 9th Seaforths,
and 5th Camerons--commenced their advance, they were exposed to
frontal and enfilading machine-gun fire, and shrapnel mowed them
down; but their pipers led the way, and the men followed cheering and
shouting.
"Where we were the brunt of the action fell on two New Army
battalions of historic Highland regiments. Their advance was one
of the most magnificent sights I have ever seen. They left their
trenches at dawn, and a torrent of bullets met them. They answered
immediately--with the shrill music of the pipes, and, indifferent
apparently to the chaos around them, pushed steadily on towards their
objective."
Describing the attack by the 10th Argylls, another observer writes:
"We came under a blistering hot fire, but the men never hesitated. In
the middle of it all the pipes struck up "The Campbells are coming,"
and that made victory a certainty for us. We felt that whatever
obstacles there barred our path they had to be overcome.... The
last fight was the worst of all. It was at the extreme end of the
village, where the enemy had possession of some ruined houses. They
had a clear line of fire in all directions, and we were met with a
murderous hail of fire. For a moment the men wavered. I doubted if
they were equal to it. Then a piper sprang forward, and the strains
broke out once more. The attacking line steadied and dashed at the
last stronghold of the Huns. Their line snapped under our onslaught."
On this occasion the Pipe Major, Aitken, a man of sixty, was awarded
the Distinguished Conduct Medal. One of the pipers referred to in the
above incident was James Dall, and his Commanding Officer considers
his action in playing the regimental march at this juncture was
the means of his company gaining their objective; the other was D.
Wilson, who was also mentioned in despatches with Dall.
Of the attack by the 9th Seaforths a wounded officer writes:
"We swept on until we finally carried the German trench with a
rousing cheer to the strain of the pipes. The heroism of the pipers
was splendid. In spite of murderous fire they kept playing on. At one
moment, when the fire was so terrific it looked as if the attack must
break down, one of the pipers dashed forward and started playing. The
change could be felt at once, the sorely pressed men gave a mighty
cheer and dashed forward with new zeal."
North of Longueval the 1st Gordons made a furious attack, on the 18th
July, and on this occasion they were led by their pipers.
"They were out of sight over the parapet, but we could hear at
intervals their shouts of 'Scotland for ever!' and the faint strains
of the pipes. Then we saw them reappear, and then came prisoners."
Similar accounts were given of the 6th and 7th Gordons. In the 6th
Gordons Piper Charles Thomson had his arm blown off while playing.
"The gallantry of these men who wear the tartans of the old Scottish
clans would seem wonderful if it were not habitual with them. Their
first dash for Longueval was one of the finest exploits of the war.
They were led forward by the pipers, who went with them, not only
towards the German lines, but across them and into the thick of the
battle.... In that September fighting the pipe major of a Gordon
battalion played his men forward and then was struck below the knee;
but he would not be touched by a doctor until the others had been
tended. He was a giant of a man and so heavy that no stretcher could
hold him, so they put him in a tarpaulin and carried him back. Then
he had his leg amputated and died."[4]
On the 3rd September the 4th Black Watch were played into action and
had to capture a village. According to an eye-witness:
"It was magnificent to see these men charge up the narrow street
leading to the second barricade. Amid the ruined houses on each side
the enemy were posted. At the moment when it was hottest the strains
of the pipes were heard. The men answered with a cheer and swept
steadily on over the barricade and through the ruins; and the village
was ours."
Of a Seaforth battalion a similar story is told:
"The men simply raced into the storm of bullets ... at last it became
too terrible for any human being to stand against it. The attacking
lines melted away, the men seeking what cover could be found.... It
was here that the pipers of the Seaforths had their chance. They took
it. As the men advanced again to the attack they were cheered on by
the strains of the pipes, which could just be heard. The men dashed
through, clearing out the enemy as they went."
During the attack on Beaumont Hamel in October, as in the earlier
fighting at Thiepval, the pipers of the 15th H.L.I. lost very heavily
when leading their companies.
Such instances of the bravery of pipers and of the stimulus afforded
by the pipes to men in action became matters of almost every-day
occurrence, and, though everyone recognised the tremendous losses
that were the result of their exposure, there were occasions when
those losses were more than compensated for at the time by the
results obtained. Everywhere, at Contalmaison, Martinpuich, Pozières,
Delville Wood, wherever Scottish troops were employed, their pipers
played their historic _rôle_, and, to quote Philip Gibbs, "over the
open battlefields came the music of the Scottish pipes, shrill above
the noise of gunfire."
Nor were the pipers of purely Scottish regiments left to establish
these records of bravery unchallenged. They had keen rivals in
battalions of overseas Scots, notably the South African Scottish and
the Canadians.
During the fighting for Delville Wood in July the South Africans were
torn to pieces by shell fire. The remains of the battalion hung on
for days, losing all their officers but the colonel. When relief came
their pipers headed the blackened and weary warriors out of the wood
of death.
Similarly, the 16th Canadian Scottish pipers maintained the fine
reputation they had earned on the Ypres salient. When the battalion
moved up to the attack on the Regina trench on 8th October, there was
keen competition among the pipers as to who should be allowed to play
them over. "Four pipers, Richardson, Park, M'Kellar and Paul marched
ahead of the battalion with the Commanding Officer for a distance of
half a mile under intense machine-gun fire and escaped scatheless.
They could be heard clearly as they played 'We'll take the good old
way,' and, as they passed, wounded men lying in shell holes raised
themselves on their elbows and cheered them. When they got near
the German line the battalion encountered uncut wire which, being
unusually heavy, took some time to cut. While this was going on Piper
Richardson played up and down outside the wire for twenty minutes in
the face of almost certain death.... Shortly afterwards a company
sergeant major was wounded, and Richardson volunteered to take him
out. After he had gone he remembered he had left his pipes behind. He
left the sergeant major in safety in a shell hole and returned. He
was never heard of again."
This brave man was awarded a posthumous V.C., the second piper to
obtain this coveted distinction. Piper Paul was subsequently given
the Military Medal.
At the capture of the Vimy Ridge on 9th April, 1917, by the
Canadians, the pipers of some of their battalions took a prominent
part. On this occasion the 16th Canadian Scottish repeated what
they had done in previous engagements, their companies being led
by pipers. The pipers concerned were Pipe Major Groat and Pipers
M'Gillivray, M'Nab, M'Allister, M'Kellar and Paul, and they advanced
a distance of over a mile under heavy fire without any casualties.
The Pipe Major was awarded the Military Medal.
Similarly the 25th Canadians had their pipers out in this action,
and Piper Walter Telfer, who went on playing after being severely
wounded, was given the Military Medal; Piper Brand got the same
decoration.
Later on, in the fighting round Arras, a battalion of the Camerons
was played to the attack:
"When the order came our men went over with right good will. It was a
thrilling moment, especially when the pipes struck up the Camerons'
march. I believe it was that music, at that particular moment, which
made it possible for us to go through the ordeal that followed."
Once again "The March of the Cameron Men" was the undoing of an enemy
which had to stand up against the Camerons; and in one part of the
line, when the attack was most furiously resisted, the company piper
changed his tune to the old "Piobaireachd Dhomnuil Duibh"--
"Fast they came, fast they come,
See how they gather!
Wide waves the eagle's plume
Blended with heather."
An account of the few minutes before "zero" by a piper of this
battalion appeared in the _Scottish Field_ ("Pipes of the Misty
Moorland," John M'Gibbon), and affords a good example of the
steadying effect of the pipes in a period of great strain on morale:
"I looked down at the company and I could see they were shaken....
I slung my rifle over my back and took up the pipes; that cheered
them. I played through two or three tunes and then birled up
'Tullochgorum.' They fairly hooched it and stamped time with their
feet. It was close on 'zero' ... when I changed to 'The March of The
Cameron Men.' Our guns burst out with drum fire behind us ... and the
men jumped the parapet like deer and raced over the broken ground at
the double. I kept up 'The Cameron Men.' ... I reached the parapet of
the first enemy trench, when I 'stopped one' with my leg, and down I
went in a heap."
The pipes were again to the front in the fighting for Hill 70 on the
Lens-Loos line in August, 1917. It was surely appropriate enough
that, in the advance over the very country in which so many Scottish
regiments had fought, with only temporary success, two years before,
the pipes should again be at the head of the units which recaptured
those blood-soaked positions.
An officer, describing the advance of the 13th Royal Highlanders of
Canada, says:
"Our advance was resumed and we swarmed over the top at three
different points. Away to the left, which was the objective of our
advance, the strains of the pipes could be heard, and across the
hills, where so many Scottish lads had fallen two years ago, there
burst a loud triumphant cheer as the Canadian Highlanders pressed on
to complete their work."
And so it happened that the gallant lads of the 15th Division were
avenged.
Opportunities for pipers continued during the later fighting in
1917-18. Records of individual companies and platoons show that on
several occasions the pipes encouraged the men to further effort. In
one case near Albert, a company of the Black Watch was temporarily
cut off from its supports after getting into a German trench and
suffered heavily; the men were crushed by superior numbers, and the
prospect was black until the piper, who was present as a stretcher
bearer, started playing. This had a great effect on the company,
which held on to the position until reinforcements arrived.
In the fighting about Albert in August, 1918, several instances
occurred of pipers playing their companies to the attack.
On the whole, however, at this stage in the war, it was being found
increasingly difficult to renew the depleted ranks of the pipe bands,
and most regiments were simply driven to keeping their pipers out of
action as far as possible, except on special occasions. But there
were still enough left of them to lead their units ever further
eastward as the tide of war rolled back.
Incidents frequently occurred showing that their experience of four
years' fighting had not damped the ardour of pipers in action.
On one occasion a 16th Canadian piper went into action playing on top
of a tank, and was killed. At Amiens, the pipers of the 16th and 48th
Highlanders of Canada played the battalions to the attack in August,
1918.
As the German defeat became increasingly apparent and the British
forces drove the enemy before them, pipers again got an opportunity
of leading their companies to the attack. During the fighting about
Albert-Arras in August, 1918, Scottish troops were heavily engaged.
Lieut. Edouard Ross, of the French interpreter staff, describes an
attack by a battalion of the Black Watch in which a detachment with a
piper got into the German trenches; they were all wounded, and their
position was dangerous, but the piper started playing, and the sound
rapidly brought reinforcements, who captured the position.
GALLIPOLI
In Gallipoli, as on the Western front, pipers added lustre to their
reputation; and incidents which occurred to some of them showed that
they were stout fighting men even after their pipes were put out of
action.
The nature of the terrain generally precluded the more spectacular
duty of playing their units to the attack, and the heavy casualties
in the force and the constant demand for men resulted in their being
frequently employed in the ranks; nevertheless, several cases did
occur of company pipers acting as such.
On 12th July, 1916, when the 6th H.L.I. captured three lines of
Turkish trenches, Pipers W. Mackenzie and M'Niven played at the head
of their companies; M'Niven was killed, and Mackenzie, putting down
his pipes, took part in the fighting with a Turkish shovel and did
great execution.
On the same day the pipers of the 7th H.L.I. led their battalion
into action, and only one of them was wounded. Of these men one,
Piper Kenneth MacLennan, was subsequently awarded the Distinguished
Conduct Medal "for playing his pipes during the attack and advancing
with the line after his pipes had been shattered by shrapnel, and
heartening the wounded under fire." Another, Piper Cameron, played
his company over three lines of trenches, with a revolver hanging on
his wrist, and earned a mention in despatches; and Piper Macfarlane
played through two bayonet charges until two of his drones were blown
off by shell fragments.
Writing of the fighting on 12th July, a wounded officer writes:
"The sound of the pipes undoubtedly stirred them on, a piper
belonging to each of the two battalions, 5th Argylls and 7th H.L.I.,
having mounted the parapets of their own trenches, and there in full
danger played their comrades on to victory."
In the attack on Achi Baba there was no opportunity for pipers as
such, though Pipe Major Andrew Buchan played the 4th Royal Scots
"over the top," and, as an officer writes: "fearless of all danger
went along the line and did much to hearten the men." Buchan was
killed.
Of the pipers of the 5th Royal Scots none survived the early days of
the fighting on the Peninsula. An officer of the regiment wrote that
they "gloriously upheld the traditions established long ago." In the
Achi Baba fighting four were killed and four wounded.
Casualties in action and by disease took heavy toll of the pipers of
all these battalions, and after a few months on the Peninsula the
pipe bands temporarily ceased to exist.
Even before the withdrawal of the force from Gallipoli it was
found that so many casualties had occurred among the pipers of the
battalions engaged that the bands were well on the way to extinction.
Consequently, under the able management of Colonel Maclean of
Pennycross a divisional band numbering twelve pipers and six
drummers--all that remained--was organised out of the wreck of the
pipe bands of the 52nd Division. That band, though never sent into
action, individually or collectively played frequently under shell
fire; and "Hey Johnnie Cope" could be heard quite distinctly every
morning in the firing line up to within a few days of the evacuation.
[Illustration: [Music]
THE COMRADES WE LEFT IN GALLIPOLI.
Set by Mrs. A. C. MACDIARMID
From the Pipe Tune Composed by
Col. H. A. C. MACLEAN C.M.G. of Pennycoss.]
The divisional band served on the Desert front in Egypt, and then
accompanied the Division right into Palestine, playing the leading
battalion, the 4th K.O.S.B.'s, over the frontier to "Blue Bonnets
over the Border."
Later on, more pipers and more Scottish units appeared; and so
we find the 2nd London Scottish being played into Jerusalem, and
"Dumbarton's Drums" sounding at the head of the Royal Scots as
they took over the guard on the Holy Sepulchre--as is the right of
"Pontius Pilate's Bodyguard."
SALONIKA
Opportunities for the employment of pipers as such were comparatively
rare in the course of the Salonika operations, for obvious reasons.
At Karadzakot Zir, however, the 1st Royal Scots pipers played their
companies to the attack on the village, and the C.O. reported that,
in his opinion,
"It was largely due to the presence of the pipers with the leading
wave that the enemy evacuated their trenches and retired in disorder."
MESOPOTAMIA
Playing the pipes in the Golden East is a far greater effort than it
is at home, and every piper who has soldiered there knows how the
heat and the dryness of the atmosphere affect his bag and reeds. But
the cult of _piob mhor_ thrives east of Suez, and at least as much
enthusiasm is shown by regiments stationed in India as in a home
station.
And when Scottish troops were called upon to take their part in the
Mesopotamia operations, we find the pipes as prominent a feature in
the fighting as they were on the Western front. At Sheikh Saad on 7th
January, 1916, the 1st Seaforths--the "Reismeid Caber Feidh"--were
played to the attack across absolutely open ground by their Pipe
Major Neil M'Kechnie and other pipers. An officer who was present
describes the incident as follows:
"As we advanced over the dead flat open desert the Turks suddenly
opened a very heavy fire from well concealed trenches at a range of
from 600 to 800 yards. The battalion immediately advanced by rushes
towards the enemy's position in spite of very heavy initial losses.
Foremost among the men was our acting Pipe Major, M'Kechnie, who
immediately struck up the regimental charge or 'onset,' 'Cabar Feidh.'
"His fine example as well as his music had a remarkable effect on the
men at such a critical moment. He was shortly afterwards wounded, and
had to drop behind as the lines went on."
In the same action the 2nd Black Watch were played in by their
pipers just as they had been on many previous occasions in France.
In the act of playing Corpl. Piper MacNee was mortally wounded. This
brave man had been wounded before at Mauquissart and awarded the
Distinguished Conduct Medal. The Pipe Major, John Keith, was awarded
the D.C.M. for "gallant and distinguished service throughout the
operations."
THE LAST STAGE
For four years and a half the pipes of war played their part in the
greatest war in history; in the front, under conditions in which they
could never have been expected to exist at all, they have led men to
victory, have rallied them when victory eluded their grasp, and have
marched them back undismayed by the tortures of battle; behind the
lines they have headed the long columns of Scottish troops on their
way up to the furnace in which the fate of nations was cast.
But, everywhere, they expressed the ideal of the race and led men to
follow causes, even causes which appeared lost ones, through to the
end.
When silence fell on the 11th November, 1918, along the blasted line
where rival civilisations had so long struggled for mastery, the
_rôle_ of the pipes changed, and it was no longer the "onset" that
the piper was impelled to play. The consummation of long effort had
been attained--and what instrument more entitled to bear witness
to the fact than the one which had sounded over the blood-stained
slag-heaps of Loos, the shell-swept heights of Vimy?
As the British First Army entered Valenciennes, the pipers of a
historic Scottish division played through the "place" opposite the
Hotel de Ville, and must have awakened in the old gabled houses
memories of the centuries old alliance between the Lilies of France
and the Thistle.
Further east, along the roads that led to Cologne, the pipes played
unceasingly, as befitted the occasion, impressing on the population
that this was indeed the coming of "Scotland the Brave."
And so, over the great Rhine bridge, the pipes of the 9th and
Canadian Divisions led the way, and Germany learnt at last that when
_piob mhor_ sounds "Gabhaidh sin an rathad mor"[5] it generally
attains its objective.
PIPERS IN THE RANKS
The piper is, first and last, a fighting man; and when a regiment is
mobilised it at once loses most of its pipers. Whatever the strength
of the band may have been in peace time, only the "sergeant piper"--a
hideous official term for the pipe major--and five "full" pipers are
normally retained as such. The remainder, while acting as pipers when
opportunity offers--and designated accordingly--serve in the ranks.
During this war, and notably during the early years of it, it was
often found necessary to make use of full and acting pipers in some
purely military capacity, _i.e._ either in the ranks, or as Lewis
gunners, bombers, orderlies, runners or stretcher bearers. This fact
accounts for many of the honours awarded to pipers, and, at the same
time, for the heavy casualties among them.
It is quite impossible to do justice to individuals or units in
regard to the part they played in performing such duties; for those
who obtained official recognition, in some form or other, hundreds
have merely had the satisfaction of playing the game, in accordance
with the rules laid down by all ranks of the British army. The few
examples given in this place are typical of the whole.
At Festubert in June, 1915, the pipers of the 6th Seaforths worked
continuously day and night, and brought 170 casualties from the front
line to the dressing station; at Loos the 9th Black Watch lost nearly
all their pipers when similarly engaged, and at the two actions
of Loos and Neuve Chapelle the 6th Gordons had two killed and ten
wounded.
Again, the 2nd Royal Scots pipers lost heavily on the Somme, and were
on one occasion highly commended for bringing water up to some newly
captured trenches under heavy fire.
The comments of General Sir William Birdwood in a despatch to the
Australian Government, though intended to apply to Australian
stretcher bearers, are very applicable to pipers acting in this
capacity, whether individually or collectively:
"Where all have done so well it is very hard to differentiate, but
as a class the stretcher bearers have been beyond praise. Never for
a second have they flinched from going forward time after time,
absolutely regardless of the fire brought against them; and I so
deeply regret that they should have suffered in consequence."
Another and most hazardous class of duty, which was largely performed
by pipers in some battalions, was that of "runners" or despatch
carriers; this often involved crossing heavily shelled country, and
has resulted in many casualties. Notable cases have occurred of men
carrying despatches through intense barrages, and some have received
rewards; the majority of such cases, however, have necessarily been
unnoticed.
Some men appear to have specialised in this duty, _e.g._ Pipe Major
Matheson, 1st Seaforths, who got the D.C.M. "for gallant conduct
on many occasions in conveying messages under heavy fire," and
Lance-Corpl. Piper Dyce, 13th Royal Highlanders of Canada, who on one
occasion carried a most urgent despatch through artillery barrage
when badly wounded.
In other cases pipers, individually and collectively, have done
admirable service in bringing up ammunition.
Many instances of acts of heroism by individual men are detailed
below.
PIPERS ON THE MARCH
Playing the pipes in action, though essentially the most important,
is, for obvious reasons, only one of the duties of the soldier
piper. Every unit of an army is not always in close touch with the
enemy, and every battalion puts in a good many miles of marching in
a year in conditions which are rarely ideal and very often acutely
miserable. It is here that the pipes have rendered such conspicuous
service as the marching instrument _par excellence_; and the cult
of the bagpipe has spread to units and nationalities which, before
the war, would never have thought it possible that the company piper
would become one of their most cherished institutions.
That Irish regiments should again adopt the national instrument that
had played their ancestors on to the battlefields of France in 1286
is so natural as to need no comment; but when we find English and
Australian units, battalions of the United States army, and ships of
His Majesty's Navy, to say nothing of field ambulances and transport
units, adopting the bagpipe, no further evidence is required to
substantiate its claim to be a highly important feature of modern
military organisation.
It is indeed to a recognition, in the very early days of the war, of
the great value of the pipes in "exciting alacrity and cheerfulness
in the soldier" that is due the fact that so many units have
deliberately tried to keep their pipers out of harm's way, and have
only allowed them, under protest, to accompany their companies into
action, and then only in limited numbers. Commanding officers have
appreciated that, as a stimulus to tired men, to men marching weary
miles to take up a position, to men returning worn out from a spell
of duty, the music of the pipes has proved invaluable.
Instances of this stimulating effect are too numerous to mention, but
a few, taken from contemporary accounts of the war, may be regarded
as typical.
The following incident in the retirement from Mons has frequently
occurred elsewhere. "I shall never forget how one General saw a
batch of Gordons and K.O.S.B. stragglers trudging listlessly along
the road. He halted them. Some more came up, until there was about
a company in all, with one piper. He made them form fours, put the
piper at the head of them, 'Now lads, follow the piper and remember
Scotland,' and they all started off as pleased as Punch, with the
tired piper playing like a hero."[6]
The Rev. Dr. Maclean, C.M.G., describes a case of the effect of the
pipes on tired men:
"It was a sweltering hot day, and the road was deep with dust. The
long snaky khaki column came marching steadily down the hill, silent
under the weight of their accoutrements with the grinding heat of an
April sun.... As the Scots came by he gave the sign to the piper. He
stepped forward and struck up one of the great battle marches of our
race. The scene that followed baffled description. A roar of cheering
burst from the ranks."
Another instance,[7] by one who was himself in the ranks, may
be regarded as typical. The regiment concerned was the Glasgow
Highlanders, but the description is applicable to every Scottish
regiment in the Army List:
"Kilometre after kilometre we marched, through the hottest hours of
the middle day, and our feet and backs ached under the weight of
all we carried, our faces were dabbled and streaked with dust and
perspiration, and in our mouths was only dust to chew....
"Walking had become a purely mechanical exercise, our limbs
controlled, as it seemed, by some power outwith us; our brains were
numb and dazed with fatigue and the maddening persisting pain that
was our every step. Blindly, dumbly, helplessly we staggered on ...
in infinite weariness we dragged ourselves to the beginning of the
street, and then--
"Then the pipes suddenly set the heavens and the earth dancing to the
strains of 'Highland Laddie,' the regimental march of the Glasgows.
And at the skirl of the pipes, and before the eyes of those critical
spectators, every man braced himself, his step assumed as much of
jauntiness as he could put into it, and he had a laugh and a jesting
answer ready on his lips for every outsider who spoke to him....
It was something more potent than wine that put the boldness into
their step, it was the sense of the tradition and honour of their
regiment: the feeling that on no account must they present other than
a brave front to the world, that the one unpardonable offence would
be to let the battalion down."
Examples could be multiplied indefinitely, but the best tribute to
the value of the pipes as a marching instrument and in keeping the
men cheery is, after all, the fact that regiment after regiment felt
constrained to keep them out of action entirely--whether as pipers
pure and simple or in other military capacities.
Statements to this effect have been received from nearly all the
regiments whose views have been asked, commanding officers being
almost unanimous in their opinion that, only where it is imperatively
necessary, should a pipe band be exposed to the chances of
annihilation inseparable from modern shell fire.
And in just the same manner as the pipes have helped battalions
along the "via dolorosa" into action so they have, time and again,
played them back to rest and comparative security. In some cases they
had shared in the action itself, in others they waited until their
services were required. Many commanding officers and observers have
referred to this as one of the most important of their duties. In
describing the return of a battalion, or what remained of it, from
Longueval, Philip Gibbs writes:
"There was a thick summer haze about, and on the ridges the black
vapours of shell bursts.... It was out of this that the Highlanders
came marching. They brought the music with them and the pipes of war
playing a Scottish love song, 'I lo'e na a laddie but ane.' Their
kilts were caked with mud, they were very tired, but they held their
heads up, and the pipers who had been with them played bravely ...
and the Scottish love song rang out across the fields."
An officer of an Argyll battalion, writing of the days of trench
fighting, says: "They have done much to hearten us on long marches.
They came out of Bethune after Loos and played what was left of us
back to billets." Another, in the Royal Scots, referring to the
return of the battalion from Kemmel, says: "I shall never forget the
effect on the men; as they struck up they fairly shouted themselves
hoarse with delight."
"Wonderful pipes! The men get tired and would fall out, but the
pipes make a unity of them. Invisible tendons and muscles seem to
connect the legs of all files, and all move as one, mechanically,
rhythmically, certainly. The strong are reduced to the step, the weak
are braced up to it. All bear the strain and share the strain. So we
go on, and the miracle is in the power of the music."[8]
A final quotation--one of a very great number received--reflects the
opinion of all ranks:
"I have often seen a company just out of the trenches straggling
along the road too weary to think of keeping in formation, let alone
in step. On the first sound of the pipes these same men would double
up to their place and march along with the best of them."
The ubiquity of the pipes on the Western front has been remarked by
all observers. "The music of the pipes is now as much a part of the
great orchestra of this war as the incessant rumbling of distant
guns, as the swirl of traffic along the transport lines, as the
singing of birds above No Man's Land.... And where there are pipes
there are Scotsmen--Scots everywhere from the sea to St. Quentin, in
old French market towns, and in Flemish villages ... and in camps
behind the fighting line not beyond the reach of long range shells,
and up in the trenches where death is very near to them.... As long
as history lasts the spirit of France will salute the memory of these
kilted boys and of all the Lowland Scots who have gone into the
furnace fires of this war to the music of the pipes, and have fallen
in heaps upon her fields. A thousand years hence, when the wind
blows softly across the ground where they fought, old Scottish tunes
will sound faintly in the ears of men who remember the past, and all
this country will be haunted with the ghosts of Scotland's gallant
sons."[9]
Nor has it been on the Western front alone that the value of the
pipes has made itself appreciated. In every other theatre of war
as well has "the tune with the tartan of the clan in it" been
heard at the head of columns toiling through the dust and heat, or
through pitiless rain. In Egypt and Gallipoli and the Holy Land, in
Mesopotamia and the Balkans, the pipes have been the prelude to
great happenings. "Bundle and Go" in the early dawn of an Eastern
day, "Soldier lie down" at night--these have been the preliminaries
which led up naturally to "Cabar Feidh" in a hail of machine gun
fire, or "Horo mo nighean donn bhoidheach" in the streets of captured
Bagdad.
"Many a soldier sadly misses his pipe, which of course may not be lit
on a night march; but to me a greater loss is the silence of those
other pipes, for the sound of the bagpipes will stir up a thousand
memories in a Highland regiment, and nothing helps a column of
weary foot soldiers so well as pipe music, backed by the beat of a
drum."[10]
When the British army advanced into German territory the pipers had
an opportunity to play with an abandon that had never been felt
before.
"Next day, with the skies still streaming, we made the longest
continuous march, some 36 kilometres, and by that effort got well
into Germany. The roads improved as we got farther on, but the tramp
through the forest of Zitter was long, marshy, and melancholy. Our
company was first after the pipers, and had the full benefit of the
music all the way. And we wandered inward; inward, with our seeking
and haunting Gaelic melodies, into the depths of the hanging, silent
wood. It was strange how aloof nature seemed to these melodies. In
Scotland, or even in France, all the hills and the woods would have
helped the music. But in this German land all were cold toward us,
and those endless pine trees seemed to be holding hands with fingers
spread before the eyes to show their shame and humiliation. There was
a curious sense that the road on which we trod was not our road, and
that earth and her fruits on either hand were hostile.
"And how tired the men became, with half of them through the soles
of their boots and with racking damp in their shoulders and backs
from their rain-sodden packs. But we listened still whilst voluminous
waves of melody wandered homeless over German wastes and returned to
us,
I heard the pibroch sounding, sounding,
O'er the wide meadows and lands from afar.
or to the stirring strains of the 'March of the Battle of Harlaw,'
or to the crooning, hoping, sobbing of 'Lord Lovat's Lament,' and
so went on from hour to hour through the emptiness of Southern
Germany. When we thought we had just about reached our camping ground
for the night, we came to a guide post which showed it still to be
seven kilometres on. But that was at the top of a long hill, and
the road ran gently down through woods the whole way. The colonel
sent a message to play 'Men of Portree.' The rain had stopped, and
an evening sky unveiled a more cheerful light. So, with an easy
inconsequent air, we cast off care and tripped away down to the
substantial and prosperous bit of Rhineland called Hellenthal, well
on our way to Cologne."[11]
The interminable marches are over and their goal has been attained;
and the instrument which has a tune for every human emotion can now
play "The Desperate Battle" in German towns with a safety which has
been long unknown. To many a man, however, as he fingers his chanter,
the feeling will come, as he thinks of the good men and true who
never reached the 11th November, 1918, that the tune that is most
appropriate is "Lochaber no more."
PIPE TUNES
Pipe tunes--as every piper knows--have local associations,
associations with particular incidents, particular emotions; and
in military piping this is never overlooked. In war everything has
changed--everything but the elemental courage and passions of the
men who are engaged in it; and, as _piob mhor_ is essentially the
instrument on which those elemental passions can be best expressed,
it is not uninteresting to observe how individual pipers have
resorted to particular tunes, to suit particular occasions. In
many, perhaps in most, cases there were traditional or regimental
reasons for playing one tune rather than another, and such tunes
were often in the highest degree appropriate; but in other cases the
individuality of the performer determined the choice.
Of a selection based on tradition the best authenticated instance is
that of the Gordon piper who played Cogadh na Sith, "War or peace,"
during the Somme fighting. The tune itself, a piobaireachd composed
by the great M'Crimmon some 400 years ago, was played by the Gordons
at Waterloo and by a Cameron piper, Kenneth M'Kay, at Quatre Bras.
"[12]About the middle of June a draft of about a hundred and twenty
men arrived in camp for the Gordons--the finest draft the commanding
officer declared he had ever seen. On the 18th, they were ordered to
the front. I found they had a piper with them, and immediately laid
hold on him to play the men down to the station. I brought him up to
my tent and provided him with a set of pipes which I had reserved for
my own particular work.... I found something more interesting than
that. His great-grandfather had been a piper in the regiment in the
days of the Napoleonic war, and at the Battle of Waterloo he stood
within the square and played the ancient Highland challenge-march
'Cogadh na Sith,' as the French cuirassiers hurled themselves upon
the immovable ranks in vain.
"'John,' I said, 'this is the anniversary of Waterloo, and you will
lead the men out to that very tune which your great-grandfather
played on that great day.' I told the colonel, and his eyes gleamed
as he said to me, 'Ah! padre, we'll do better than that. You will
tell the men about it, and I will call them to attention, and your
piper will play his tune in memory of the men of Waterloo.'
"And so it was done, and a thrilling incident it was as the men stood
rigid and silent in full marching order, and the piper strode proudly
along the ranks, sounding the wild, defiant challenge that stirred
the regiment a hundred years before."
Regimental tunes appeal enormously to the men who hear and know them;
it was probably as much the sound of "Blue Bonnets over the Border"
as the sight of Piper Laidlaw piping along the parapet that made the
men, shaken with shell fire and gas, go straight forward; and red
hackles have followed "Highland Laddie" in circumstances when another
tune might have failed to exert the same extraordinary influence.
But, having played his regulation onset, the piper has an opportunity
of suiting his own taste and selecting a tune appropriate musically
and emotionally, as well as in name, to the occasion.
On many occasions when the choice of a tune has not been restricted
by regimental custom or tradition, individual performers have made
selections which indicated the remarkable mentality of the British
soldier.
At Loos, where Pipers Simpson and M'Donald of the 2nd Black Watch
played their company over the top and through the attack, the tune
they commenced with was "Happy we've been a' thegither,"--only later
changing into the ceremonial onset "Highland Laddie." To men in a
trench who have suffered untold nerve strain waiting for Zero and who
happen--as do most men in Highland regiments--to know one tune from
another, no more appropriate combination of "onsets" could have been
selected.
At Beaumont Hamel, when the 17th H.L.I. took the German trenches and
had an opportunity of bombing out the occupants, Pipe Major Gilbert
played another popular and very suitable tune, "The muckin' o'
Geordie's Byre," and greatly encouraged the men in their task. This
same tune has done duty on many similar occasions.
It was to "We'll tak the guid auld way" that the 16th Canadians
attacked at Vimy, and many Cameron pipers have played the
"Piobaireachd Dhomhnuill Duibh" in similar circumstances.
Another very favourite tune was "The Macgregor's Gathering" which was
played with great effect in the capture of many villages during the
Somme fighting.
A curious coincidence was the selection by the pipers of the 1st
H.L.I. of "I'll gang nae mair tae yon toun" as they marched out of
Marseilles on 1st November, 1914, on their way to the front. During
the first six months they lost seven pipers killed, eight wounded and
two taken prisoner, and the band ceased to exist.
"Baile Inneraora,"--otherwise "The Campbells are Coming"--was the
tune to which the first Highland regiment of the Expeditionary
Force, the 2nd Argylls, landed in France; from that time onward it
has immortalised on every front, if that were necessary, the town of
which Burns wrote:
"There's naething here but Highland pride
And Highland scab and hunger.
If Providence has sent me here,
'Twas surely in his anger."
The Argylls long ago took Burns' song and treated it with the
contempt it deserves when they adopted "Baile Inneraora" as their
"onset." It was played at the taking of Longueval, in the attack at
Loos, and at the subsequent rally after that glorious disaster, and
in many other actions.
During the fighting on the Somme for the heaps of ruins which had
once been a French village, an incident occurred which takes us back
to the legend connected with the pibroch "A Cholla, mo run." Long
ages ago, when the Campbells heard they were going to be attacked by
Coll Kiteach at Dunivaig, they set an ambush and captured the advance
guard. All were hanged except the piper, who was given permission
to play a lament over his comrades. The piper at once started the
warning, which was heard and understood by his comrades,
"Coll of my love avoid the strait, avoid the strait, avoid the strait,
Coll of my love, go by the Mull, gain the landing place."
The poor piper was instantly stabbed by the infuriated Campbells.
It is a far cry from those days, when men could converse to each
other in pibroch, to 1916; but another tune--not "A Cholla, mo
run"--was played by another piper in a French village when his party
was cut off. Two officers, a sergeant, and a piper of an Argyll
battalion, got separated from the main body, and found themselves
unable to get away when the village was again attacked by our men.
The small party at once started bombing the enemy from the rear,
but the piper, appreciating the unpleasant possibility of their
own presence not being recognised, struck up the regimental onset.
This alarmed the Germans, who thought they were being attacked from
a fresh quarter, and materially contributed to the success of the
operation.
INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENTS.
"Agus bha iad am measg uam fear treuna 'n an luchd-cuideachaidh
's a' chogadh."
To attempt to compile a complete record of the achievements of
individual pipers or of the pipe bands of units is an impossible
task; it would involve a review of the whole course of the war.
A long time must elapse before the histories of battalions are
completed, and even then we shall probably never know fully the
extent to which their pipers have contributed to the attainment of
success.
Throughout the war correspondence has been carried on with
individuals who, in spite of their appalling environment, have found
time to supply information. They at least have the satisfaction of
knowing that to them is largely due the fact that brave acts have
been saved from oblivion.
Such a review as follows is but a fragmentary one, based on
information obtained from officers, N.C.O.'s and men of the
battalions concerned--but almost never from individual pipers.
Among these men there appears to have been a conspiracy of silence,
and attempts to obtain fuller information as to the reason for the
granting of awards or the names of pipers whose identity disappeared
under the blue pencil of the Censor have proved in very many
instances unavailing.
The omission from these pages of mention of achievements of pipers
of many battalions must be regarded as indicating lack of space to
record them, or of failure to obtain the desired information.
The original Expeditionary Force landed in France with seven
Scottish battalions possessing pipe bands; when the armistice was
signed the number of such units exceeded a hundred. Although on
mobilisation the number of "full" pipers in a battalion is only six
it must be remembered that there are always "acting pipers" serving
in the companies who are available--until that source of supply is
exhausted--to take the place of casualties; and it is safe to reckon
that the 100 battalions have had more than 2500 pipers at various
times.
The numbers that served in various units during the campaign varied
enormously; in some, which freely utilised their pipers in the front
line--in the ranks, as bearers, and as pipers in action--as many
as seventy or eighty have been borne on the strength at different
times; in others, which kept these men invariably behind the front
line, the casualties were negligible and comparatively few were used
up.
This difference in method of employment largely explains the
variations in the casualty lists and honours of different units; and,
in some cases, it has been found impossible to obtain anything like
complete information.
8543 Piper JAMES MACKENZIE, 1st Scots Guards.
During the desperate fighting about Ypres in October, 1914, Piper
Mackenzie greatly distinguished himself bringing up ammunition to
the firing line. He was killed while doing so. Awarded a mention
in despatches.
8081 Piper CHARLES SCOTT MAGUIRE, 2nd Scots Guards.
On the 27th October, 1914, near Ypres, an advanced trench was
blown to pieces by shell fire, most of its occupants being killed
or wounded. Hearing calls for help, Piper Maguire went forward
from the support trench to report. He crawled 15 yards on hands
and knees to the wrecked trench and found several men had been
buried by the explosion. Although without any protection from
enemy fire he dug out a man and found he was dead; he continued
his task and got out another, placing him for safety under cover
of the dead body. He then crawled back to his trench. The N.C.O.
in charge had been killed meantime, and no official report of his
conduct was possible. Maguire himself was wounded shortly after,
his back being broken; he died of paralysis some seven months
later.
11002 Piper J. MCMILLAN, 1st Royal Scots.
Was awarded the D.C.M. for conspicuous gallantry as a battalion
scout.
10123 Corpl. E. COLLINS, }
10754 Piper J. CLANCY, }
10639 " J. SMART, } 1st Royal Scots.
10032 " P. MALLIN, }
During the operations on the Salonika front the battalion had
to capture Karadzakot Zir. The men had to advance over open
country to the attack. These pipers played over three successive
charges to the enemy's position, and the commanding officer
considered their gallantry on this occasion was to a large extent
instrumental in bringing about the success of the attack. In
spite of their exposed position they all got through without
being touched.
11065 Piper H. M'LEOD, 2nd Royal Scots.
Was repeatedly mentioned in despatches for gallantry in attending
wounded under fire, and was recommended for the D.C.M.
1235 Piper W. SINCLAIR, 5th Royal Scots.
Shortly after the original landing on the Gallipoli Peninsula,
a critical retirement took place. Piper Sinclair, on his own
initiative, gathered together a handful of stragglers, and,
taking up a favourable position, covered successfully the
withdrawal of the battalion. He was killed.
Pipe Major JOHN BUCHAN, 4th Royal Scots.
Just before the attack on Achi Baba on 28th June, 1915, Pipe
Major Buchan played along the line as the battalion went over; he
was killed.
7271 Pipe Major J. M'DOUGALL, 8th Royal Scots.
Was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal "for gallant conduct
under very trying circumstances" as a stretcher bearer at
Festubert in May, 1915.
Corpl. ALEXANDER FORSYTH, 9th Royal Scots.
At Arras in April, 1917, this man, who was a highly skilled
bomber, volunteered to bomb the Germans out of a position in
which they were covered by machine guns. He crawled up and
succeeded in his object, but was killed. He was given the
Distinguished Conduct Medal.
13283 Pipe Major A. COLGAN, 12th Royal Scots.
In the Loos attack the pipe major played the battalion over the
top and was wounded. Subsequently, in the great German offensive
in 1918, when pipers had to serve in the ranks, he got the
Military Medal "for good leadership and courage."
Pipe Major JOHN MOUAT, 13th Royal Scots.
During the final advance in 1918 the pipers were employed as
bearers, and suffered heavy casualties. Pipe Major Mouat received
a mention in despatches.
Pipe Major MURDOCH MACDONALD, 13th Royal Scots.
A heavy shell burst among a company and buried a number of men.
Pipe Major Macdonald went out alone, under very heavy shell fire
and brought in six wounded men unaided.
Pipe Major DAVID ANDERSON, 15th Royal Scots.
In the opening attack on the Somme front on 1st July, 1916,
the battalion was played forward by the pipe major, to the old
regimental tune "Dumbarton's drums." He was hit shortly after
going over the top, but continued playing; he was again wounded
after crossing the third line of trenches and fell to the ground.
He tried to go on playing while sitting on the ground, but his
pipes were shattered by a shell bursting near him. He managed to
get up and was at once attacked by a German, but succeeded in
knocking him out with his fists, and then continued fighting with
a rifle until overcome by his wounds.
Pipe Major Anderson was given the one Croix de Guerre allotted
to his Division for the most conspicuous act of bravery. The
pipes he was playing on this occasion were of historical interest
as they had been taken to the Antarctic by a member of Scott's
expedition, and had been played also in the Arctic expedition of
1907.
Another interesting feature of Anderson's achievement was that
several Germans surrendered to him as he played on the parapet of
one of their trenches.
Pipe Major DAVID CAMPBELL, 1st Royal Scots Fusiliers.
Although he had been wounded in the arm on the previous day Pipe
Major Campbell played his battalion to the attack on the German
position at Hooge on June 16, 1915. He played on right up to
the German wire entanglements when, throwing his pipes aside, he
caught up the bayonet of a comrade who had just been shot by a
German officer and at once attacked the latter. He captured the
officer.
9884 Piper HIGGINSON, 1st K.O.S.B.
The initial engagement of the battalion was the landing on
Gallipoli. During the first few days the pipers were fighting
in the ranks, and the gallant exploit of Piper Higginson is
eloquent indication of the fact that they played the part of the
fighting man right well. All the officers and N.C.O.'s of his
Company having been killed or wounded during the heavy fighting
of 26th April, 1915, Piper Higginson rallied the remainder, and
organised and led a bayonet charge with such dash and bravery
that the Turks were swept back from a line they had captured
earlier in the day. Just as success was attained Piper Higginson
was mortally wounded, and died some hours later. Had he survived
he was to have been recommended for the D.C.M.
1315 Piper MAITLAND, }
8248 Pipe Major W. MACKENZIE, } 1st K.O.S.B.
During most of their stay on the Gallipoli peninsula the pipers
had to bring up ammunition, rations, stores, etc., a job which
was at all times most trying and often extremely hazardous. For
conspicuous bravery in charge of these carrying parties the Pipe
Major and Piper Maitland were awarded the Military Medal.
556 Piper A. ERSKINE, 5th K.O.S.B.
Was mentioned in despatches for gallantry as a stretcher bearer
in Gallipoli.
14851 Pipe Major ROBERT MACKENZIE, 6th K.O.S.B.
At the battle of Loos 25th September, 1915, when the battalion
went forward to the attack in which it was decimated, the first
over the top was the Pipe Major, who started playing at once.
He was wounded and fell after a comparatively short distance,
but managed to crawl back. His leg had to be amputated, and he
died of shock shortly afterwards. Mackenzie was a man of nearly
sixty years of age, and had forty-two years' Army service. He was
awarded a mention in despatches. Before the action he had been
detailed, on account of his age, to be postman, but insisted on
going into action.
15851 Piper DANIEL LAIDLAW, V.C., 7th K.O.S.B.
Just before the attack on Hill 70 and Loos on 25th September,
1915, the battalion, which was under heavy shell fire, was
exposed to a cloud of poison gas. Many of the men succumbed to
this gas, and the remainder were shaken by what they were going
through. The commanding officer, seeing Laidlaw standing waiting
with his pipes for the order to advance, called to him, "Pipe
them together, Laidlaw, for God's sake, pipe them together," and
he immediately climbed out on to the parapet, and marched up
and down, regardless of danger, playing "Blue Bonnets over the
Border." The effect on the men was magical; at the same moment
the order came to advance, and the officer shouted "Come on, the
Borderers, who'll be the first to reach the German trenches?"
The survivors of the company swarmed up and over to the assault
following the piper. The men were falling all round him, but
Laidlaw continued to advance until he got near the German line,
when he was wounded and the officer, who was alongside of him,
was killed. As he lay on the ground he tried to go on playing,
and then managed to get up and hobble after the battalion.
He was awarded the Victoria Cross "for most conspicuous
gallantry," and the French Croix de Guerre.
The sobriquet "Piper of Loos" was commonly applied to Piper
Laidlaw; though, in fairness to two other men, it must be
admitted that he only shared that distinction with them.
Pipe Major DOUGLAS TAYLOR, 7th K.O.S.B.
During the attack on Loos when Piper Laidlaw got the V.C., the
other pipers were chiefly employed in bringing in the casualties.
There were large numbers of men lying about who had been
gassed. Pipe Major Taylor, though himself wounded in the hand,
continued bringing in these men for thirty-six hours, until he
was himself shot down with a bullet in the heart. He recovered
ultimately--one of the surgical miracles of the war.
Pipe Major W. ROBERTSON, 2nd Scottish Rifles.
Was awarded the Military Medal for gallantry in the field.
Pipe Major NEIL MACLEOD, 8th Scottish Rifles.
Greatly distinguished himself in the Dardanelles fighting in
attending on the wounded. He was killed in the attack on 12th
July, 1915.
40631 Corpl. WHITELAW, }
17806 Piper M'GURK, } 9th Scottish Rifles.
In a daylight raid at Arras in February, 1917, these two men
played their companies over, standing on the parapet, and then
followed them up to the German position.
Pipe Major J. M'COLL, 10th Scottish Rifles.
Was awarded the Military Medal for gallantry during the Somme
fighting.
14631 Piper ALEXANDER STEVENSON, 11th Scottish Rifles.
On 20th April, 1917, Piper Stevenson observed a comrade, who
had been out on a night patrol, lying wounded in No Man's Land,
and calling for help. He at once went over the parapet in broad
daylight and brought him in, although the Germans brought a
machine gun to bear on him as soon as he exposed himself. While
assisting the medical officer to dress the wounded man he was
killed. His name was mentioned in despatches for gallantry. He
had previously done excellent work carrying messages in action.
Piper ANDREW WISHART, }
9430 Piper W. STUART, } 1st Black Watch.
After the failure of the first attack on Richebourg, 9th May,
1915--the attacking battalions simply melting away under a sheet
of lead--a second attack on the position was ordered for midday;
the leading battalions on this occasion being the 1st Black Watch
and 1st Camerons. The men went over the top with a tremendous
dash, and each company was led by its pipers. Two at least
actually reached the German trenches and continued playing--9430
W. Stuart, and Andrew Wishart of the Black Watch. They were
under very heavy fire, and both got wounded. Wishart fell into
a shell hole and lay there for four days before he succeeded
in crawling back to our trenches. When he fell there were loud
shouts "The piper's down," and the men made frantic efforts to
get into the enemy's trenches; but the machine gun fire was too
heavy, and they had to withdraw. Piper Stuart was awarded the
D.C.M.
Piper GEORGE GALLOWAY, 7th Black Watch.
On one occasion Piper Galloway rescued five men who had been
buried by a shell explosion. Subsequently, when employed as a
runner, he was called on to deliver an important message under
very heavy fire. This he accomplished in almost impossible
conditions, and was given the Military Medal.
L/Corpl. G. SWAN, 7th Black Watch.
Served in the ranks during the Somme fighting. He was killed in
action, and was awarded the Military Medal.
1919 Piper ALEXANDER PRATT, 2nd Black Watch.
Pipers throughout the war have been employed in a great variety
of ways besides piping. Piper Pratt was reported in Mesopotamian
Force Despatches as "one of the bravest and most intelligent bomb
sergeants in the regiment; on three occasions he has proved his
high capacity for leadership in the attack. He has been twice
wounded. His power of training grenadiers and his influence over
his men are quite exceptional." He was promoted in the field to
Sergeant and awarded a D.C.M.
941 Piper PETER MACNEE, 2nd Black Watch.
Also distinguished himself greatly as a bomber. He won the D.C.M.
at Neuve Chapelle. In France he was twice wounded, but went to
Mesopotamia with the battalion. In the fighting at Sheikh Saad in
January, 1916, he was mortally wounded.
1839 Piper ALEXANDER MACDONALD, }
736 Piper DAVID SIMPSON, }
365 Piper R. JOHNSTONE, } 2nd Black Watch.
699 Piper DAVID ARMIT, }
187 Piper J. GALLOWAY, }
In the attack by the 2nd Black Watch at Mauquissart, 25th
September, 1915, the pipers took a prominent part, playing
their companies up to and through the German first and second
lines. After three lines had been captured the order to attack
the fourth was given. 736 Piper David Simpson at once dashed
forward playing, followed by his company; he was killed just as
they reached the objective. His bravery earned him the title,
for long after, of "The Piper of Loos." He was recommended for
the Victoria Cross. Further on, 1839 Piper Alexander Macdonald
alternately played from one trench to the next and assisted in
bombing the enemy out of their dugouts. In the third trench he
marched, playing "Macgregor's Gathering," down the trench at
the head of the bombers, and then climbed on to the parapet and
continued playing. He was ultimately wounded and lost his leg.
For his gallantry he was given the D.C.M., but did not long
survive to enjoy the honour as he died soon after his discharge.
At the same time 365 Piper R. Johnstone went on playing until he
fell gassed. As pipers fell out wounded others took their places,
and the battalion was played continuously into and through the
action. It appears to have been a tradition among the pipers
of this battalion that they were always to play whenever an
opportunity occurred. Pipers David Armit and J. Galloway also
played right up to and through the German support trenches.
1198 Pipe Major D. M'LEOD, 4th Black Watch.
Piper M'Leod played his company into action at Loos.
During this action the commanding officer was mortally wounded;
he was brought in, under intense fire, by Pipe Major--then Corpl.
Piper--M'Leod, who received the Military Medal for his gallantry.
He subsequently got a bar to the Medal for repeated acts of
gallantry during the great advance of 1915.
410 Pipe Major ALEXANDER LOW, 4th Black Watch.
Received the Military Medal for devoted attendance to the wounded
at Neuve Chapelle.
1568 Piper ALEXANDER HOWIE, 5th Black Watch.
At Neuve Chapelle Piper Howie greatly distinguished himself in
bringing in casualties. He was killed while performing this duty.
Mentioned in despatches.
Piper R. PIRNIE, }
Piper A. FORBES, } 6th Black Watch.
Piper A. TAINSH, }
Piper R. MAPLETON, }
These men played the battalion in to the attack on High Wood,
14th July, 1916. Though much exposed they escaped unwounded.
Piper FERGUSON, 6th Black Watch.
At Laventie this man marched from one end of the line to the
other playing "Johnny Cope," which aroused the enemy, who,
expecting an immediate attack, at once started a barrage. No
attack was ever intended.
2126 Piper ALASDAIR M'DONALD, 6th Black Watch.
Near Laventie in July, 1916, a small patrol of four men operating
in No Man's Land ran into some Germans, with the result that
two of them were badly wounded and could not get back to our
lines. Volunteers were asked for, and M'Donald and another man
went out. They met a German patrol and dispersed it, but this at
once brought hostile machine gun fire on to them. They had to
hunt about for a considerable time in high grass full of barbed
wire before finding the wounded men, and, in bringing them back,
had to make use of part of a German communication trench. Piper
M'Donald was mentioned in despatches.
290056 Pipe Major THOMAS MACDONALD, }
292440 L/Corpl. G. SWAN, } 7th Black Watch.
200509 Piper A. MANDS, }
Piper GEORGE GALLOWAY, }
All these men received the Military Medal for gallantry in
carrying despatches during the Somme actions. On several
occasions they performed quite invaluable service in this way.
7671 Piper ALEXANDER HENDERSON, 1st Cameron Highlanders.
On October 22nd, 1914, Piper Henderson went out to an officer
of the battalion who was lying wounded in a very exposed
position, and applied first field dressings. He then helped
this officer back to our position under heavy machine gun fire
and then returned to his duty in the ranks. He was awarded the
Distinguished Conduct Medal.
Sergt. JOHNSON, 2nd Cameron Highlanders.
Received the Military Medal for conspicuous gallantry on the
night of 11th March, 1917, when on a reconnoitring patrol on the
Struma. He killed the enemy's sentry before he had time to warn
his group, thus enabling the party to account successfully for
five out of seven of the enemy. Also for continuous good work as
sergeant in charge of regimental scouts.
As scout sergeant he subsequently still further distinguished
himself, and by his initiative and daring in incessant patrol
work, materially assisted in gaining complete ascendancy over all
the ground between our own and the Bulgar trenches. "His display
of daring, initiative and courage has been a splendid example to
all the men under him."
56 Pipe Major JOHN ROSS, 4th Cameron Highlanders.
Played the battalion to the attack at Festubert on 17th May,
1915, along with the other pipers of the battalion.
17128 Piper J. SCOBIE, Cameron Highlanders.
Obtained the M.M., D.C.M. for gallantry in action.
9158 Acting Pipe Major J. MACLELLAN, 1st Seaforth Highlanders.
During the advance in Mesopotamia ammunition happened to run
short at a point only 50 yards removed from the Turk trenches.
MacLellan at once volunteered to fetch some, and was killed as he
was bringing it up.
8391 Pipe Major D. MATHIESON, 1st Seaforth Highlanders.
Was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal "for gallant conduct
on many occasions in conveying messages under heavy fire, and
also for gallantry in attending on the wounded on an exposed part
of the line."
9446 Pipe Major NEIL M'KECHNIE, 1st Seaforth Highlanders.
During the engagement at Sheikh Saad on 7th January, 1916, the
battalion had to advance for a long distance over perfectly flat
country under very heavy fire. Casualties among our men were very
numerous. The pipe major and Pipers Colin M'Kay and Alex. M'Kay
at once started playing "Caber Feidh," and continued to do so for
some time. M'Kechnie and Alex. M'Kay were both wounded.
At Neuve Chapelle M'Kechnie had distinguished himself as a
bomber, and was mentioned in despatches and awarded the Russian
Order of St. George.
766 Pipe Major MACKENZIE, 1st Seaforth Highlanders.
Was mentioned in despatches for gallantry in Palestine.
412 Piper WILLIAM BARRY, 1st Seaforth Highlanders.
Went out into No Man's Land under heavy machine gun fire to the
assistance of a wounded comrade who was lying unable to move, and
whose clothing had caught fire. Piper Barry was recommended for
the D.C.M.; he was mentioned in despatches.
529 Piper COLIN M'KAY, 1st Seaforth Highlanders.
During the advance at Sheikh Saad some of the pipers had to bring
up ammunition. The Turkish barrage was generally late and missed
the advancing battalion, but came down behind it; this resulted
in severe casualties among ammunition parties. Piper M'Kay was
specially promoted on the field for gallantry in performing duty
as an ammunition carrier.
201307 Piper P. STEWART, 4th Seaforth Highlanders.
A company on the Ypres sector in September, 1917, had to advance
a distance of nearly two miles over flooded ground badly cut up
by our artillery. The men were very heavily laden with extra
ammunition, bombs, etc.; Piper Stewart played them along until
he fell and damaged his pipes. When they reached their position
volunteers were called for to go out and try to establish
communication with the brigade on the left, whose position was
not known. Piper Stewart went out and performed this task, but
was badly wounded in the arm. He had previously done excellent
work in collecting casualties and putting them in an abandoned
gun emplacement. He was awarded the Military Medal.
599 Piper DONALD M'KAY, 5th Seaforth Highlanders.
Was killed at Beaumont Hamel when carrying despatches. His C.O.
said of him, "It was by devotion such as his that victory was
bestowed on us that day."
21629 Piper D. FRASER, }
4661 Piper B. HAMILTON, } 7th Seaforth Highlanders.
In the attack at Loos, when the battalion was played in by their
pipers, most of these men were killed or wounded. At one time the
position became very serious and the advance was checked. Pipers
Fraser and Hamilton at once got up into the open and started
playing "Caber Feidh"; the effect was very marked as their
companies dashed forward after them. They were both killed.
8535 Piper D. DAVIDSON, 7th Seaforth Highlanders.
This man, when serving in the ranks, showed such gallantry and
initiative that he received both the Distinguished Conduct Medal
and the Military Medal.
8112 Pipe Major ALEXANDER MACKENZIE, 8th Seaforth Highlanders.
At Loos, when the battalion was played into action, there
were very heavy losses among the pipers. Pipe Major Mackenzie
distinguished himself greatly, and was given the Distinguished
Conduct Medal.
8119 Pipe Major G. GORDON, 9th Seaforth Highlanders.
Played the battalion into action at Longueval on 14th July, 1916,
and was awarded the Belgian Croix de Guerre.
5745 Piper CHARLES M'LELLAN, 9th Seaforth Highlanders.
At the battle of Loos he was acting as orderly to his captain;
as they got over the parapet the officer was hit, and died a
few minutes afterwards. Piper M'Lellan then reported himself
to another officer who sent him back, under heavy fire, for
reinforcements. Having done this several times, he went to look
for his captain and brought in his body. He was awarded the
Military Medal.
10744 Corporal A. GODSMAN, 1st Highland Light Infantry.
During the action at Neuve Chapelle he repeatedly brought up
ammunition to the firing line under the heaviest fire, until he
was wounded. He was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal and
the Russian Order of St. George.
11480 Piper JOHN BRODIE, 2nd Highland Light Infantry.
This man was one of the party with the late Col. W. L. Brodie
when that officer won the V.C.
240881 Piper WILLIAM MACKENZIE, 6th Highland Light Infantry.
In the action of 12th July, 1915, in which the battalion captured
three lines of Turkish trenches in Gallipoli, Piper Mackenzie
went into action armed with a revolver and a shovel, displaying
great gallantry and doing great execution with both these weapons
until he was wounded.
1914 Piper KENNETH MACLENNAN, 7th Highland Light Infantry.
Was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal "for playing the
pipes during the attack (on the Turkish trenches, 12th July,
1915) and advancing with the line after his pipes had been
shattered by shrapnel, and heartening the wounded under fire"
(_London Gazette_). After his pipes had been broken he continued
to play on his chanter for some time. He then made several
journeys across the open to fetch water for the wounded under
heavy fire; and also brought up boxes of ammunition.
1901 Piper D. CAMERON, 7th Highland Light Infantry.
In the attack on the Turkish trenches on 12th July, 1915, Piper
Cameron played his company right up to the captured trenches
and was awarded a special mention in Divisional Orders (52nd
Division). On this occasion, while playing, he had a revolver
hanging from his wrist, and on reaching the trenches started
using it with good effect.
Piper DONALD MACFARLANE, 7th Highland Light Infantry.
In the same action in Gallipoli on 12th July, 1915, Piper
Macfarlane played his company through a bayonet charge and
continued doing so until a shell burst shattered his pipe drones.
He then devoted himself to giving water to the wounded.
Corpl. Piper ALLAN M'NICOL, 12th Highland Light Infantry.
During the fighting at Loos and Hill 70 Corpl. M'Nicol was
employed carrying an artillery observation flag, and signalling
successive positions to our guns as they were captured. For his
gallantry in action he was awarded the Military Medal.
15006 Pipe Major WILLIAM M'COMB, 16th Highland Light Infantry.
On 14th February, 1916, the Pipe Major, though stunned and sick
from a blow by a branch of a tree which had been hit by a shell,
went forward and dug out several men who had been buried. There
was heavy shell fire at the time. He was given the Military Medal.
12095 Piper (Pipe Major) THOMAS RICHARDSON, 16th Highland Light
Infantry.
Was awarded the Military Medal for gallant conduct at Roupy in
the night of 2nd April, 1917, when the company in support was
heavily shelled and casualties were heavy. "Pipe Major Richardson
organised carrying parties and showed an utter disregard of
danger under the continuous fire of heavy guns."
Pipe Major B. M'DONALD, Highland Light Infantry.
An ammunition dump having caught fire he went in under heavy
machine gun and shell fire and succeeded in dragging out boxes
of bombs and throwing them into a shell crater full of water.
By this means he stopped the conflagration. At the time he had
just been given a commission, and he received for this action the
Military Cross.
16094 Pipe Major YOUNG GILBERT, 17th Highland Light Infantry.
On the 1st July, 1916, the battalion crawled up to within 100
yards of the Leipzig redoubt and rushed the latter when the
barrage lifted, and held on. The position was a very perilous
one, and the C.O. called on the Pipe Major to play to the men.
This he at once did and continued doing so, with the most
stimulating effect on the battalion. For this action he was
awarded the Military Medal.
5495 Piper JAMES RITCHIE, 2nd Gordon Highlanders.
On the 14th July, 1916, the battalion had to attempt the capture
of the road from High Wood to Longueval. Advancing beyond the
first objective they advanced further and tried to dig in, but
came under deadly fire from flank and rear. Of the two leading
platoons only one wounded officer and five men ever got back.
Piper Ritchie volunteered to carry a message to regimental
headquarters and bring up reinforcements. He did this twice. He
was awarded the Military Medal.
6349 Pipe Major CHARLES ANDERSON, 2nd Gordon Highlanders.
Was awarded the Military Medal. His C.O. writes: "Has done
splendid work throughout; his cheerfulness and gallantry have
been at all times most marked, and he was a splendid example to
all until he was severely wounded at Hulluch on 25th September,
1915."
6863 Piper R. STEWART, 2nd Gordon Highlanders.
From the commencement of the war Piper Stewart's gallantry was
repeatedly brought to notice and especially during the fighting
in October and November, 1914, and at Ypres. He was specially
promoted to Sergeant and awarded the D.C.M. and the Russian Order
of St. George for bringing up ammunition under particularly
trying circumstances at Ypres. He was killed at Loos.
Pipe Major (Sergt. Major) ANGUS MACLEAN, 2nd Gordon Highlanders.
Rejoined his old battalion on the outbreak of war and was
transferred from the pipes to a company as sergeant major. He was
awarded the Military Medal for "conspicuous courage and ability
in organising work under very dangerous conditions."
THE 2ND GORDON HIGHLANDERS IN ITALY.
In the summer of 1918 the pipers, during the offensive, were
attached for duty to the 23rd Field Ambulance. All the wounded
had to be carried across a deep and very rapid burn, which was
difficult to get across for a single man. These pipers, however,
with four men to a stretcher and four more to steady them, and
without their kilts and hose, succeeded in getting large numbers
of casualties over. They stood in the water for many hours.
Subsequently they went out to look for wounded and brought in
many more. "But for the work of the pipers and drummers it would
have been impossible to evacuate the wounded that night."
Piper GEORGE PATERSON, 4th Gordon Highlanders.
In the fighting outside Cambrai in November, 1917, Piper Paterson
played the battalion into action and charged in three successive
waves; he also played it into Cantanig under heavy fire. Here he
was wounded. He was awarded the Military Medal.
Piper WILLIAM WEBSTER, 4th Gordon Highlanders.
In the face of heavy fire during the retirement in March, 1918,
repeatedly brought up ammunition to men in the front line. Was
awarded the Military Medal.
Piper P. BOWIE, }
Piper P. PATERSON, } 4th Gordon Highlanders.
Piper R. PRENTICE, }
Piper G. DAVIDSON, }
In the Ypres fighting on 31st July, 1917, Piper Bowie rallied the
men at a time when things were looking very bad. He was awarded
the Military Medal. At the Marne, too, he and Pipers P. Paterson,
R. Prentice, and G. Davidson played their companies into action
"and the example set by them roused the troops to further efforts
to force the enemy from a difficult position and enabled them to
gain a great victory."
1985 Piper CHARLES THOMSON, 5th Gordon Highlanders.
At Festubert Piper Thomson showed great courage as an observer,
and repeatedly crossed a heavily shelled zone, which was
also under fire by snipers, carrying messages to battalion
headquarters.
Piper H. LUNAM, 5th Gordon Highlanders.
In the action at High Wood on 18th July, 1916, Piper Lunam "very
heroically played his company into action in face of heavy
machine gun fire and a heavy enemy barrage. He got no official
recognition, but the thanks and respect of his comrades who
followed him."
10115 Pipe Major J. HOWARTH, 6th Gordon Highlanders.
During the fighting at Loos Pipe Major Howarth was acting as
orderly to the commanding officer, and, in the course of the
advance, was wounded in the feet. A shell had burst and knocked
over a dozen of our men and he at once went off to give first
aid. On the way he saw Captain ---- of the 2nd Gordons lying
wounded. As, on account of his own wound, he was unable to carry
the wounded officer in, he took off his own puttees, wound them
round his knees as a protection, took Captain ---- on his back
and crawled back on hands and knees to our own line.
Pipe Major Howarth had already received the D.C.M. for his
gallantry in tending the wounded at Neuve Chapelle. For his
action on this occasion he was awarded a bar to the medal.
10700 Piper W. BANNERMAN, 6th Gordon Highlanders.
In the fighting at Givenchy on 2nd June, 1915, some of the pipers
were employed in the ranks. Piper Bannerman was mentioned in
despatches for great gallantry in leading a bayonet charge.
Piper (Sergt.) PETER DEAN, 2nd Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.
When serving in the ranks as a machine gun sergeant he worked his
gun alone in an exposed position when the rest of the gun team
had all been killed or wounded. He was awarded the Distinguished
Conduct Medal.
3162 Piper WILLIAM CARLYLE, 6th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.
After a bayonet charge at Festubert on 16th June, 1915, the
battalion was lying on the ground under heavy fire. Near the
enemy's line was a wounded man. Piper Carlyle crept out on hands
and knees to try and bring him in; just as he reached the man
and had started to lift him, he was killed. Piper Carlyle was
mentioned in despatches.
Piper JOHN WALLS, 7th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.
Was awarded the Military Medal for devotion to duty as battalion
runner through the barrages on 23/24th July, 1915.
Pipe Major J. WILSON, 8th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.
On the 8th April, 1916, a German raiding party of considerable
strength entered our trenches in the Labyrinth after the
explosion of several mines which inflicted heavy casualties. Pipe
Major Wilson at once organised a counter attack and drove out the
enemy. He received a Divisional certificate of gallant conduct.
266 Piper GEORGE SHEARER, 9th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.
When employed as a bearer on 24th May, 1915, brought in a
wounded man out of No Man's Land under particularly difficult
circumstances, and was awarded the D.C.M.
4627 Pipe Major THOMAS AITKEN, 10th Argyll and Sutherland
Highlanders.
During the fighting at Longueval in July, 1916, although a man
of sixty years of age, Pipe Major Aitken, at his own request,
acted as orderly to the commanding officer for the whole day;
he was ultimately wounded. He was awarded the Distinguished
Conduct Medal "for conspicuous gallantry on this and many other
occasions."
6191 Piper J. DALL, }
2616 Piper D. WILSON, } 10th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.
When the battalion attacked Longueval it was met by heavy
machine gun fire, which caused very severe casualties. Part of
the enemy wire had been left uncut by our bombardment, and this
caused momentary confusion in the ranks, as it was very dark.
The advance was held up by some ruined dwellings in the streets
of the village which had been turned into machine gun nests.
Pipers Dall and Wilson at once started playing, and in spite
of the noise of shell fire all round them, they succeeded in
rallying the men, and in leading an attack which proved to be
irresistible. Piper Dall was wounded. Piper Wilson was awarded a
mention in despatches.
569 Piper G. GAMACK, 10th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.
Received the Military Medal for great gallantry in evacuating
casualties during the storming of the St. Quentin Canal, Sept.,
1918.
Pipe Major DONALD MACFARLANE, 11th Argyll and Sutherland
Highlanders.
In the action of Loos the Pipe Major was employed as a despatch
runner carrying messages back from Hill 70. He continued doing
this though severely wounded in the arm. He was recommended for
the Distinguished Conduct Medal.
Piper CHARLES HOEY, }
Piper J. BARNETT, } 11th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.
Piper T. WALLACE, }
In the attack at Loos these men all played their companies into
action. Piper Barnett was killed while doing so.
Piper CHARLES CAMERON, 11th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.
When the battalion attacked Hill 70 on 25th September, 1915, the
pipers led their companies and suffered heavy casualties. The
15th Division hung on to the slope of the hill until next day,
but ultimately had to fall back, being heavily counter-attacked.
The men of different units got mixed up in the hand to hand
fighting which ensued, and it was necessary to rally them in
their own units. Piper Cameron stood under heavy fire playing,
and rallied the men of the 11th. His bravery resulted in his
being known in the division as "The Piper of Loos."
598 Corpl. Piper R. STEVENSON, 12th Argyll and Sutherland
Highlanders.
Many of the pipers of this battalion were employed as scouts,
and Corpl. Stevenson rendered particularly good service in
this capacity, especially in August, 1918, when, in spite of
heavy enemy fire, he went forward and carried out a successful
reconnaissance of the wire on the enemy's trenches. For this he
got the Military Medal.
139 Corpl. Piper H. G. LATHAM, 1st London Scottish.
On account of heavy losses at Messines the pipers of this
battalion during the early part of the war were employed in
the ranks. Corpl. Latham was a crack shot and had got into the
final stage of the King's Hundred at the Bisley Camp in 1914.
He was accordingly employed as a sniper with much success. He
took a prominent part in the bayonet attack at Messines. He was
killed at Zillebeke 16th November, 1914. Was awarded a mention in
despatches.
Piper SYDNEY WILSON, Liverpool Scottish.
This man served in the ranks. He was awarded the certificate for
gallantry on three separate occasions.
290 Pipe Major JOHN WILSON, } 1st Tyneside Scottish.
1525 Piper GEORGE TAYLOR, }
Both these men received the Military Medal for bravery in playing
their battalion into action at La Boiselle on 1st July, 1916.
The whole of the pipers of this and the 2nd Battalion took part
in this, one of the most spectacular attacks on the Somme; and
their behaviour was an inspiration to the men. They were exposed
to very heavy fire and to every sort of obstacle on the ground,
but went on playing after ten pipers had been killed and five
wounded. 1525 Piper James Phillips of the 2nd Battalion, after
having his pipes shattered, started bombing the German trenches.
He was mentioned in despatches.
Sergt. JOHN MACDONALD, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light
Infantry.
At Hooge on 8th May, 1915, after a front trench had been
obliterated by shell fire, Sergt. Macdonald dug out two wounded
men who had been buried, and carried one on his back and assisted
the other to a place of safety under very heavy shell and rifle
fire. He was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. In Sept.,
1916, he died of wounds.
24011 Lance Corpl. J. DYCE, 13th Royal Highlanders of Canada.
During the Ypres fighting in April, 1915, Corporal Dyce was
employed as a despatch runner and had to cross ground heavily
bombarded by the enemy. While doing so he was shot through
the chest, and became unconscious; on coming to, knowing the
importance of the despatch he was carrying, he started crawling
in to deliver it at battalion headquarters, collapsing when he
arrived there. He was mentioned in despatches.
29327 Pipe Major JAMES GROAT, 16th Canadian Scottish.
In the attack on the Vimy Ridge Pipe Major Groat and the pipers
of the battalion played them to the attack, Groat accompanying
the commanding officer. They had to advance over a mile under
terrific fire. On this occasion he received the Military Medal.
Subsequently, in the attack on Hill 70 on 15th August, 1918,
he again led the battalion and was awarded a bar to the Medal;
and on 2nd September, 1918, at Arras, he got the Distinguished
Conduct Medal for a similar action. He had played the battalion
through five successful attacks when he was finally wounded.
28930 Piper JAMES RICHARDSON, V.C., 16th Canadian Scottish.
At Festubert in May, 1915, he showed the greatest gallantry in
carrying despatches, and also saved a wounded comrade's life.
In the attack on the Regina trench on 8th October, 1916, he
played his company to the attack. When they got near the enemy's
position very heavy wire entanglements were encountered, which
took a considerable time to cut through; while this was being
carried out Piper Richardson marched up and down outside the
wire playing, while the men were falling all round him. When the
wire had been cut he continued at the head of his company, and
played the "Reel of Tulloch" on the German parapet, followed
by the "Deil in the Kitchen" as the battalion started bombing
the dugouts. At this moment the Company Sergeant Major was
dangerously wounded and Richardson volunteered to take him
out. He successfully accomplished this and then said he must
go back to fetch his pipes which he had left behind in the
captured trench. He never returned and must have been killed. The
Commanding Officer[13] writes of him: "I really think his V.C.
performance was one of the great deeds of the war. The conditions
were those of indescribable peril and terror. The lad's whole
soul was bound up in the glory of piping, and he was only taken
into action after imploring his colonel with tears in his eyes.
Altogether a most wonderful example of high souled courage and
enthusiasm."
A year after Piper Richardson's death he was awarded a posthumous
Victoria Cross.
28557 Piper ALEXANDER M'GILLIVRAY, }
29048 Piper ALLAN CAMERON M'NAB, }
429603 Piper GEORGE PAUL, }
466703 Piper JOHN M'ALLISTER, }
603174 Piper GORDON CRUICKSHANK, } 16th Canadian Scottish.
467573 Piper ALEXANDER ROBERTSON, }
737176 Piper JOHN M'LEAN, }
633179 Piper ARCHIBALD M'DOWELL. }
The whole of these men received the Military Medal for playing
their companies into action on different occasions. No man was
ever recommended for reward unless he had played into action on
three different occasions, and every man had to volunteer for the
duty. As a matter of fact so keen was the competition that lots
had to be drawn to decide who should play.
429603 Piper GEORGE PAUL, 16th Canadian Scottish.
After winning the Military Medal for his gallantry in playing his
company to the attack on Hill 70 on 15th August, 1918, Piper Paul
went into action at Amiens playing on top of the tank "Dominion."
While doing so he was killed. His action on this occasion roused
the wildest enthusiasm among his comrades and contributed greatly
to the success of the operation.
59224 Corpl. WILLIAM CURRIE, 21st Canadians.
On several occasions Corpl. Currie showed extraordinary gallantry
in bringing in wounded men from positions in which any attempt at
rescue appeared hopeless, on account of the heavy fire brought
to bear on any one trying to approach. The last man rescued by
Corpl. Currie had been shot by a sniper and was lying in a trench
only a foot deep. Currie succeeded in getting him away although
he was badly wounded in the process. He was several times
complimented officially and was finally specially promoted and
awarded the Military Medal. He subsequently got a Commission and
won the Military Cross for gallantry.
60115 Piper HUGH MACKENZIE, 21st Canadians.
At Hill 70 volunteers were called for to bring in a man who was
lying wounded in No Man's Land. Mackenzie was one of three who
volunteered to get him; two of these men were killed. Mackenzie
was given the Military Medal.
Piper W. BRAND, } 25th Canadians.
Piper WALTER TELFER, }
In the attack on the Vimy Ridge 9th April, 1917, these two pipers
played their companies into action. Telfer was so badly wounded
that his leg had subsequently to be amputated, but continued
playing, until he fell. Both of them were awarded the Military
Medal.
1246 Piper JOHN MACDONALD, 1st Canadian Machine Gun Corps.
During an action the attack was held up and most of the teams
of the machine guns were killed. Piper Macdonald succeeded
in pushing forward to the objective with a gun and held on
until dark. He was the last to leave, carrying the gun on his
shoulders. For this he was promoted Quartermaster Sergeant, and
was awarded the Military Medal.
Pipe Major ALEXANDER GRIEVE, }
Piper J. WATERHOUSE, } South African Scottish.
Piper A. GRAY, }
When the Germans advanced on the Cambrai front in March, 1918,
the pipers were frequently called upon to serve in the ranks in
various capacities. At Houdincourt they were suddenly required to
reinforce a position and piled their pipes on the ground. A shell
burst destroyed the whole of the pipes. For gallantry when acting
as despatch runners Pipe Major Grieve got the D.C.M. and Pipers
Waterhouse and Gray the Military Medal.
Pipe Major J. ROBERTSON, 2nd Auckland Regiment.
The pipers served in the ranks. Pipe Major Robertson received the
D.C.M. for conspicuous gallantry at Bapaume.
Piper A. AITKEN, } 42nd Australians.
Piper R. GILLESPIE, }
These men were employed as scouts and both received the Military
Medal for valuable observation work prior to the action at
Messines in June, 1917.
FOREIGNERS AND THE PIPES
Brought in contact as Scottish troops have been with those of our
Allies it is not surprising that military pipers have attracted the
attention of observers and writers who, before the war, knew nothing
of their existence. From the early days of the war the pipes, the
tartan and the kilt aroused the liveliest interest in France; and
perhaps the sincerest tribute to them is the fact that, in their
caricatures of the nations, the Germans usually depicted the British
soldier as a particularly unattractive Highlander.
At first the French writers were mildly sarcastic about the players
of the "cornemuse," and regarded them as an amiable weakness of the
comrades of the "auld alliance"; but gradually they discovered that
pipes and tartan were the outward and visible signs of a spirit which
won their whole-hearted admiration, and then their attitude changed.
Describing an attack by the 51st Division a French observer wrote:
"Resolutely they crossed what seemed to be impossible ground ... they
charged to the shrill sounds of the bagpipes ... they charged like
heroes of Walter Scott--_leurs bonnets à rubans et leur jupes de
danseuses_."
Though the Breton bignon, the cornemuse, the German dudelsackpfeife
are no longer--if they ever were--instruments of war, the instinctive
admiration for the pipes remains in the most unexpected quarters;
and in France, Flanders, Italy, the Balkans, and even the occupied
portions of Germany, "_piob mhor_" has aroused race memories long
dormant. One effect of this is the demand which has recently arisen
in Italy for pipes from this country; another is the fact that the
French Government have added a painting of a piper by a French artist
to the official collection of war pictures.
American observers were often very ignorant of the mysteries of
the bagpipe. A writer in the _Boston Evening Transcript_, after
eulogising the piper as a military institution, informs his readers
that in the hands of a really skilled performer the strains of the
pipes can be heard for a distance of six miles against the wind or
ten miles if the conditions are favourable. The writer may have been
of M'Crimmon descent, but his enthusiasm exceeded his powers of
observation.
One thing is quite certain, viz., whatever their inmost feelings
regarding the musical qualities of the pipes, foreigners generally
appreciate their military value in war and share the opinion of the
court-martial in 1746 that they must be regarded as an "instrument of
war."
The Germans certainly were not slow in forming an estimate of the
military value of the piper. From a very early stage in the war
they learned to associate the instrument with a type of troops for
whose mentality, as exhibited in the attack, they had more respect
than sympathy, and the piper at once became a marked man whenever he
went over the top. The casualties among pipers while playing would
of themselves suggest that this was the case; but the statements of
officer prisoners show that orders were given to pick off pipers
for precisely the same reason as officers commanding platoons or
companies.
THE PIPES IN CAPTIVITY
Even pipers fall into the hands of the enemy occasionally, but
they were never allowed to take their instruments with them into
captivity. Gradually, as "comforts," pipes were sent out to
individual officers and men; and the following letter from an officer
of the Gordon Highlanders who was at Friedberg Camp, indicates how
popular pipe music became among his fellow-prisoners of the Allied
armies.
[Illustration: PIPER KENNETH MACKAY, CAMERON HIGHLANDERS
AT QUATRE-BRAS
_From the Painting by Lockhart Bogle, by kind permission of the
Officers of the 1st Cameron Highlanders_]
"FRIEDBERG, 11/1/1917.
Though only a young player I play here every day and do not find
people too hostile to me. The Russians, French and even the
Germans greet me with great interest and seem to find pleasure
in listening to me--though as I said I am no great player; the
most unsympathetic are always to be found among the ranks of the
"Sassenach." I learnt to play in 1911, on joining my Regiment,
under George MacLennan, who was Pipe-Major at that time. While on
leave in Edinburgh I used to have lessons with his father--Jno.
MacLennan. Up till now I have only attempted "The Glen is
mine" and "Struan Robertson" in Piobaireachd, but having been
thoroughly taught by the MacLennans I naturally follow their
way of thinking. Yesterday I played to a Russian who is a
very good player of the piano. He was delighted with the Pipes
and I could not play too many tunes for him. Strathspeys and
Reels are greatly appreciated by all our Russian friends. Last
St. Andrew's Day we organized an Exhibition of dancing which was
a complete success. As the Scottish Colony here is so small we
asked the Russians to come and help us. This they did right well
with dances and songs, the music being provided, in both cases,
by "Balalaika," or Russian national instrument. For our part we
danced two foursome Reels (dancing two different sets of steps),
a Sword Dance and a Highland Schottische. In the latter dance we
each took a Russian as a partner, they having been trained up
for the event. We sang "Bonnie Dundee," "Lassies of Scotland,"
"MacPherson," and finished up with "Auld Lang Syne." For the
Reels my Russian friend provided the music on the piano. Our
costume was of course improvised. Kilt, shoes and hose we had,
we wore white shirts with lace cuffs, a strip of tartan fastened
with a brooch at the shoulder to do duty as a plaid and a black
velvet band with a lace ruffle, falling down in front, round our
necks. Our sporrans, with the exception of one which was made
out of a local rabbit, all came from home. I had several pretty
compliments paid to me by the Russians and French, both on our
costume and dancing. Five of us took part altogether. I wonder
if it would be too much to ask you to send me instructions for
dancing the "Lochaber Broadswords" and the "Seann Triubhas," in
case we have the misfortune to pass another St. Andrew's Day
here in Germany. If we do we shall give another Exhibition and I
would like to be able to vary it. I only know 12 Strathspey steps
and 8 Reel steps. Since I have been a prisoner I have taught
over 30 people to dance the Reel--including two Frenchmen and
one Russian, and at present I have five pupils on the chanter.
We are 16 Scots here, so can you say we are losing our national
distinctions? I have only told you this because I thought it
would interest you."
In Holland, in the internment camps, an organised pipe band was
instituted by the writer of the above letter, and consisted of
thirteen pipers of whom two were pipe majors.
MILITARY PIPE BANDS, AND REFORM
In preparing this record of the pipe bands of our Armies during the
war the opportunity has been taken of consulting pipe presidents and
pipe majors as to the present condition of military piping and the
manner in which obvious defects might be remedied. Like other experts
they exhibit divergences of opinion, sometimes as regards the nature
of the defects, sometimes as to the best method of remedying them. In
certain matters, however, there is absolute unanimity, and these are
deserving of attention by the military authorities.
"_Sergeant piper._"--Throughout the Army there is, and has always
been, a strong objection to the title of "sergeant piper," which
in official parlance is employed instead of "pipe major." No one
ever calls a pipe major a sergeant piper, except in returns; and
withdrawal of this modern and indefensible title could result in
nothing but good. As there is no financial aspect involved in the
change, it would be a graceful and inexpensive concession to a body
of men to whom the Army and the nation owe much.
_Rank of the Pipe Major._--On another point there is absolute
unanimity of opinion, viz., the rank of the pipe major. As
responsible for a band possibly numbering twenty or more pipers, the
pipe major ought to have the same rank as a bandmaster. To limit the
career of a piper to the possibility of becoming a pipe major with
the rank of sergeant is to prevent good men accepting the position;
and many a man, seeing he can hope for no advancement, leaves the
pipes and returns to the ranks, thus getting a chance of rising to
warrant rank.
This question of rank has a most important bearing on the interests
of piping generally, and is therefore a national one. As instructor
to his men the pipe major should be a first-class performer
himself, and this--although the public appear to be unaware of the
fact--involves long and assiduous training. It is useless asking a
man to attain the necessary standard of excellence for this purpose
and to offer him the pay of a sergeant in return. The consequence is
pipe majors are not always the best pipers--from the professional
point of view--in their units; and this ought to be remedied, even
though it does cost the nation the difference between the emoluments
of a warrant officer and of a sergeant in each unit.
_The Appointment of "Piper."_--Another necessary reform, which also
has the merit of costing nothing, is the official recognition of
"piper" as an appointment. In the Army "drummer" is an appointment,
but a piper is a private.
One result of this is that, on mobilisation, all pipers revert to the
ranks, excepting six (including the sergeant piper) per battalion.
Apart altogether from the special liability to casualties among the
"full pipers" when playing in action, it is evident that so small a
band may, under the ordinary conditions of modern warfare, be put
out of action; and then great difficulty is experienced in raising
another band. In many battalions during the war this happened,
sometimes more than once; and it is these battalions which are most
insistent on the strength being twelve instead of six pipers.
_Lowland regiments._--A grievance which cries for remedy at the hands
of the War Office is the treatment of pipers in Lowland regiments.
The official view appears to be that the existence of the pipes in
regiments such as the Royal Scots, the K.O.S.B.'s and others is an
unreasonable concession to a sentiment which is vulgarly called
"Scotch," but which, though believed to be nebulous, happens to be
too strong for the military reformers to ignore altogether. This view
indicates ignorance of the history of the pipes and of the Lowland
regiments; the one may be pardoned, the other is inexcusable.
It is absolutely certain that Lowland regiments had pipers before the
existing Highland regiments were raised at all; and the pipes were a
national instrument all over the Lowlands for centuries before there
was any Regular Army at all.
This being so it is quite illogical that the maintenance of their
pipe bands should be a greater financial burden on officers of a
Lowland than of a Highland regiment. The value of the institution,
from a military point of view, is the same in both; and pipe bands
should be treated as part of the recognised establishment in one as
in the other.
_Standardisation of military pipe music._--There is one grave defect
in military piping which is capable of being remedied quite easily.
Anyone who knows anything of piping knows that each individual piper
learns his tunes after the setting of some well-known authority, and
is for ever after prepared to maintain that that version alone is the
correct one. Unfortunately every battalion has its own setting for
every tune played in the band and declines to admit the possibility
of any other setting being used in any circumstances. Even in the
case of distinctively regimental tunes, _e.g._ "_Cabar Feidh_," the
two Regular battalions of the Seaforth Highlanders play--or used
to play, just before the war--different settings of that tune, and
a man transferred from one battalion to another had to learn the
slight differences which his new unit preferred. The same remarkable
individuality exists in every battalion and makes it very difficult
indeed to get a number of pipe bands to play even the best-known
tunes together without considerable practice.
This is quite wrong. By all means let the individual piper learn and
adhere to the setting of piobaireachd by his favourite authority; but
to have as many settings of an ordinary march as there are battalions
in the Army is not to the advantage of piping.
The remedy is simple enough,--the standardisation of pipe tunes for
military purposes, in precisely the same manner as obtains with
the National Anthems and trumpet and bugle calls; and, just as no
departure to meet regimental custom or prejudice is permitted in the
case of these latter, so the setting laid down for the Army in the
case of pipe tunes should be strictly defined and adhered to.
The superiority of one setting over another does not enter into the
question; what is essential is uniformity.
Many pipe majors have pointed to this standardisation as one of the
most important measures to be adopted after the war, in the interests
of piping in the Army.
_Neglect of Piobaireachd._--It is open to argument whether the
military piper does or does not exert a determining influence on the
cause of piping generally. Allowing fully for the great value of the
recognised societies and the periodical piping meetings throughout
Scotland, in keeping up the standard of the national instrument and
offering inducements for its study, it will be readily admitted that,
by their mere existence as permanent institutions, military pipe
bands keep up the cult of the pipes, at home and abroad, to so marked
a degree that any decline in their standard must have a deleterious
effect on piping generally.
To what extent, then, if at all, is military piping conducted to the
best advantage of the cause of piping, and is there room for reform?
It may be taken as generally the case that, in so far as a military
pipe band is regarded as designed for duty on the march, and for
various routine military musical duties, it fulfils its functions to
the satisfaction of all concerned. It is too much to expect the War
Office--or even individual commanding officers--to accept the view
that neglect of "ceol mor" is not compensated for by a high standard
of excellence in the "middle music" and in dances and marches.
Individual pipers in every battalion are players of "piobaireachd";
but any one with experience of regimental or garrison piping
competitions knows how small is the number of men who enter for that
class of event, as compared with performers of the march, strathspey
and reel.
The explanation is simple enough--the men play what their audience
demands, and "Leaving Glen Urquhart" or "Duntroon" appeals to more
people, military or civil, than the finest piobaireachd. Pipe majors,
even when themselves anxious to teach their pipers the higher class
of music, recognise that to attempt to do so would often be wasted
labour--men come to them too old to make piobaireachd players, and,
in any case, the opportunities for playing it in the Army are too few
to make it worth while trying to get men to go through the initial
drudgery. Being human they naturally turn to march and dance music;
and the result is that, except in the case of professional pipers who
have enlisted, the soldier piper generally ignores altogether the
classical side of his music.
This is a defect in military piping, and it should be remedied by
insisting that, before promotion to pipe major, a piper should pass
an examination in every branch of pipe music.
_A school of piping._--The time has come to establish a school of
piping for the army at which likely pipers could undergo refresher
courses of instruction in all classes of pipe music, in the correct
writing of music--a subject which is lamentably ignored, in the
theory of music, and in methods of instruction of recruit pipers.
In other words it should fulfil the same functions as regards the
training of future pipe majors, and the improvement of the standard
of playing in the army, that Kneller Hall does in the case of
bandmasters and military musical education generally.
No piper should be promoted pipe major until he has undergone a
complete course lasting at least six months, and has passed an
examination at the end of it.
Such a school should be open to civilian pipers and should become the
Macrimmon school of to-day.
The Piobaireachd Society have already decided to institute a memorial
to fallen pipers which shall take this form, and to the necessary
endowment the proceeds of this book will be devoted. But the army
must contribute towards its maintenance.
REGIMENTAL RECORDS
These Records are not based on military returns, and are
therefore not, in all cases, complete. They have been obtained by
correspondence with commanding officers, pipe presidents, pipe
majors and many others, but the exigencies of war have prevented the
information so obtained being absolutely accurate.
In many cases, units, reduced by fighting to mere cadres, have been
absorbed into other units and their pipers scattered; in others, the
field records of the units themselves have been lost or have ceased
to be available; and, in several, correspondence has been abruptly
terminated by the correspondent himself being killed or wounded.
In the circumstances it is satisfactory that so much information has
been obtained.
THE SCOTS GUARDS
1ST BATTALION.
During the first few months of the war there were very heavy
casualties among the pipers, and the band soon ceased to exist in
consequence. It was reconstituted in 1916, but was not again utilised
in the front line.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major ALEX. ROSS
3707 Sergt. SAMUEL RICHARDSON Died of wounds, Battle of
Aisne, 14/9/14.
6495 Lance-Cpl. DAVID SMITH Wounded, the Aisne, 14/9/14.
6926 Piper KENNETH M'KAY Wounded, Ypres, 31/10/14.
6999 " BRUCE HOBSON Wounded, Ypres, 31/10/14; taken
prisoner.
991 " ALEXANDER MARTIN, Won D.C.M.; killed 19/2/16.
D.C.M.
8543 Piper JAMES M'KENZIE Killed, Ypres, 31/10/14;
despatches.
7529 " MURDOCH M'DONALD Wounded.
8423 Corporal JAMES CARSTAIRS Wounded, Ypres, 26/10/14.
6456 Piper ROBERT PATON Wounded, Ypres, 31/10/14.
5437 " A. M'RURY
11150 " CHRISTOPHER M'PHERSON
9456 " ALAN M'PHEDRAN
" HECTOR M'NAIR
" J. SMITH Wounded.
" THOMAS ANDERSON
" MALCOLM M'KENZIE Killed, Oct. 1914.
" J. M'DONALD Wounded.
" E. KENNEDY
" J. ORMISTON
" D. M'INNES
Corpl. D. HOWISON
Piper A. CARMICHAEL Killed, 1915.
" T. BROWNLOW, D.C.M., Military Medal, D.C.M.
M.M.
" D. TAYLOR
" D. MARSHALL
" C. M'PHERSON
" J. COVENTRY
" R. PATON Wounded.
" J. JOHNSTONE
" W. M'LEOD Wounded.
" C. M'RAE Wounded.
2ND BATTALION
There were heavy casualties in the Ypres fighting in Oct. 1914,
and by the end of March, 1915, practically no pipers remained. The
band was subsequently reconstituted, but like that of the sister
battalion, was as far as possible saved from further decimation.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major WILLIAM ROSS Invalided.
7743 Sergt. ANDREW M'INTOSH
" DONALD M'INTOSH
3681 Lance-Sgt. ARCHIBALD M'KIMM Wounded and taken prisoner,
Zonnebeke, 26/10/14.
Lance-Cpl. HECTOR M'KIMM Killed, Zonnebeke, 26/10/14.
5539 Piper ALEXANDER RUSSELL Wounded, Ypres, 21/10/14.
7281 " WILLIAM GRANT Wounded, Gheluvelt, 28/10/14.
8053 " JOHN CONNOR Wounded, 28/10/14.
7725 Piper JAMES WELSTEAD Wounded and taken prisoner,
Zonnebeke, 26/10/14.
8341 " WILLIAM M'DONALD Wounded; invalided, 26/10/14.
8349 " ARCHIBALD M'PHERSON Wounded, Neuve Chapelle,
11/3/15.
" M. M'PHERSON
8081 " CHARLES M'GUIRE Died of wounds at Ypres,
29/10/14.
8852 " COLIN LIVINGSTONE Wounded, Ypres, 27/10/14;
burned with liquid fire,
Neuve Chapelle, 13/3/15.
11148 " JAMES COVENTRY
7039 " JAMES M'DONALD Wounded, 13/3/15.
" T. MARSHALL
" C. MUNRO
" D. MARSHALL
" W. CRAIG
" D. M'PHEDRAN Wounded, Ypres, 27/10/14.
" J. M'PHEDRAN
" D. M'ARTHUR
" J. WALKER
These two battalions, in the first year, had 7 pipers killed and 17
wounded.
THE ROYAL SCOTS
1ST BATTALION
In the capture of Karadzakot Zir, in the Salonika operations, the
battalion was played to the attack by Pipers Collins, Clancy, Smart
and Mallin, and the C.O. considers that their services on this
occasion "were of inestimable value; it was largely due to the
presence of the pipers with the leading wave that the enemy evacuated
their trenches and retired in disorder." Besides their value on the
march and in billets "they were invaluable in inspiring _esprit de
corps_ under fire."
Pipers were also employed as observers, messengers, scouts, etc.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
10369 Pipe Major G. J. ALLAN
8473 Sergt. J. M'NAB Promoted Pipe Major, 1st R.S.F.
10122 Corpl. R. SOFTLEY Wounded, May 1915, France.
10123 " E. COLLINS
10183 Piper J. CLANCY Invalided.
10754 " J. BURNS
11002 Corpl. W. M'MILLAN, D.C.M.
10032 Piper P. MALLIN Invalided.
9885 " W. M'ARTHUR Invalided.
" E. DUGUID
10639 " J. SMART
8450 " R. DRUMMOND Wounded, May 1915, France.
39291 " H. THOMSON
10273 " R. ARMOUR Wounded, Karadzakot, Sept. 1916.
13859 " D. WHITE
43315 " H. M'WILLIAMS Wounded, Aug. 1918.
32844 " J. NOBLE
48594 " D. M'DONALD Died in hospital, Bulgaria.
16443 " A. ALVES
200297 " W. HOVAN
2ND BATTALION
The 2nd battalion took part in the original fighting of the war.
During the retirement from Mons the pipers were chiefly employed as
despatch-runners and orderlies. They went out with 16 pipers and lost
6 during the first few weeks. Four pipers, including Pipe Major Duff,
were taken prisoner at Audincourt on 26th August, 1914.
During the Somme fighting they were employed as stretcher-bearers
and suffered severe casualties. On one occasion they did invaluable
service in bringing water up to the battalion. At Ypres in September,
1916, the pipers were carrying barbed wire up to the front when a
shell wounded three. After that the band was withdrawn from the front
line and employed in playing the battalion to and from the trenches.
By the end of 1918 there had been 7 pipers killed, 16 wounded and 4
taken prisoner, and, to quote the pipe major, "I have seen 3 bands
disappear and the fourth is now on German soil."
Apart from the difficulty of replacement of casualties one of the
reasons why pipers were not used in attacks was because it was felt
"when the men heard the pipes they would lose control of themselves
and, in their eagerness to get forward would be apt to rush into
their own barrage."
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
8696 Pipe Major J. DUFF Wounded, taken prisoner,
Audincourt, 26/8/14.
5815 Pipe Major J. A. DUNBAR
9357 Lance-Cpl. G. M'DONALD Wounded, taken prisoner,
Audincourt, 26/8/14.
325127 Corpl. J. MACKAY Wounded, 23/11/17.
10535 Piper D. WHEELAN Wounded, taken prisoner,
Audincourt.
9865 " A. SMART Wounded, taken prisoner,
Audincourt.
9867 Lance Cpl. GROVES Wounded, Kemmel, Nov. 1914.
11161 Piper J. STEELE Wounded, Kemmel, Nov. 1914.
9356 Piper J. HUNTER Wounded, Ypres, 28/5/15.
10541 " F. M'EWAN Wounded, 23/5/15, 12/4/18,
8/10/18.
11065 " H. M'LEOD Recommended for D.C.M.;
wounded, Ypres, 28/5/15.
11484 " D. LINDSAY Killed, 4/5/17.
" A. MACKINLAY Killed, 9/4/18.
4918 " A. CRUICKSHANKS Killed, 27/9/18.
9356 " R. HUNTER Wounded, 23/5/15.
13459 " WILLIAM FISHER Wounded, Loos, 25/9/15; killed,
15/4/16.
250240 " WILLIAM BLACK Wounded, 12/11/17.
8516 " J. ROBERTSON Killed, Croix Barbes, 13/10/14.
325547 " R. ROBERTSON Wounded, 9/4/18.
8450 " J. DRUMMOND Killed, The Bluff, 23/1/16.
8906 " J. HENRY Wounded, Somme, 13/7/16.
9787 " J. YOUNGSON Wounded, The Bluff, 4/3/16.
9061 " J. JOHNSTON Wounded, 13/9/14.
7929 " J. ANDERSON Wounded, Kemmel, April, 1915.
3190 " J. THOMPSON Died, 30/8/15.
10536 " E. DUGUID Killed (gas), 10/5/18.
270014 " J. SINCLAIR Wounded, 9/4/17.
32553 " W. HUTCHESON Wounded, 26/3/18.
11613 " A. MACDONALD Wounded, 12/4/18.
8899 " R. SCHOLES
10178 " J. SCOTT
11486 " J. CLARK
270037 " J. PAUL
270045 " A. STOCKS
325080 " R. JOHNSTONE
250240 " W. BLACK
270821 " D. SHANE
11437 Lance Cpl. A. SWINNEY
4TH BATTALION (QUEEN'S EDINBURGH RIFLES)
This battalion served in Gallipoli, and took part in the attack
on Achi Baba on 28th June, 1915. On this occasion the Pipe Major
John Buchan was killed when playing along the line as the regiment
commenced their advance.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major ANDREW BUCHAN Killed, Gallipoli, 28/6/15.
Piper C. RUTHERFORD Died of dysentery, June, 1915.
" E. ALEXANDER Wounded on Achi Baba, 28/6/15.
" J. CHRISTIE
" A. MURRAY
" J. DUNCAN
" W. ARMSTRONG
" J. HUGHES
" P. LAIDLAW
5TH BATTALION (QUEEN'S EDINBURGH RIFLES)
During the Gallipoli fighting the whole of the pipers became
casualties, some of them while acting as pipers, others while serving
in the ranks. Shortly after the landing, 1235 Piper Sinclair gathered
together some stragglers and successfully covered the retirement of
his battalion at a critical period. He himself died of his wounds.
The band ceased to exist until again started in 1916. Writing of
their subsequent experiences the commanding officer says "they
gloriously upheld the traditions achieved by their predecessors."
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
1417 Pipe Major JAMES PEDEN
1303 Piper G. HARDIE Killed, 2/5/15, Gallipoli.
1235 " W. SINCLAIR Died of wounds, 8/5/15,
Gallipoli.
766 " A. LAWSON Killed, 28/4/15.
1824 " G. W. DOWNIE Killed, 7/5/15.
471 " J. UNCLES Wounded, April, 1915,
Gallipoli.
1885 Corpl. D. SWAN Wounded, 7/5/15.
1156 Piper J. G. SCOTT Wounded, May, 1915.
1364 " N. M'ELHINNY Wounded, 4/6/15; and again,
Gallipoli.
1539 " W. M'IVOR Wounded, 28/6/15, Gallipoli.
8109 " DAVID ROSS Killed, July, 1916.
6TH BATTALION
Pipers were almost entirely employed behind the front line owing to
the difficulty of replacement.
The battalion was ultimately merged with the 5th Royal Scots.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major R. ANDERSON
Corpl. J. GREER
" R. ROUGH
Piper T. LEAKE Died, Egypt.
" A. M'KENZIE
" R. BREMNER
" J. FISHER
" R. IRVINE
5/6 BATTALION
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major J. A. GORDON
Corpl. A. JACK
Piper R. DAVIDSON
" R. MARTIN
" R. FLETCHER
" J. MARSHALL
" J. HANNAH
7TH BATTALION
This battalion lost the pipe major and 2 pipers in a railway accident
before going overseas. While in Gallipoli they were employed in the
ranks. After the Gallipoli operations the band was brought up to
strength and played the battalion into Palestine to the old air of
"Blue Bonnets over the Border."
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Sergt. Piper JAMES GEAR Killed in train in England.
Piper GEORGE SMEATON Killed in train in England.
" ALEX. NICOL Killed in train in England.
Lance-Cpl. JAMES CAMPBELL Wounded.
Piper JAMES PEARSON Wounded in train smash.
" FRED TURNER Killed, 12/7/15.
" THOMAS CLACHERS
251141 " PETER M'NEILL Killed, 6/11/17, Palestine.
8TH BATTALION
At Festubert and elsewhere the pipers were employed as
stretcher-bearers, and Pipe Major J. M'Dougall was awarded the D.C.M.
"for gallant conduct under very trying circumstances." After the
first two years it was decided to keep the band out of action as far
as possible.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
7271 Pipe Major J. H. M'DOUGALL, Wounded, 22/5/15; D.C.M.
D.C.M.
7124 " J. STERRICK Time expired, 6/5/16.
335120 " J. STEVENSON
325119 Lance-Cpl. S. THOMSON
335062 Piper D. SHEILLS
335113 " A. EUMAN
7059 " J. STIRLING Wounded, 20/5/15.
594 " J. MARTIN Wounded, 21/12/14.
335118 " R. A. DODDS
7112 " A. STERRICK Invalided, Dec., 1914.
7132 " R. CRAWFORD Invalided, May, 1915.
819 " G. DARLING Wounded, 13/10/16.
4244 " T. FORREST Invalided, 26/2/15.
4467 " A. NOTMAN Invalided, 13/10/16.
330041 " W. BROWN
335074 " F. CONFREY Invalided, 10/8/18.
330347 " J. DICKSON
330400 " G. REID
10027 " A. METHVEN
9885 " R. M'ARTHUR
42591 " H. CAMERON
302447 " J. O'DONNELL
9TH BATTALION
The band was kept out of action as far as possible as it was regarded
as an invaluable asset on the march and in billets.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major C. M'KINLEY Wounded, 17/5/15.
" WILLIAM REID
Lance-Cpl. A. L. FORSYTH, M.M. Wounded, 17/5/15; awarded
Military Medal; killed,
23/4/17.
Piper J. M'EWAN Wounded, 7/4/15; and
again 23/5/15.
" R. HOUSTON
" J. URQUHART
Piper W. B. MARTIN Invalided.
" J. CHARGE
" H. C. CLARK
" C. MANDERSON
Corpl. G. LAUDER Killed, 23/5/17.
" JAMES ROBERTSON
Lance-Cpl. E. M'DONALD
Piper WILLIAM RITCHIE Wounded, 25/3/18.
" WILLIAM LEGG (Lieut. Royal Air Force).
" A. CANNON Invalided.
" J. TULLY
" G. COCKBURN
" J. ROBERTSON
" J. CLARK Wounded, Soissons, 29/7/18.
" P. M'LEAN
" J. ARMSTRONG
" W. DUFFY
" W. ROS
" D. ROSS
" R. CONNOLLY
11TH BATTALION
In spite of their frequent requests to be allowed to play in action
the pipers were not permitted to do so, as the band was regarded as
too valuable.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
3451 Pipe Major J. CLARK
227629 Sergt. W. SINCLAIR
27230 Piper ROBERT MARSHALL Wounded, 7/7/16.
8906 Lance-Cpl. W. HENRY
200521 Piper W. CHRISTIE
29304 " G. COMBE
29519 " J. HARPER
29331 " T. HERMISTON
41216 " R. JOHNSTONE
40063 " G. MUIR
20857 " W. STEWART
40057 " W. BRUCE
40787 " A. YOUNG Wounded, 23/3/18.
27237 " A. POTTS
" J. KANE Killed, 14/7/16.
12TH BATTALION
During the advance of the 26th Brigade at Loos in September, 1915,
the companies were played to the attack by their pipers, and suffered
heavily. Normally they were kept out of the front line owing to the
difficulty of replacement. During the German offensive of 1918 they
were in the ranks, and Pipe Major Colgan got the Military Medal "for
good leadership and courage." The casualties among them were heavy,
two having been killed and nine wounded.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
13283 Pipe Major A. COLGAN, M.M. Military Medal.
10122 " R. SOFTLEY Wounded, 25/9/15.
12991 Piper THOMAS HISLOP Killed, 25/9/15.
200737 Lance-Cpl. P. WEST Killed.
13459 " WILLIAM FISHER Wounded, Sept., 1915; killed,
15/4/16.
270322 Piper H. BARRIE
31137 " D. BOWES Wounded, 25/9/15.
16036 " C. CAMPBELL
13530 " W. COWE Wounded, 25/9/15.
43280 " J. GRAY
12991 " D. M'DONALD Wounded, 25/9/15.
270099 " J. M'INTYRE
3404 " N. M'INTYRE
270324 " J. M'KNIGHT
" G. M'PHEE
43345 " A. ROBERTSON
6392 " J. ROBERTSON Wounded four times.
270326 " D. ROSS
40300 " D. THOMSON Wounded, 1916.
18516 " G. WATSON Wounded, 1916.
13TH BATTALION
At Loos, 25th September, 1915, and in subsequent actions, the pipers
were employed as bearers. There were heavy casualties among them in
the last advance in 1918, when 2 were killed and 5 wounded.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major MURDOCH MACDONALD Invalided; died, 9/2/16.
" JOHN MOUAT Mentioned in despatches,
27/12/18.
Sergt. ROBERT M'KAY
" THORNTON Invalided, 1917.
Corpl. F. DALGLEISH
Piper JOHN FORD Wounded, Loos, 25/9/15.
" JOHN MARR Wounded, 26/8/18.
" WILLIAM M'NEILL Wounded, 26/8/18.
" PETER CAMPBELL Wounded, 26/8/18.
Piper THOMAS FLOOD Killed, 26/8/18.
" ROBERT CAMPBELL Wounded, 25/9/15; taken prisoner
and died.
" JOHN CROWBOROUGH Wounded, April, 1918.
" JOHN FALCONER Invalided.
" JOHN FERRIER
" JOHN KILPATRICK Invalided.
" JOHN MACMILLAN Invalided.
" JOHN RANKIN Invalided.
" JOHN ROUGH Invalided.
" ROBERT NORRIS Wounded, 27/1/16.
" ANGUS MACDONALD
" WILLIAM TWEEDIE Wounded, 28/3/18.
" ROBERT MITCHELL Died of wounds, 26/8/18.
" J. FINDLAY
" F. GRAY
" G. GUILD
" M. M'LENNAN
" F. MORRIS
" J. M'LEAN
" W. WHITEHEAD
" J. CLUNIE
15TH BATTALION
The battalion was played to the attack on Fricourt on the 1st July,
1916, by Pipe Major David Anderson, who was subsequently awarded the
Croix de Guerre. Only one decoration was available for the Division,
and his was considered the most conspicuous act of bravery.
16TH BATTALION
After suffering heavy losses this battalion was absorbed by the 9th
Royal Scots.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major W. DUGUID
Corpl. D. SINCLAIR
Lance-Cpl. P. GOLDIE
Piper W. ADAMS Invalided.
" M. BETHUNE Killed, Somme, July 1916.
" H. GREY Killed, Arras, April 1917.
" D. HENDRY
" A. JACK
" A. LOCH Wounded, 1918.
Piper A. NOON Killed, Arras, April 1917.
" G. PHILP Invalided.
" D. ROSS
" J. THOMSON
" H. TUOHY Wounded, Somme, 1916;
invalided.
" E. TUOHY
" A. WILSON
17TH BATTALION
The pipers, when employed in action at all, went as bearers.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major M'DONALD Invalided.
" DONALD M'LEAN Became Lieut. 1st Gordons;
killed, July 1918.
" A. M'PHEDRAN
Corpl. C. M'KINNON
Lance-Cpl. LAWRIE Prisoner of war.
" J. MOON
Piper RAMAGE Wounded; invalided.
" CALDER
" SWANSON Wounded; invalided.
" WILSON Invalided.
" DOUGLAS Invalided.
" M'ANULTY
" PEEBLES
" M'GARVIE
" BRENNAN
" J. THOMSON
" A. COLLINS
" JAS. HOGG
" P. MACK
THE ROYAL SCOTS FUSILIERS
1ST BATTALION
The battalion was played to the attack on the German trenches at
Hooge on 16th June, 1915, by the Pipe Major David Campbell.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major DAVID CAMPBELL Wounded, Hooge, 15/6/15.
" J. M'NAB From 1st Royal Scots,
20/11/15.
2ND BATTALION
After the first battle of Ypres only one piper remained, but a small
band was made up from such acting pipers as could be spared from the
trenches. Drafts from other battalions ultimately brought the band up
to strength. The pipers who were taken prisoner, along with one of
the officers, started a band in a German prison camp.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major A. MEIKLE Prisoner of war.
Sergt. D. DUNCAN Prisoner of war.
" J. JAMIESON Wounded.
" D. BRYCE Wounded.
Corpl. H. ELLIS
" A. W. RICHARDSON Killed.
" J. DUFF Wounded.
" A. JENNINGS Killed.
Piper W. CRUICKSHANK Prisoner of war.
" J. URQUHART Prisoner of war.
" J. VERRALL Wounded.
" W. BUTTERWORTH Killed.
" A. M'GARVA Prisoner of war.
" W. STEWART
" G. GILLESPIE Three times wounded.
" J. HUNTER Wounded.
" H. FULLSTONE Wounded.
" W. MOORE Wounded; invalided; died.
" D. M'LEAN Killed, Messines, 1917.
" M. WATT
" G. LAWRIE
" G. PRATTIS
" T. ALSTON
" G. WITHERS Invalided.
" C. CONNOR Invalided.
" J. BAIN
" A. LEES
" F. COUTTS
" G. GREIG
" W. SINCLAIR
" A. MATHIESON
4TH BATTALION
Pipers in Gallipoli were originally employed as duty men in their
companies, and in the action on 12th July, 1915, three of them were
killed. The band was gradually reduced to vanishing point, and was
reconstituted in France in 1918 from men of the 7th R.S.F. In France
they were kept out of the front as they were regarded as too valuable
an institution to be lost again.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major M'QUEEN Invalided, Nov. 1915.
" N. SHAW Died of wounds, Palestine,
21/4/17.
" C. M'INNES
Lance-Cpl. J. W. M'ALLISTER Killed, Gallipoli, 12/7/15.
Piper P. GREIG Killed, Gallipoli, 12/7/15.
" J. MILNER Killed, Gallipoli, 12/7/15.
" A. GORDON Invalided, Nov. 1915.
Lance-Cpl. W. HIGHET
Piper W. BATCHELOR }
" J. SMITH }
" J. RAE }
" R. STORRIE }
" J. KIDDIE }
" J. CREWS } Transferred from 6/7 Battalion
" J. K. STEPHEN } to 4th Batt. on return to France
" R. CURRIE } from Palestine.
" J. WOODS }
" D. INNES }
" H. HOGGAN }
" R. HOGGAN }
5TH BATTALION
In Gallipoli the pipers served in the ranks. The C.O. considers,
however, their value in keeping the men cheery, and on the march, so
great that they should not be allowed in the front line at all. "When
the men were exhausted and inclined to straggle the effect of the
pipes was most marked, the men at once pulled themselves together."
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
6909 Pipe Major ANDREW THOM Invalided
241387 " JOHN MACPHEE
7797 Lance-Cpl. JOHN MURDOCH Killed, 13/7/15.
7613 Piper HUGH DICK
6348 " ALEXANDER CALDWELL Wounded, 12/7/15.
7107 " ANDREW HOPE
5726 Lance-Cpl. WILLIAM JOHNSTONE
241579 Piper WILLIAM LENAGHEN
9806 Piper JAMES M'CONNELL
240011 " ROBERT MAGIE
240190 " THOMAS SHANKS
240834 " H. SAMSON
7TH BATTALION
When the battalion went out it was found necessary to put the
pipers in the ranks. After the amalgamation of the 7th with the 6th
Battalion they were kept out of the front line for a time.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major WATSON
Piper T. MARR Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
" W. MARR Wounded.
" R. ROMMIE Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
" BALSILLIE
" DAVIDSON
" W. BARCLAY
" M'ARTHUR Invalided.
" FINLAYSON Wounded, Loos, 25/9/15.
6TH AND 7TH BATTALION.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major D. INNES
Piper J. KIDDIE
" W. CRAIG
" J. WOOD
" J. STEPHENS
" J. CREWS
" R. CURRIE
" D. TUNES
" J. JAMIESON
" CLAYDON
" BALSILLIE
" DAVIDSON
The combined battalions were ultimately broken up, and the pipers
transferred to the 4th Battalion, which had returned from Palestine
with its pipe band no longer in existence.
8TH BATTALION
Owing to the difficulty of replacing casualties the pipers were not
allowed to go into action.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major H. PETERS
" W. M'CORMICK Invalided.
" J. DUFF
Corpl. G. GRAY
Lance-Cpl. A. ALVES
" J. NOBLE Invalided.
Piper J. M'NAB
" A. M'KAY
" P. M'GUINNESS
" J. BLAYLOCK
" G. GLENDINNING
" F. MORRISON
" W. MURRAY
" J. FERGUSON Invalided.
" A. LAVE Invalided.
" B. PATERSON Invalided.
" R. STORIE Invalided.
" J. M'FARLANE Invalided.
" W. HARAN Invalided.
" P. ABERNETHY Invalided.
11TH BATTALION
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
26522 Pipe Major T. PORTEOUS
59663 Sergt. R. HAILSTONES
265732 Piper A. M'DONALD
59415 " D. M'BAIN
265763 " A. FORBES
THE KING'S OWN SCOTTISH BORDERERS
1ST BATTALION
In the landing on Gallipoli the pipers of the battalion had to take
their places in the ranks in the first line fighting; here they
distinguished themselves. During the subsequent operations in the
Peninsula the pipers were employed in miscellaneous duties behind the
front line.
Of the 10 pipers who landed only 4 remained to accompany the
battalion on its evacuation.
In France they were employed in any and every capacity; "as bearers
and ammunition carriers they had tasks to carry out that were almost
superhuman, but as a band they ceased to exist until May 1917, when
they were reconstituted. It was then decided to keep them out of the
front line altogether."
The opinion of the officers is that pipers are far too valuable
an institution to be employed in action in any capacity. The C.O.
considers the band "plays no inconsiderable part in promoting the
efficiency of a fighting force."
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
8248 Pipe Major W. MACKENZIE, M.M. Military Medal.
6863 Sergt. F. PURGAVIE Wounded, Flers, 25/11/16, while
in charge of a Dump.
8400 Corpl. H. M'DONALD Wounded, Suvla Bay, 10/8/15.
11412 Piper COLGAN Wounded, Gallipoli, 4/6/15.
9884 " HIGGINSON Killed while leading bayonet
charge, Gallipoli, 26/4/15.
7936 " LILLIE
11315 " MAITLAND, M.M. Killed at Paschendaele,
27/4/17; awarded Military
Medal.
8629 " R. SCOTT Wounded, Gallipoli, 4/6/15.
9545 " TURNBULL
10884 " TROTTER Wounded, Gallipoli, 1/6/15;
Cambrai, 28/11/17.
2ND BATTALION
The officers of the battalion regard the pipers as a most necessary
adjunct to a unit on active service, but consider that owing to the
difficulty of replacement they should not be employed in action.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major J. MACINTYRE Wounded, Givenchy, 27/9/15,
11537 " W. MACKIE
9059 Corpl. T. HOPE
10340 " L. RODGERS
10693 " F. CAIRNS Wounded twice.
6342 Piper W. WOODS
8401 " J. BLACK
10632 Piper W. MACDONALD Wounded.
11893 " M. HALLIDAY
11172 " F. MARR Wounded twice.
40089 " G. LOCKIE Wounded.
44039 " A. BRUCE
23492 " R. M'ROBERTS
202225 " A. LENNOX
201229 " J. CAIRNEY
44069 " J. CASSIDY
9876 " J. BLACK
8274 " J. RIDDLE
8366 " J. ROACH Prisoner.
7152 " ROBB Wounded twice.
22122 " J. HALL
4TH BATTALION
In Gallipoli the pipers were principally employed as messengers
and bearers, and most of them became casualties. When the band was
reconstituted the pipers were kept out of the front line.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
28 Pipe Major C. FORBES
6074 Piper J. YOUNG
179 " W. SCOTT
729 " F. WOOD Wounded.
478 " J. LOCKHART
593 " B. MOWATT Wounded.
778 " T. LUNHAM Died of wounds.
779 " J. KERR Died of wounds.
306 " C. STREET Missing.
822 " A. HENDRY Missing.
5TH BATTALION
In Gallipoli the pipers were mostly employed as stretcher-bearers,
and nearly all of them became casualties.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
1163 Lance-Sgt. PORTER
1333 Corpl. J. PRIESTLY Wounded, 12/7/15.
554 Piper A. ERSKINE Congratulated for bravery.
686 " R. T. ARRALL Wounded, 22/6/15.
308 " R. BROWN Killed, 12/7/15.
833 " J. CLINT
1760 Piper T. E. MARTIN Killed, 12/7/15.
1762 " H. C. BURNETT Wounded, 30/6/15.
995 " J. DICKSON
556 " J. ERSKINE
1489 " J. JACKSON
1622 " D. M'MINN
799 " M. STEWART Wounded, 12/7/15.
1377 " D. WILSON Wounded, 12/7/15.
" JAS. GORMAN Killed.
6TH BATTALION.
In the attack on the Hohenzollern redoubt in September 1915 the
battalion was played over the top by the Pipe Major, Robert
Mackenzie. The casualties in this action, 4 killed and 3 wounded,
resulted in the temporary disappearance of the band. At Arras, Ypres,
and in later engagements, the men were employed as bearers.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
14851 Pipe Major R. MACKENZIE Loos, 25/9/15; died of wounds;
despatches.
" T. RICHARDSON Transferred to Depôt.
" J. DAY
Corpl. J. WALLACE
Lance-Cpl. J. LOMAS Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
" J. MARSHALL
" A. M'KENNA Invalided.
Piper J. SIME Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
" J. BLOOMER
" P. MOFFAT Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
" D. HANLON Wounded, Loos, 25/9/15.
" G. M'GREGOR Wounded, Loos, 25/9/15.
" J. PRINGLE Missing; killed, Somme, October
1916.
" J. FERGUSON
" D. BARRY Wounded, Gallipoli, 1915.
" J. GRAY Wounded, Hill 60, 1915.
" H. STOTT
" J. JENKINS Invalided.
" W. LITTLE
" H. SHERRY
" J. PHILLIPS
" G. STEVENSON Wounded, Loos, 25/9/15.
" W. H. SMITH
" T. RANKINE
7TH BATTALION.
Just before the attack at Loos when there was a very heavy
bombardment and gas discharge, Piper Daniel Laidlaw got up on the
parapet and played the men over the top and continued until he fell
wounded. For this act he was awarded the V.C. Another piper, Douglas
Taylor, who had been wounded in the hand and could not play, went out
and brought in several wounded men who had been gassed; he continued
until he was dangerously wounded.
During the first eighteen months of the campaign the whole of the
pipers were wounded.
The enormous value of pipes to a battalion returning from the front
line is recognised by all ranks.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major DOUGLAS TAYLOR Loos, wounded, 25/9/15.
15851 Piper DANIEL LAIDLAW, V.C. Loos, 25/9/15, wounded; V.C.
" J. MILLIGAN Loos, 25/9/15, wounded.
" G. STEVENSON Loos, wounded, 25/9/15.
" G. DUTTON Wounded.
" W. IRVINE Wounded Hulluch; invalided.
" J. M'DONALD Wounded, Arras.
" W. LAMONT Wounded, Dardanelles.
" J. TAYLOR Died of wounds, Arras.
" G. BLACK Invalided.
8TH BATTALION
This battalion, on account of its losses, was absorbed into the 7th
K.O.S.B The casualties among the 23 pipers of the two battalions were
heavy, viz. 4 killed and 10 wounded.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
8352 Pipe Major J. BALLOCH Invalided; Meritorious Service
Medal.
14875 Lance-Sgt. J. BROADWOOD Invalided.
8365 Corpl. R. HALLIDAY Promoted Pipe Major of 7/8th
K.O.S.B.
14277 Lance-Cpl. A. M'VITTIE Killed, Arras.
Piper D. BALLOCH
" A. SIMPSON
Piper C. REID Killed, Somme, July 1916.
" P. OGILVIE Wounded, Ypres.
" J. YOUNG Wounded, Arras.
" W. BUCHANAN Wounded, Ypres.
" G. SWINTON Killed, Arras.
" J. CAIRNEY
" D. REID
THE CAMERONIANS (THE SCOTTISH RIFLES)
1ST BATTALION
During the early part of the campaign the casualties among pipers
were so heavy that it was found necessary to keep them as much as
possible out of the front line. By the end of 1915 the band had
practically ceased to exist. Of 25 pipers who have served during the
war 3 have been killed and 9 wounded.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
6062 Pipe Major J. ALEXANDER Wounded.
265008 " D. M'GRUER
8453 Corpl. R. GORDON
10873 " G. PETERS
6740 Lance-Cpl. W. SMITH
9429 Piper T. BEST Killed.
9441 " R. BLACK Killed.
10786 " T. BRODIE
8899 " D. CAMERON Invalided.
8890 " W. CATTANACH Wounded.
10688 " W. DICK Wounded.
10006 " R. FLEMING Wounded.
9209 " C. GULLAN Prisoner of war.
8883 " C. HENDERSON
8254 " J. HAMILTON Wounded.
10641 " W. KINGSMAN Invalided.
7739 " R. MENZIES Discharged.
36628 " G. MILLER Wounded.
8809 " A. M'CULLOCH Invalided.
10924 " P. ROBERTSON Killed.
10326 " R. STEWART Wounded.
10765 " W. SHANE Prisoner of war.
22436 " J. STRACHAN Wounded.
8393 " G. WHITEHEAD Discharged.
53509 " J. WILLIAMSON
2ND BATTALION
Pipers during the first part of the war were chiefly in the ranks,
and the casualties among them were so heavy they had to be withdrawn.
The band was reconstituted, and the pipers were then kept out of the
front line. In March 1918 they again had to be employed as rifles.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major W. ROBERTSON, M.M. Military Medal; gassed, Lens,
Sept. 1918.
" D. MACDOUGALL
" A. CAMERON Killed, 4/2/15, Laventie;
acting platoon sergeant.
Corporal A. WYLLIE Wounded, 10/3/15, Neuve
Chapelle.
" J. CAMPBELL Killed, La Bassée, 16/5/15,
while leading section.
" A. HORNE Killed, 31/7/17.
" D. M'CULLOCH Wounded; promoted P.M. 13th
Scottish Rifles.
6703 Piper IAN MACPHERSON Wounded, Nesle.
" A. MACDONALD Killed, Laventie, Jan. 1915.
" FORSYTH Killed, Bois Grenier,
July 1915.
" NICOL Invalided.
" FLEMING Wounded, 23/10/16.
" FERGUSON Wounded, Dec. 1914.
" PARKER Invalided.
" STARK Wounded, 10/3/15; Neuve
Chapelle; invalided.
" CLARK Killed, 10/3/15, Neuve
Chapelle.
" E. O'NEIL Invalided.
" LAUDER Died of wounds, March 1918.
" A. M'DONALD
" C. BARCLAY
" J. INGRAM
" C. ROBERTSON
" G. LATHAM
" W. CAMPBELL
5TH BATTALION
The original pipers served in the ranks and became casualties, and
from early in 1915 to the end of 1916 the band ceased to exist. Since
the reconstitution the men have been employed behind the front line
as far as possible. In April 1917 they played the battalion back out
of the Hindenburg line which had just been captured. During the last
phase of the war they had to be employed in the ranks.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
5476 Pipe Major C. G. TAYLOR Invalided, 1/10/15.
" PATERSON Accidentally killed.
5515 Piper D. M'PHEE
5474 " C. ROBERTSON
6408 " J. SLOAN Wounded 3 times; invalided
6240 " F. WATT Invalided.
6471 " A. MACKAY Invalided.
6595 " M. DUNBAR
6572 " K. SUTHERLAND
6696 " R. M'GREGOR
6TH BATTALION
This battalion was merged into the 5th in July 1916. The pipers were
employed in the ranks.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
201124 Pipe Major J. C. PURDIE Killed.
Lance-Cpl. JAS. KIRK Wounded, Festubert, 16/6/15.
202159 Cpl. D. M'DOUGALL
Lance-Cpl. A. M'DONALD Transferred to 2nd S.R.
202140 " D. GARDINER
201213 Piper H. M'GREGOR Wounded, 24/2/16; invalided.
240869 " J. BEGG
6435 " D. M'GREGOR Wounded; invalided.
202162 " J. GRAHAM
202161 " L. M'DOUGALL
202051 " M. M'INTYRE Invalided.
202160 " T. POLLOCK
240024 " J. POTTER
202164 " W. SWEETEN
240653 " R. KERR
290665 " P. MACCULLOCH
39875 " A. FERGUSON
54252 " S. BELL
291284 " D. LAMONT
39693 " A. M'PHEE
7TH BATTALION
In the Dardanelles and Palestine the pipers were employed as bearers
and suffered heavy casualties. It was then decided to keep them out
of the front line.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
152 Pipe Major E. J. M'PHERSON Invalided.
166 " LOUIS BEATON
1103 Piper W. JAMIESON
1106 " ARCHIBALD RAMAGE Killed, 28/6/15, Dardanelles.
868 " ARCHIBALD SHEARER Killed, 23/7/15, Dardanelles.
1178 " WILLIAM DEANS Killed, June 1915.
1260 " J. CAMPBELL
404 " W. TAYLOR Wounded, 28/6/15; invalided.
1095 " J. PATERSON
266069 " J. M'DONALD Wounded, 23/11/17, Palestine.
265902 " A. THOMSON
265858 " D. M'KENZIE
265803 " R. M'INTYRE Wounded, 2/11/17, Palestine.
265958 " J. M'IVER Killed, 12/11/17, Palestine.
1817 " J. STRACHAN Killed, 4/11/17, Palestine.
8TH BATTALION
Pipers were principally employed, when in Gallipoli, as bearers, and
suffered very heavily. On the 28th June, 1915, three were killed, and
from Jan. 1916 for a year only one piper remained. There were also
heavy losses in Palestine. They were chiefly employed in the ranks.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major NEIL MACLEOD Killed, Dardanelles, 12/7/15.
Corpl. ALEXANDER STENTON
Piper D. MACDOUGALL Transferred to 2nd Batt. as
Pipe Major.
" G. LATHAM
" JOHN MACINTYRE Killed, Gallipoli, 28/6/15.
" JAMES FERGUSON Killed, Gallipoli, 28/6/15.
" ROBERT WHITELAW Killed, Gallipoli, 28/6/15.
" JOHN MACKENZIE Wounded, Gallipoli, 28/6/15.
" JAMES M'INDOE Killed, France, 29/7/18.
Lance-Cpl. JAMES MIDDLETON
Piper WILLIAM DICKIE Wounded, Gaza, 19/4/17.
Piper JAMES ANDERSON Wounded, Gaza, 19/4/17.
" ROBERT CAMERON Wounded, Gaza, 19/4/17.
" A. F. CLARK
" T. RAE
9TH BATTALION
The whole band went into action at Loos, and suffered so heavily it
took months to restore it. In a daylight raid at Arras in February
1917 Corpl. Whitelaw and Piper M'Gurk played their companies over the
top.
During the Somme fighting pipers were employed in bringing up
ammunition.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
1886 Pipe Major M. FERGUSON
40631 Lance-Cpl. R. WHITELAW
30503 Piper HUGH MACARA Killed, March 1917.
40643 Lance-Cpl. W. JOHNSTON
11619 Piper A. MACPHERSON
43338 " H. LENNOX
16458 " J. M'KENNA
11113 " W. MILLAR Wounded.
267072 " H. BAIRD
12094 " T. MACFARLANE
17806 " M. M'GURK
10542 " J. NICOL
12325 " T. STEWART
11797 " G. MUIR
11839 " J. THOMPSON Wounded.
11064 " J. SHIELDS Invalided.
28525 " H. CAMERON Invalided.
10588 " J. GILCHRIST Wounded.
" G. NAPIER Gassed.
10TH BATTALION
The pipers were used as stretcher-bearers. Pipe Major M'Coll won the
Military Medal when in charge of the stretcher party on the Somme.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major J. M'COLL, M.M. Military Medal.
Piper ROBERT BLACK Wounded, Loos, 15/9/15;
killed, 28/1/16.
" DUNCAN MACKENZIE Killed, 17/11/15.
" ALEX. HARRIS Killed, 27/1/16.
11TH BATTALION
Pipers were frequently employed as runners, orderlies, and to bring
up stores and ammunition.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
15515 Pipe Major A. FINLAYSON Invalided.
14786 Corpl. W. REID Wounded, 8/5/17.
16195 Piper W. ROBERTSON Invalided, 29/9/16.
14631 " A. STEVENSON Killed, 28/4/17; despatches,
29/11/17.
14324 " W. LEWIS
15174 " R. M'KAY
14595 " R. TULL
14597 " G. CURRIE
14687 " A. TAIT Wounded, 8/5/17.
11839 " J. THOMSON Wounded, 8/5/17.
11505 " D. HUNTER
30547 " J. COULL
35462 " J. RICHMOND
18176 " W. HEWITT
THE ROYAL HIGHLANDERS (THE BLACK WATCH)
1ST BATTALION
During the opening stages the pipers were necessarily mostly employed
in the ranks, and, within the first three months, practically the
whole of the 13 pipers were casualties. During the Somme fighting the
companies were repeatedly played to the attack by their pipers; on
one of these occasions the pipe major, M'Leod, was killed. At Rue des
Bois in May 1915, when the battalion attacked the German positions
near Festubert, every company was played up, and Pipers Stuart and
Wishart distinguished themselves, and Stuart was awarded the D.C.M.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
4621 Pipe Major T. CLARK Invalided.
7068 " HUGH MAXWELL THOM Pipe Major, 22/8/16.
635 Lance-Cpl. J. REID Invalided.
9617 Piper D. M'LEOD Promoted Pipe Major; killed,
21/8/16.
7820 " H. BRUCE Wounded; missing, 9/5/15.
2053 Piper W. BURNS Wounded, 26/1/15; invalided.
2487 Lance-Cpl. R. KNOWLES Wounded, 26/10/14.
1314 Sergt. R. SMITH Wounded, 8/9/14.
2190 Piper T. CARDOWNIE Wounded, 24/10/14.
1956 " T. M'INTYRE Killed, 14/8/14.
1738 " B. BAIN Wounded, 26/10/14; invalided.
1771 " T. PETERS Wounded, 14/9/14; invalided.
1186 " G. ROBERTSON
943 Lance-Cpl. J. BROWN Transferred as Pipe Major
8th Batt.; 3 times wounded.
740 Piper R. JAAP
" J. LEES Wounded, 25/1/15.
" N. M'LEOD
" A. STEWART Wounded, 9/5/15.
" P. M'GINN
" A. WISHART Wounded, 9/5/15.
9430 Lance-Cpl. W. STUART, D.C.M. Wounded, Rue des Bois, 9/5/15
awarded D.C.M.
Piper T. HARDY
9088 " DAVID WEMYSS
43115 " ROBERT MUIR
699 " DAVID ARMIT
779 " ANDREW HADDEN
40034 " ANDREW SIME
40154 " JOHN CARMICHAEL
43114 " ALEX. SHERIFF
1892 " DUGALD M'DADE
15895 " JAMES HIGGINS
2045 " JOHN NEILL
7099 " GEORGE WILSON
13291 " WILLIAM HARLEY
12194 " EDWARD TATTON
2106 " WILLIAM HARDIE
9723 " JOHN DAWSON
16186 " GEORGE MARTIN
2ND BATTALION
At Neuve Chapelle, March 1915, and at many other subsequent
engagements, the pipers lost heavily. At Mauquissart on 25th
September, 1915, when the companies were played to the attack, one
piper, Robert Johnstone, played on until he fell gassed; and another,
Armit, on reaching the enemy trenches, started bombing. On the same
occasion, Pipers David Simpson and A. Macdonald stood on the parapet
under very heavy fire playing their company over; Simpson was killed
and Macdonald, who lost his leg, received the D.C.M. The pipers were
also employed as bombers, and in this capacity Lance-Corpl. Peter
MacNee obtained the D.C.M. at Neuve Chapelle.
On another occasion Pipers Gordon and Crichton played from one end
of the line to the other out in the open, and similar feats were
subsequently performed by other pipers.
While the battalion was in France, out of 22 pipers 4 were killed and
13 were wounded, during the first year of the war.
The battalion subsequently went to Mesopotamia. Here again the
pipers were employed, sometimes in miscellaneous duties in the
ranks, sometimes as pipers. The pipe major, John Keith, was awarded
the D.C.M. Piper Pratt was promoted and given the D.C.M. for "high
capacity in leadership" when acting as sergeant.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
6830 Sergt. JOHN KEITH, D.C.M. Wounded, Rue de Bacquerat,
15/7/15.
7184 Corpl. DONALD MACMASTER Wounded, Rue des Bois, 5/3/15.
8358 " (Sgt.) ANGUS MACLEOD Wounded, Neuve Chapelle,
10/3/15.
9908 Lance-Cpl. JAMES WANN Died of wounds, Neuve
Chapelle, 10/3/15.
365 Piper ROBERT JOHNSTONE Wounded Neuve Chapelle,
9/5/15; and again at
Mauquissart, 25/9/15;
finally gassed.
9476 " JOSEPH GORDON Wounded, Neuve Chapelle,
9/5/15.
1165 Lance-Cpl. PETER CRICHTON
65 Piper JOHN DUTHIE Invalided.
699 " DAVID ARMIT Wounded, Givenchy, 8/10/15.
1449 " JAMES DAVIS Missing, Mauquissart,
25/9/15; believed killed.
1871 " JAMES GALLOWAY Wounded, 3/11/14; killed,
Givenchy, 8/10/15.
1838 " JAMES BRADLEY Wounded, November 1914, and
invalided.
1350 " THOMAS LOGAN Invalided.
736 " DAVID SIMPSON Killed, Mauquissart, 25/9/15.
1539 " ALEXANDER M'DONALD, Wounded, Givenchy;
D.C.M. awarded D.C.M.; died.
1478 " THOMAS PHINN
1919 Lance-Sgt. ALEXANDER PRATT, Wounded, La Gorgue, 2/8/15;
D.C.M. Mesopotamia, 22/4/16.
941 Lance-Cpl. PETER M'NEE, D.C.M. Gassed, Mauquissart, 25/9/15;
Mesopotamia, 13/1/16; D.C.M.;
subsequently died of wounds.
779 Piper ALEXANDER HADDEN Wounded, 18/5/15, and again,
4/7/15.
467 " JOHN KIDD Wounded, 1/11/14, and again
Mauquissart, 25/9/15, and
again Mesopotamia, 7/1/16.
1358 " WILLIAM MACKAY Died of wounds, Neuve Chapelle,
10/3/15.
1314 " A. SMITH
1998 " JOHN JORDAN
288 " WILLIAM THOMSON Wounded, Ypres.
S/17486 Corpl. NEIL YOUNG
" WM. MATHIESON Killed.
3/3422 " JOHN BENZIE Invalided.
3/8973 Piper JOHN BROWN Invalided.
3/8570 " DAVID STORRAR
487 " JAMES ANGUS Wounded, Aisne, 14/9/14.
S/17639 " DAVID DRUMMOND
S/19965 " JAMES DUNN
S/17691 " JAMES GREIG
336 " DAVID KIDD Wounded, Le Cateau, Aug. 1914.
S/4372 " WILLIAM ROBERTSON Wounded, Loos, 25/9/15, and
San-i-yat, April 1916.
S/18525 " DAVID STARK
1171 " THOMAS TALLON
8875 " ALEXANDER THOMSON Wounded, Sheikh Saad, 7/1/16;
again, 20/4/16; again,
22/4/16.
4TH BATTALION
The pipers were employed principally as bearers, and were highly
complimented for their gallantry at Neuve Chapelle in March 1915;
at Loos they were similarly employed, and Piper M'Leod was awarded
the Military Medal for gallantry in bringing in his colonel, who was
mortally wounded, under very heavy fire. On 3rd September, 1916, the
battalion was played in to the attack, but, as a rule, they were kept
back behind the front line. Pipe Major Alex. Low got the D.C.M. for
attending wounded, and Piper M'Leod got a bar to his Military Medal.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
210 Pipe Major ALEXANDER LOW, D.C.M. Recommended for D.C.M., Neuve
Chapelle.
1198 " D. M'LEOD, M.M. Awarded Military Medal,
25/3/15; and bar in 1918.
263 Corpl. J. NICOLL Wounded, 10/3/15.
1914 Piper J. REID Wounded, 9/5/15.
1403 " J. LYALL Wounded, 6/9/15.
1301 " R. SWORD Wounded, 9/5/15.
832 " J. DONALDSON Wounded, 10/3/15.
663 " J. SOUTER
714 " J. DEWAR
1039 " G. SCOTT
1160 " J. MERCHANT
1887 " T. CAMERON
1678 " F. MITCHELL
2204 " A. FINDLAY
4029 " C. GIBSON
1717 " J. MYLES
2177 " A. SANGSTER
769 " H. MITCHELL
" THOS. PATERSON Transferred to Wireless
Service, R.N., as Sub-Lieut.
5TH BATTALION
Pipers were employed, during the trench fighting, as observers,
messengers and stretcher-bearers, and in the ranks, and suffered
heavy casualties. The battalion was subsequently merged into the 4th
Black Watch.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
668 Pipe Major A. M'DONALD LAMOND Wounded, 9/5/15, Fromelles.
1053 Sergt. A. E. CROWE
1163 Piper J. CARSTAIRS Invalided.
729 Lance-Cpl. J. STEWART Invalided.
826 Piper J. DUNCAN
1150 " A. NICOLL Wounded, 25/8/15, while
sniping.
1053 " A. LUNDIE Wounded, 9/5/15.
1689 " J. WHITTON
1051 " J. BEGG
1568 " A. HOWIE Killed, 10/3/15, Neuve
Chapelle; mentioned in
despatches.
406 Lance-Cpl. F. REID Killed, 13/3/15, Neuve
Chapelle.
382 Sergt. P. M'KAY
719 Piper W. WEBSTER
1719 " J. MYLES
751 " A. C. SCOTT
1017 " A. BRAND
6TH BATTALION
Pipers were employed in many ways, but chiefly as stretcher-bearers.
The band was regarded by the men as the best stretcher-bearers they
came across. At High Wood in July 1916 the battalion was played over
by Pipers Pirnie, Forbes, Mapleton and Tainsh.
Since September 1916 they have been kept out of the front line as far
as possible.
In December 1917 four pipers were killed and one wounded by a bomb
during an aeroplane raid at Fromicourt.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major W. GALLOWAY
" J. SINCLAIR
" D. ANDERSON
Lance-Cpl. D. BERRY
2126 Piper ALASDAIR M'DONALD Despatches.
" P. FALLON Killed, May, 1915.
" R. PIRNIE
" P. DAVIDSON
" P. IRONS
" W. M'EWAN
" J. FERGUSON Killed, La Boiselle, August
1916.
" A. M'DONALD
" P. M'INTOSH
" R. MAPLETON Commission in Gordons.
" MACCULLEN Wounded, March 1917.
" J. HARPER Killed, 23/12/17.
" A. TAINSH Killed, 23/12/17.
" A. FORBES Killed, 23/12/17.
" J. WYSE
" J. GUTHRIE
" W. PEGGIE
" A. PATON Transferred to R.E.; killed,
June 1917.
" W. MASON
" D. STEWART
" D. M'BETH
" T. LYALL
" A. LEES
" C. MACKENZIE
" G. GOW
" J. GOW
Piper A. MYLES Killed, 23/12/17.
" J. M'BETH
" A. M'COLL
" D. LEGGAT
" J. BURLEIGH
" J. NICOL
" F. CHRISTIE
" R. LOW
" J. CONDIE
" E. DEANS
" J. STEWART
" N. BEATON
" R. SPENCE
" H. RATTRAY Transferred to 7th Gordons
as Pipe Major.
" C. NISBET
" J. SIMPSON
" L. MASSIE Killed, Somme, Oct. 1916.
7TH BATTALION
The pipers were employed in the ranks, as despatch runners, etc.
Piper G. Galloway was awarded the Military Medal for performing this
most hazardous duty under heavy fire during the Somme fighting; and
Pipe Major Thomas Macdonald and Pipers Swan and Hands were rewarded
with the same distinction.
Latterly the pipers were trained as anti-aircraft Lewis gunners, and
proved extremely successful.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
290056 Pipe Major THOMAS M'DONALD, M.M. Military Medal, Somme.
Lance-Sgt. J. CHISHOLM Invalided.
292440 " N. M'DONALD
Lance-Cpl. G. SWAN, M.M. Killed, Dec. 1916, Somme;
Military Medal.
292435 " A. CHALMERS
" A. WILKIE
Piper H. FORKER
" A. WILKIE Killed, Dec. 1916, Somme.
" B. MORRIS
" J. JOHNSTONE Killed, Dec. 1916, Somme.
" GEORGE GALLOWAY, M.M. Wounded, April 1917; Military
Medal.
Piper J. ROSS Invalided.
" W. BRIDY Killed, Dec. 1916, Somme.
" E. LINN Wounded, July 1916.
" D. LEGGAT Wounded, Dec. 1916.
" J. MOODIE
" J. CONDIE Invalided.
" R. ADAMSON Invalided.
" J. ROBERTSON Invalided.
" J. GUTHRIE Invalided.
" W. CAMPBELL Invalided.
3/4470 " JAMES JOHNSTON Killed, 7/1/17, Somme.
" E. ARCHIBALD Invalided.
" A. MITCHELSON Invalided.
41028 " J. RUSSELL
292434 " A. CHALMERS
293096 " D. CHALMERS
292406 " W. FITZPATRICK
200509 " A. MANDS, M.M. Military Medal.
112084 " J. M'KELLAR
290127 " T. ARCHIBALD
201553 " F. M'LEOD
42124 " D. CAMERON
" J. M'GILL
8TH BATTALION
The battalion was played into action at Loos and in many of the Somme
engagements. After 1916, on account of losses among them, they were
kept out of the front line as far as possible.
The band headed the State Entry of King Albert into Brussels in
November 1918.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
2911 Pipe Major R. MATCHETT
8368 " E. RENNIE Wounded, Ypres, 1915;
invalided.
943 " J. BROWN Wounded, three times.
4266 Corpl. D. SINCLAIR Wounded, Festubert, 1915.
6245 Piper D. AINSLIE Wounded, Nieuport.
853 " J. ALLAN Wounded, Aisne.
1738 " B. BAIN Wounded, Aisne.
7211 " A. BARCLAY
9220 " A. CAMPBELL Wounded, Ypres, 1915.
11780 " R. EDMONSTON
6365 " D. GLEN
16987 Piper W. HOSIE
3925 " W. LOCKHART Wounded, Somme, 1916.
40577 " J. M'ARTHUR
3020 " A. M'COURTIE
266912 " J. M'KAY
265912 " R. MENZIES Killed, Meteren, July 1918.
3281 " J. M'LEOD Wounded, Loos, 1915.
8832 " W. NICHOLSON Wounded twice, Vermelles, Loos.
3375 " W. REILLY Killed, Loos, 1915.
8659 " S. REID Wounded, Ypres, 1915.
299331 " G. REDPATH
265989 " J. STRANG
265715 " P. STEWART
6366 " W. STRATHIE
3019 " D. SIMPSON Killed, Somme, 1916.
266055 " D. WINTON
3014 " D. WILSON Killed, Loos, 1915.
3/1861 " J. WOODS
9TH BATTALION
The pipers played the battalion into action at Hill 70, and the whole
band, except one man, was killed or wounded.
The battalion was ultimately absorbed into the 4/5th Black Watch.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
9005 Pipe Major T. HARLEY
4924 Lance-Cpl. D. CAMERON
11463 Piper J. ARMOUR Invalided.
40016 " J. BURLEIGH Wounded, 18/5/18.
43236 " G. FAIRWEATHER Wounded, 28/7/18.
" J. JOHNSTONE Killed, March 1918.
40018 " D. LAMOND
43448 " J. SCOTT
7814 " R. NAPIER
43155 " A. ROBERTSON Wounded, 30/10/18.
16105 " J. SPENCE
6563 " A. STIRLING Wounded, 18/5/18.
11195 " R. THOMSON
" J. WEMYSS Invalided.
1350 " T. LOGAN
THE HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY
1ST BATTALION
During the first six months of the war 7 pipers were killed, 8 were
wounded and 2 were taken prisoner. These casualties mostly occurred
at Festubert in December 1914, and later at Neuve Chapelle. They were
then withdrawn from the front lines. Subsequently they were employed
as bearers, ammunition carriers, etc.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
11281 Pipe Major R. SUTHERLAND
6894 Sergt. D. BUCHAN Killed, Festubert, 19-21/12/14.
10774 Corpl. A. GODSMAN, D.C.M. Wounded, Neuve Chapelle,
12/1/15; D.C.M. and Order of
St. George.
7918 Piper W. WHITE
9615 " C. STEWART Killed, Ypres, 1/5/15.
10116 " J. M'GRORY Wounded, Festubert,
19-21/12/14.
10258 " H. CATER
10107 " F. BURNS Killed, Festubert, 19-21/12/14.
11356 " C. WILSON
9860 " T. JAMES Killed, Festubert, 19-21/12/14.
11782 " D. SUTHERLAND Wounded, Neuve Chapelle,
11-14/3/15.
11685 " A. BAIN Wounded, Neuve Chapelle,
14/3/15.
9011 " J. MORRISON Killed, Festubert, 19-21/12/14.
10579 " T. JACKSON
11124 " J. M'DONALD Prisoner of war, Festubert,
19-21/12/14.
11718 " R. M'LEISH
11470 " J. SMITH Wounded, Festubert,
19-21/12/14; wounded,
Richebourg, 6/10/15; died,
7/9/16.
11533 " J. JOHNSTONE Prisoner of war, Festubert,
19-21/12/14.
11499 " J. M'NAUGHT Killed, Festubert, 19-21/12/14.
10383 Corpl. D. CHISHOLM Wounded, Ypres, 23/10/14.
Lance-Cpl. MITCHELL Killed, Verneuil, 18/9/14.
10010 Piper GAULT Wounded, Rue du Bois, 17/5/15.
11468 Corpl. J. SMITH Wounded, Ypres, 22/10/14; died
enteric.
12064 Lance-Cpl. A. CRAIG
12061 Piper A. MACKAY
12106 " C. BALD
2ND BATTALION
Of the original band of thirteen men all but two were killed or
wounded in the first few months of the war. While they lasted they
acted as pipers as well as in the ranks. From May 1915 to May 1916
there was practically no band, and, when reconstituted, the men were
kept out of the front line as far as possible.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
9728 Pipe Major W. YOUNG
10713 Lance-Cpl. L. M'KINNON Wounded, 21/10/14.
11448 " J. SMITH Wounded, 21/10/14; died of
enteric.
11480 Piper J. BROWN
10478 " J. BRUCE
9029 " J. CAMPBELL Wounded, 2/11/14.
7721 " W. HAINES Wounded, 17/5/15, Ypres.
11945 " R. HENDERSON Wounded, 18/5/15, Ypres.
10976 " J. IRVING Killed, 3/11/14.
11137 " A. MORROW Wounded, 24/8/14; taken
prisoner.
11614 " A. MACDONALD
11627 " J. SMITH Wounded, 3/12/17.
9272 Corpl. J. MACKENZIE Killed, 21/10/14.
7885 Piper J. DALE
7943 Corpl. J. ROBERTSON
7886 Piper J. GIBSON
35100 " J. MORGAN
33119 " R. MORRISON
35123 " R. MACNAUGHTON
8515 " W. PEIL
6978 " A. WILLIAMSON
7472 Sergt. C. W. JOHNSTONE
9387 Piper A. MACNEILAGE Twice wounded.
7270 " D. MACINTYRE
9280 " R. STEIN
331117 " W. GUNN
332186 " H. CAMPBELL
331230 " J. MENZIES
330068 " A. OGILVIE
330070 " R. WILDER Wounded.
327119 " W. WHITE
3970 " J. MACRAE
10264 Sergt. T. FINDLAY Killed, Neuve Chapelle,
14/3/15.
220217 Piper J. REID
12302 " D. BONNAR
5TH BATTALION
In Gallipoli, in 1915, practically all the pipers became casualties
within a very short time, and, until the end of 1916, there was no
band at all. It was then decided to keep the band out of the firing
line as far as possible.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
306 Pipe Major JOHN THOMSON Killed, 12/7/15, Dardanelles.
3601 " A. PURDIE
201571 " A. ARTHUR
309 Lance-Cpl. J. B. DAY Invalided.
280313 " D. J. CAMERON
330041 " R. AGNEW
1596 Piper J. REID
1233 " G. CAMERON Invalided.
1317 " J. SMITH Invalided.
201259 " J. CONNELLY Invalided.
201330 " T. CLELLAND Invalided.
203064 " A. THOMSON
12226 " C. KENNEDY
200170 " R. REID
200601 " J. PITHIE
18263 " A. DAVIE
240633 " M. WATSON
6TH BATTALION
The pipers were employed in the ranks while the battalion was in
Gallipoli, but, in attacks, the pipers played their companies. On
12th July, Piper M'Niven was killed while playing the charge, in an
attack on the Turkish forts. Most of the original band were killed or
wounded on the Peninsula, and, when reconstituted, it was decided to
keep them out of action as far as possible.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
24001 Pipe Major JOHN MACKENZIE
55533 Sergt. J. BRAIDWOOD
240881 Piper W. MACKENZIE Wounded, 12/7/15.
1237 " PETER M'NIVEN Killed, 12/7/15, Gallipoli.
1190 " A. M'COLL Wounded, 21/11/15.
240066 Lance-Cpl. W. FRANCEY Wounded, 17/8/15.
1286 Piper W. FINLAY Invalided.
240171 " W. CHRISTIAN
240235 " A. CAMERON Wounded, 12/7/15.
Piper JAMES ROSS Machine Gun Corps; gassed,
Marne, March 1918.
240189 " JAMES NICOLL
240168 " C. M'PHEDRAN
240538 " P. MULVEY
241426 " H. CLIMIE
243457 " J. M'MUNN Wounded, 12/6/18.
203070 " D. SUTHERLAND
355753 " F. YOUNG
29111 " J. M'CORMICK
64901 " W. STRINGER
201126 " W. CAMPBELL
7TH BATTALION
On several occasions in Gallipoli the battalion was played to the
attack by pipers. Piper Maclennan was awarded the D.C.M. Piper
Macfarlane had the drones blown off his pipes. The acting pipers
served in the ranks or as bearers. Piper D. Cameron was mentioned in
despatches for conspicuous bravery in playing his company over the
top, and right on to the enemy trenches. These men also did great
work in bringing up water for the wounded under heavy fire, and
ammunition.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major WILLIAM FERGUSON
1914 Piper KENNETH MACLENNAN, D.C.M., 12/7/15.
D.C.M.
1901 " D. J. CAMERON Despatches, 12/7/15.
" DONALD MACFARLANE Wounded.
" WILLIAM PATERSON
" DONALD LAMONT
" J. G. MACKENZIE
" RITCHIE GRAHAM
" JAMES CARRUTHERS
" JOHN SCOTT
8TH BATTALION
The battalion was disbanded early in the war, and the pipers were
distributed to other units.
9TH BATTALION
At first pipers were used as orderlies, ammunition carriers, and
similar duties; and, after active operations, as bearers. As far as
possible they were, however, kept out of the front line, as being too
valuable to lose. On one occasion, when the battalion had to make
a demonstration to test the strength of the enemy, pipers were sent
up to the front line to play. Pipe Major MacDiarmid was awarded the
Military Medal.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major T. BAILLIE Discharged after 31 years'
service.
330075 " A. B. MACDIARMID,
M.M. Awarded M.M.
330167 Lance-Sgt. T. J. KELLY Wounded, 25/1/15.
330115 Lance-Cpl. G. C. BLACKADDER
Piper R. AGNEW Invalided home.
331499 " D. BARRIE
331044 " W. BAIRD
56645 " J. D. BUCHANAN
330304 " R. BLACKADDER
" C. BROWN Wounded, May 1915.
333792 " T. CRAWFORD Died of wounds.
330310 " T. M. FRASER Wounded, 24/3/18.
241138 " K. FRASER Wounded, 22/3/18.
" W. GIBSON Wounded, 24/3/18; discharged.
" J. HALL Invalided home.
1666 " J. DRUMMOND Killed in action, June 1915.
333113 " W. IMLAY Wounded, 13/4/18.
331077 " R. JOHNSTON
330834 " W. KENNEDY
333269 " P. M'ARTHUR Invalided home, 17/4/15;
discharged, 14/6/15;
recalled, 1/9/16.
333138 " G. M'CREATH Died of wounds, Oct. 1918.
" J. M'DONALD Wounded, 25/9/15.
333162 " J. B. M'NEE
332318 " J. M'GILVRAY Wounded, 24/3/18.
330865 " G. M'GREGOR
" A. OGILVIE Wounded, July 1915.
331564 " W. ROBERTSON Wounded, 22/3/18.
333729 " R. ROSS
333137 " H. STARK Wounded, 27/9/17.
331198 " H. SIMPSON Wounded, 24/3/18; discharged.
331579 " J. STEWART
" H. WILDER Invalided.
10TH BATTALION
Pipers were occasionally employed as bearers, but were usually kept
out of the front line. Nearly all the original pipe band were killed
or wounded at Cambrai on 25th September, 1915.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
7682 Pipe Major E. RICHARDSON Transferred to 12th H.L.I.
2747 " C. CAMERON
9016 Piper CHARLES M'GREGOR Gassed and wounded, Cambrai,
25/9/15.
12562 " ALEX. WHITEFIELD Killed, Cambrai, 25/9/15.
17174 " J. WEBSTER Invalided.
902 Lance-Cpl. DAVID DONALDSON Killed, Festubert, 9/7/15.
1988 Piper ANDREW THOMSON Wounded, Cambrai, 25/9/15.
1991 " W. CURRIE
9628 Lance-Cpl. D. SUTHERLAND
19858 " J. ROSE
17805 Piper P. M'INTYRE Gassed, Cambrai, 25/9/15,
died, 8/11/18.
21233 " J. M'LENNAN
40166 " J. DUGUID
40091 " J. M'KENZIE
240908 " J. MACKAY
" J. CUNNINGHAM
355667 " D. M'NICOL
12TH BATTALION
During trench warfare the pipers acted as orderlies, stretcher
bearers and the like; in engagements, however, they took part as
company pipers. So many casualties occurred in the Loos action in
Sept. 1915 that there was only one survivor. The band ceased to exist
until the following spring, and it was then decided to allow only
half of the pipers to go up into the line or into action.
During the battles of the Somme, 1916, and Arras, 1917, the companies
were played into action by one piper each; casualties occurring among
them, it was decided again to withdraw them from the front; and they
took no part in the fighting at Ypres, 1917.
During the last phase of the war, the attack in Flanders on 28th
Sept. 1918, the pipers played their companies throughout their
triumphant attacks on the Germans.
The C.O. of the battalion says: "I cannot speak too highly of the
work done by the pipers of this unit. There is nothing I can think of
which has added more to the _esprit de corps_ of the men, which has
enabled them to put up with misery and discomfort and which has given
them the inspiration necessary to accomplish what had appeared at
first sight an impossibility."
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major E. RICHARDSON
Sergt. WILLIAM PIERCE Killed, Somme, August, 1916.
Corpl. ALLAN M'NICOL, M.M. Despatches, Loos, and Hill 70,
25/9/15; Military Medal.
Piper THOMAS SPENDLOVE Wounded, Ypres, 8/10/14.
" JACK SMITH Wounded, Cambrai, 5/12/17.
" GEORGE M'KAY Wounded, Somme, 1/7/16.
" PETER KENNEDY
" WILLIAM TAYLOR
" ROBERT COMLOQUOY
" ROBERT BELL
" WILLIAM ANDERSON
" DONALD M'PHERSON
" JOHN M'GHEE
" DAVID ROBERTSON
" WILLIAM THOMPSON Killed, Arras, April 1917.
" GEORGE TULLIS Invalided.
" MALCOLM M'LEAN Wounded, Arras, April 1917.
" JOHN MORRISON Wounded, Albert, 17/9/16.
" WILLIAM BARCLAY Wounded, Albert, 17/9/16.
" ROBERT WEIR Wounded, Albert, 17/9/16.
" JOHN M'KEAN Killed, Loos 25/9/15.
Lance-Sgt. ALEX. M'KAY Wounded, Loos, 25/9/15.
14TH BATTALION
Pipers played their companies into action on the Somme and at Bourlon
Wood.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major A. HYND
Sergt. G. TAYLOR
Lance-Cpl. J. M'CORMACK
Piper J. CONNLY
" J. MANN
" T. KENNEDY
" J. WILSON
" SUTHERLAND
" T. PIRIE
" A. PHINN
" J. GORDON
" P. THOMSON Killed, 29/4/17.
15TH BATTALION
At Thiepval and Beaumont Hamel the pipers lost very heavily when
leading their companies, and, as a consequence, it was found
necessary afterwards to keep them in the reserve line. In April
1918, on account of heavy casualties in the battalion, they had to
be employed in the ranks, and suffered very heavily; of 20 pipers
all but 3 became casualties, mostly through being gassed at Ayette.
Within a month, however, the band was reconstituted.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
973 Pipe Major N. M'LELLAN Gassed, 13/4/18; invalided.
16084 " T. GILBERT, M.M. From 17th H.L.I.
13374 " J. PARK Wounded, 14/10/17; gassed,
13/4/18; invalided.
14078 Piper J. KILPATRICK Wounded, 1/7/16.
1020 " C. LOGAN Gassed, 13/4/18; invalided.
13591 " D. KEENAN Wounded, 10/5/16; invalided.
13356 " R. HOUGH
15497 " J. BURLEIGH Gassed, 13/4/18.
36456 " T. MARR Wounded, Loos, 25/9/15.
36455 " W. MARR Wounded, May 1916.
13601 " J. REID
13706 " R. GILLIES Wounded, 2/7/16; gassed,
13/4/18.
10010 " J. GAULT Gassed, 13/4/18.
28093 " A. J. MACDONALD Gassed, 13/4/18.
350254 " T. GRAHAM
280889 " A. GRAY Wounded, Aug. 1918.
281053 " W. BROWN Gassed, 13/4/18.
280979 " J. BRYSON Gassed, 13/4/18.
15719 " H. M'ARTHUR Gassed, 13/4/18.
14304 " A. F. WATSON Wounded, 13/4/18.
353152 " D. M'KENZIE Killed, Ayette, 13/4/18.
15296 " C. GALLOWAY Gassed, 13/4/18.
10108 " W. M'LELLAND Invalided.
200601 " J. PITHIE Gassed, 13/4/18.
54366 " W. M'NAIR
58009 " M. M'LEAN
50267 " T. ORR
56597 " A. MILLAN
16TH BATTALION
The pipers were employed chiefly as bearers.
On 1st July, 1916, at Thiepval the pipers played the battalion over
with the loss of two killed and two wounded. The band was then
withdrawn as far as possible from the front, except occasionally
as stretcher bearers. It was felt by all ranks that pipers were too
valuable an institution to lose.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major W. M'COMBE, M.M.
" T. RICHARDSON, M.M.
Lance-Cpl. W. ORR Killed, 1/7/16.
" P. MURRAY
Piper R. ALEXANDER
" J. WATSON Wounded, 1/7/16.
" R. BAIRD
" B. FRASER Wounded, 1/7/16.
Lance-Cpl. L. ARMOURER
Piper A. RANKINE Killed, 1/7/16.
" R. M'KAY
" R. WATSON
" R. BARCLAY
" J. FOGO
" R. HUNTER
" J. HOY
" J. M'DONALD
" H. BARRIE
" T. PORTEOUS
" D. BELL
" D. MACINTOSH
" G. BELL
" W. COUTTS
" J. BRUCE
" A. MACPHERSON
" R. HOPE
Lance-Cpl. W. HENDRY
Corpl. R. BROWN
17TH BATTALION
In the attack on the Leipzig Redoubt on 1st July, 1916, when the
battalion had to hang on unsupported to a part of the captured
Leipzig Redoubt, the pipers played and did an immense deal in keeping
the men's spirits up. Pipe Major Gilbert on this occasion won the
Military Medal. The casualties in this attack put the pipe band out
of action, and the pipers were thereafter kept, as far as possible,
out of the front line. The battalion was subsequently merged in the
15th H.L.I.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major T. GILBERT, M.M. Military Medal, July 1916;
despatches, July 1917;
transferred to 15th H.L.I.
Corpl. JOHN BURLEIGH Gassed, April 1918;
transferred to 15th H.L.I.
" CHARLES GALLOWAY Wounded, Nieuport, 10/7/17;
promoted for gallantry,
1/7/16; gassed, Arras,
April 1918.
Lance-Cpl. JAMES M'MUNN Wounded, 1/7/16, Somme; again,
in Egypt; transferred to 7th
H.L.I.
Piper ARCHIBALD FORREST Received Commission; died of
disease, 1918.
" HUGH M'ARTHUR Gassed, Arras, April 1918;
transferred to 15th H.L.I.
" ARCHIBALD CARMICHAEL Wounded, Nieuport, 10/7/17.
THE SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS
1ST BATTALION
The casualties among the pipers of this battalion have been very
heavy. At Richebourg in November 1914, 2 pipers were killed and 6
wounded, and the pipe major, Matheson, was awarded the D.C.M. for
great gallantry in carrying messages. In December 1914, and again at
Neuve Chapelle in May 1915, 3 more were killed and 4 wounded. Some of
them were employed as pipers, others as bearers and in the ranks. At
Neuve Chapelle the companies were played into action in May 1915, and
Piper Pratt was killed while playing.
The battalion went to Mesopotamia, and in the action at Sheikh Saad
on 7th January, 1916, Pipe Major M'Kechnie played the regimental
charge at a most crucial moment and continued until he fell wounded.
In this and other subsequent engagements pipers played their
companies into action. Some of them did excellent work bringing up
ammunition, and 529 Piper Colin M'Kay was specially promoted for
this. This duty was particularly dangerous as the Turkish barrage was
generally late.
The casualties continued to be heavy. Altogether 11 pipers have been
killed.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
8391 Pipe Major D. B. MATHIESON, D.C.M.; wounded "Port Arthur,"
D.C.M. 7/11/14.
10169 Lance Cpl. J. TULLOCH Wounded in trenches, "Port
Arthur," 6/11/14.
9158 Sergt. J. MACLELLAN Wounded, "Port Arthur," 9/5/15;
subsequently killed, 21/4/17.
7900 Piper W. F. COWANS Killed, 7/11/14, "Port Arthur."
9291 " J. PRATT Died of wounds, Neuve Chapelle,
9/5/15.
479 " D. BLACK Killed, 3/11/14, "Port Arthur."
766 Lance Cpl. Lance Sgt. J. Wounded, "Port Arthur,"
MACKENZIE 9/5/15.
216 Piper, Actg. P.M. W. PATON Wounded, Givenchy, 6/4/15.
10457 Lance Sgt. J. STEWART Transferred to 2nd Batt.;
killed, 1917.
412 Piper WILLIAM BARRY Despatches.
311 Lance-Cpl. DONALD CAMPBELL Wounded, Givenchy, 4/11/14;
killed, Mesopotamia, 1917.
9458 " JOHN DUNBAR Wounded, Mesopotamia, 7/1/16,
while performing duties in
attack.
9628 " ALEXANDER HAY Transferred to R.E.
444 " ROBERT HILL Wounded, "Port Arthur," 9/5/15.
262 " A. M'DONALD
264 " ALEXANDER M'GILL
433 " ANDREW MACKAY Wounded, Mesopotamia, 21/4/17.
435 " JOHN M'VEAN Wounded, Mesopotamia, 7/1/16;
invalided.
564 " N. MORRISON Wounded, Givenchy, 4/12/14.
366 " T. MUIR Wounded, "Port Arthur,"
invalided.
284 " D. MURRAY Wounded, Givenchy, 6/4/15;
invalided.
768 " ADAM ROSS Wounded, Givenchy, 17/11/14.
9419 " D. SKINNER Wounded, Givenchy, 20/12/14
invalided.
10183 Lance Cpl. J. HERON
645 Piper D. SMITH Killed in France.
661 " J. STEIN Wounded in trenches; invalided.
788 " T. URQUHART Killed, Givenchy, 20/12/14.
Corpl. A. VINCE Wounded, Neuve Chapelle,
9/5/15; transferred to R.S.F.
9446 Corpl. Actg. P.M. NEIL ACTING PIPE MAJOR WHEN
M'KECHNIE battalion went to
Mesopotamia; wounded, 7/1/15;
mentioned in despatches,
25/8/15.
10056 Piper JOHN SHAND Wounded, Mesopotamia, 21/4/17;
and again Palestine.
7214 Lance Cpl. JAMES HARDY
543 Piper NEIL MORRISON
529 Sergt. Piper COLIN M'KAY Died of wounds, Baghdad.
Lance Cpl. ALEX. ROBERTSON Severely wounded, Sheikh Saad;
pipes smashed, 7/1/16.
Piper JAMES ROBERTSON
7184 Lance Sgt. JAMES DUNCAN
Lance Cpl. HEARNE Died at home.
200300 Piper WILLIAM M'DONALD
16360 " J. CUTHILL
9526 " GEORGE PATERSON
" WILLIAM M'LELLAN
" ALLAN
709 " J. WILKINSON Killed, France.
" COOK Killed, Mesopotamia.
204786 " A. HART
8338 " J. WILSON
7208 " J. KNOX
22602 " REID
8337 " M. JOHNSTONE
2ND BATTALION
The pipers were largely employed as runners, orderlies, etc., and
suffered very heavy casualties. On several occasions during the open
fighting they were employed in the attack as pipers. Of 23 pipers who
went to France with the battalion 6 were killed and 10 wounded in
the first year of the war. The opinion of the officers is that only
the difficulty of reinforcements limits the employment of pipers in
action.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
6731 Pipe Major JOHN HAYWOOD Invalided, Dec. 1914.
577 " JAMES MACKENZIE Wounded, 25/1/17.
6171 Corpl. ANGUS MACLEAN Wounded, May 1915.
9106 Lance Cpl. WILLIAM ROSS Killed, June 1915.
9223 " JOHN GRANT Killed, October 1914.
283 " DOUGAL MACMILLAN Died of disease, Feb. 1915.
9454 " JAMES RENNIE Wounded, August 1914; killed,
Loos, Oct. 1915.
70 Piper HUGH KEIL Gassed, May 1915.
625 " GEORGE THOMSON Wounded, March 1915.
" DAVID MACRAE Killed, February 1915.
3 " ROBERT HALL Killed, July 1916.
" ALEXANDER THORNTON
570 " ALEXANDER MACKENZIE Wounded, February 1915.
" RONALD MACKENZIE
711 " JAMES URQUHART Invalided, Dec. 1914.
Piper FREDERICK COOK Wounded, 13/10/14.
" ALBERT HUNTER
" ALEXANDER MACANGUS
1096 " GREGOR MACKENZIE Gassed, 2/5/15.
" KENNETH MACKENZIE Killed, May 1915.
" ALEXANDER ANGUS Wounded, April 1915.
" ROBERT RENNIE Killed, May 1915.
" ALEXANDER CLARK, Killed, May 1915.
10670 " ALEXANDER MACINTOSH Wounded, August 1914; prisoner
of war.
10457 Lance Sgt. JAMES STEWART Transferred from 1st Batt.;
wounded, 1/7/16, Maillet
(Somme); killed, 1917.
7635 Lance Cpl. A. ROSS
8666 Corpl. W. LOWLANDS
7838 Piper A. CALDER
9132 " N. JOHNSTONE Wounded, 25/4/15; killed,
26/1/17.
4255 " J. ROBERTSON Wounded, Nov. 1916.
10169 " J. TULLOCH Wounded, 20/11/14.
189 " A. STEIN
24729 " J. MURDOCH
" A. MILNE
21630 " D. MACLEOD
7366 " D. MACLEOD
" N. MACLEAN
7126 " W. MACLEAN
7603 " J. MACKAY
7206 Lance Cpl. M. MACLEAN
2886 Piper G. BELL Gassed, April 1915.
8134 " J. GRANT Wounded, April 1915 and August
1917.
204612 " P. LAMONT
9607 " J. MACARTHUR Wounded, April 1917.
4TH BATTALION
In the early part of the war pipers were employed as such, and in
many other capacities. Casualties, however, were exceedingly heavy,
and it was decided in the later stages to keep them out of action as
much as possible. Five pipers were killed and sixteen wounded.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major MURDO MACKENZIE Discharged, 1918.
" JOHN M'KENZIE Wounded, Neuve Chapelle.
Piper D. M'KENZIE Died of wounds in Germany.
Piper J. KEMP Died of wounds at Neuve
Chapelle, 1915.
" A. M'AULAY Died of wounds at
Valenciennes, 1918.
" J. M'KENZIE Died of wounds at Neuve
Chapelle, 1915.
" J. M'DONALD Wounded at Cambrai, 1917;
discharged.
" A. J. M'KENZIE Wounded at Neuve Chapelle,
1915; discharged.
201307 " P. STEWART, M.M. Wounded at Cambrai, 1917;
discharged.
" J. STEWART Wounded at Marne, 1918.
" W. M'KENZIE Discharged, 1916.
" M. SANDISON Wounded at Cambrai, 1917.
" H. FORBES Wounded and gassed at Arras,
1918.
" J. URQUHART Wounded at Cambrai, 1918;
\ discharged.
" W. MARSHALL Wounded and gassed at Cambrai,
1917.
" D. M'RAE Discharged.
Lance-Sgt. D. THOMSON Invalided home.
" F. FINDLAYSON Invalided home.
Piper J. M'DONALD Wounded at Aubers Ridge, 1915.
" A. M'LENNAN Killed at Neuve Chapelle, 1915.
" W. ROSS Transferred to Home Service.
" H. ROSS Transferred to Home Service.
" H. M'LENNAN Wounded at Aubers Ridge, 1915.
" D. WILLIAMSON Wounded and gassed, Arras and
Cambrai.
" W. M'DONALD
" W. CORBET Wounded at Aubers Ridge, 1915.
" W. M'LEOD Wounded at Neuve Chapelle,
1915, and discharged.
" H. R. M'KENZIE Wounded.
" R. HIGGINS Invalided, 1918.
" J. M'DONALD Discharged.
" J. M'LENNAN
" N. ROSS Discharged.
" J. ROSS Wounded at Cambrai.
" E. LEAMAN Wounded at Cambrai.
L/C. Piper W. GRAY
Piper J. M'KENZIE
" J. GUMM
" M. SANDISON
Piper W. MARSHALL
" J. A. AIRD
" H. FORBES
" A. M'LEOD
" J. BAIRD
" D. M'MILLAN
" W. RICHARDSON
5TH BATTALION
Pipers in action were employed as orderlies, despatch runners, etc.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
2026 Pipe Major J. SUTHERLAND
" A. HARLEY Invalided.
97 " W. GRANT
422 " G. ROSS Killed, 21/7/15, Fauquissart.
41186 Corporal H. GAMMACK
450 Piper A. M'LEOD
214 " W. TRUSSLER
240082 " R. M'KAY
240578 " G. STEWART
379 " R. M'KENZIE, M.M. Wounded; Military Medal.
599 " DONALD MACKAY Killed, 13/11/16, Beaumont
Hamel.
242179 " D. MACINNES
144 " H. GRANT
240137 " D. A. MATHESON Wounded.
426 " C. RAE
8971 " A. MACKAY
560 " R. MACKAY
242212 " G. URQUHART
2266 " W. S. COGHILL
3023 " A. KEITH
2392 " R. STEPHEN
24227 " J. MACDONALD
2729 " A. TAYLOR
251 " R. ROSS Killed, 21/7/15, Fauquissart.
242094 " D. MACKENZIE
669 " M. MURRAY Wounded.
26 " R. TRUSSLER
25209 " J. MUNRO
267336 " JAS. SUTHERLAND Transferred to 6th Seaforths;
killed, 19/4/17.
42195 " D. MORRISON
24284 " J. CULLEN
6TH BATTALION
At Festubert, June 1915, the pipers did magnificent service as
bearers, working day and night, and bringing in 170 wounded men. They
were largely employed in the ranks as machine gunners. The casualties
among them were heavy--8 killed and 6 wounded.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major G. MILTON
Sergt. W. MACLEOD Killed, May 1916, Labyrinth.
" C. D. MACDONALD Killed, Beaumont Hamel,
13/11/16.
" H. MACKIE Killed, Beaumont Hamel,
13/11/16.
" J. BROWN, M.M. Killed, Arras, May 1917.
" G. GILBERT, D.C.M. Wounded, Beaumont Hamel,
13/11/16.
Corpl. W. URQUHART
Piper J. ALEXANDER Killed, La Bassée, April 1918.
" J. BOWIE
" L. CUMMING
" G. FRASER
" J. GIBB
" J. GRANT
" G. M. GRANT
" D. GRANT
" D. GEDDIE Invalided.
" J. LOGIE
265172 " W. LOGIE Wounded, 9/4/17, Roclincourt.
" J. LUMSDEN, M.M. Wounded, High Wood, July 1916.
" A. JENKINS Invalided.
" A. MITCHELL
" W. D. MILL
" A. MACKAY Killed, 9/4/17, Roclincourt.
" W. MACKAY Wounded, Cambrai, Nov. 1917.
" H. MACKENZIE
" W. MACDONALD
" J. MACDONALD Wounded, 9/4/17, Roclincourt.
" W. MACKAY Invalided.
" A. PATERSON Invalided.
" J. ROBERTSON Killed, July 1915.
" G. ROSE Wounded, Beaumont Hamel,
13/11/16.
" W. SHERVAN
" W. SUTHERLAND Killed, 9/4/17, Roclincourt.
" A. THOMSON
[Illustration: PIPE-MAJOR HOWARTH, D.C.M., 6TH GORDON HIGHLANDERS
AT NEUVE CHAPELLE
_From the Painting by J. Prinsep Beadle_]
7TH BATTALION
At Loos the battalion was played to the attack, and had 5 pipers
killed and 3 wounded. At one time, when the position was very
serious, a piper rallied the men with "Cabar Feidh," and produced a
tremendous effect. On the Somme, in 1916, a piper was always on duty
with the battalion. At Arras, in 1917, the pipers acted as bearers,
but in later operations they were kept out of the front line as far
as possible.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
5111 Pipe Major W. TAYLOR Awarded Croix de Guerre and
Meritorious Service Medal.
1536 " A. HARLEY Invalided.
1689 Sergt. W. FRASER, M.M. Military Medal.
7765 " W. GORDON Wounded, Loos, 25/9/15.
8822 Corpl. T. JOHNSTON Received Commission in
Camerons.
711 Lance Cpl. A. URQUHART
40417 " O'KAIN MACLENNAN Killed, 11/4/17.
6876 " M. M'LEAN
8134 " J. GRANT Wounded, 12/10/17.
13385 Piper P. CALDER
6892 " W. COOPER
8535 " D. DAVIDSON, D.C.M. and Military Medal;
D.C.M., M.M. promoted Sergt. in his Coy.
21629 " T. EATON
1456 " D. FRASER Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
40177 " R. FRASER
4272 " W. GALBRAITH Wounded, Loos, and again Arras,
9/4/17.
4181 " R. GALBRAITH Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
9070 " G. GRANT Died in hospital.
2177 " B. HALLIDAY Died of wounds received at
Loos.
4661 " B. HAMILTON Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
9859 " J. HINTON
10859 " A. J. MACKAY
9488 " J. MACKAY
570 " A. MACKENZIE Wounded, 10/4/15, Messines;
gassed, 23/6/18.
1487 " R. MACKENZIE, M.M. Wounded, 12/3/18; Military
Medal.
7366 " D. MACLEOD Invalided.
201819 " M. MONTGOMERY
12597 " M. MURRAY
201991 " R. MURRAY
825 " G. THOMSON Wounded, Messines, 10/4/15.
3843 " K. THYNE Killed, Somme, 14/7/16.
8TH BATTALION
There were heavy casualties at Loos, September 1915, when 5 pipers
were killed and 5 were wounded; on this occasion the gallantry of
these men won the wholehearted admiration of all ranks. The companies
were played into action by the pipers.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
8112 Pipe Major ALEX. MACKENZIE, D.C.M.
D.C.M.
" JOHN HAYWOOD
8119 Sergt. GEORGE GORDON Transferred 9th Seaforths as
Pipe Major; Belgian Croix de
Guerre.
8172 Lance Cpl. JOHN MUNRO
3161 Piper ANDREW HAMILTON Wounded, Loos, 25/9/15.
5721 " CHARLES ANDERSON Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
6368 " ROBERT CLARK Wounded, Loos, 25/9/15, and
taken prisoner.
" ANDREW CLARK Killed, Loos, 28/9/18.
7519 " JOHN MATHESON
6567 " GEORGE SPENCE Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
3503 " JAMES CAIRNS Wounded, Loos, 25/9/15.
2897 " ROBERT ROBERTSON Wounded, Loos, 25/9/15, and
taken prisoner.
2583 " JAMES MORTON
" ALEXANDER MACKAY Wounded, Ypres, 31/7/17.
6400 " WILLIAM MACKAY Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
" ROBERT BEATON
6546 Lance Cpl. DUNCAN MACGREGOR Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
3307 Piper DONALD VALANTINE Wounded, Loos, 25/9/15.
" HUGH SUTHERLAND Died of disease, 1917.
Corpl. R. CURRANT
Piper JAMES HARVEY Wounded, Arras, 21/2/18.
" ALEXANDER MACAULAY
25812 " ALEXANDER MACDONALD
25825 " ALEXANDER MACDONALD
" MALCOLM MACKENZIE
" ROBERT MACKENZIE
" DONALD MACLEOD
" GEORGE MACMILLAN
" JAMES MATHESON
" JAMES MORTON
" ROBERT ROBERTSON
" ALEXANDER SIMPSON
" GEORGE SPENCE
Piper P. STEWART
" HENRY SUTHERLAND
" J. TAIT
Lieut. HECTOR ROSS Formerly Piper 6th S.H.;
killed, 23/4/17.
9TH BATTALION
Pipers were frequently employed as despatch runners. In the advance
of the 26th Brigade at Longueval on 14th July, 1916, the battalion
was played into action under very heavy fire. When attacking the
village they met with a stout resistance and came under heavy machine
gun fire from a flank as well as from the front. The pipers rallied
the men who were thrown momentarily into confusion, and, at their
head, charged down the street and over the wires into the German
trenches.
The casualties were heavy throughout, 4 killed and 15 wounded.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
8119 Pipe Major G. GORDON Belgian Croix de Guerre.
4422 Lance Sgt. D. M'NIVEN
5745 Lance Cpl. C. M'LELLAN, M.M. Military Medal, Loos, 1915.
261949 Piper JAMES LUMSDEN, M.M. Wounded, Somme, 1916; Military
Medal.
240018 " ROBERT ROSS Killed, 11/4/18.
267336 " JAMES SUTHERLAND Killed, 19/4/17.
4394 " M. ROSS Wounded.
8264 " D. MACKENZIE Wounded.
4858 " J. MACDONALD Wounded.
5011 " A. CHEYNE
3949 " H. ARNOTT Wounded.
9394 " W. M'MAHON Killed.
4657 " W. GRAY Wounded.
5693 " D. HUNTER Wounded.
40497 " A. MACKENZIE
40502 " R. WATT Wounded.
40547 " G. DAVIDSON
267049 " J. MACLEOD
13286 " J. AITKEN Wounded.
23879 " W. DUNCAN Killed.
23889 " J. M'LELLAN Wounded.
26416 " P. MACDONALD
26426 " D. M'KINNON Wounded.
5943 Piper R. LAWSON Wounded and gassed.
24518 " A. BUCHANAN
261313 " A. MACKENZIE
5570 " J. BARCLAY Wounded three times.
THE GORDON HIGHLANDERS
1ST BATTALION
The battalion took out 18 pipers, and at the roll call at Cambrai on
26th August, 1914, only two remained. For a long time pipers had to
be employed in the ranks. On several occasions in the Somme fighting
they took their place at the head of their companies and played them
into action.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major J. HENDERSON
Sergt. J. JOHNSTON Wounded, 25/9/15.
Piper GEO. CRUICKSHANK Prisoner, Le Cateau, 26/8/14.
" DAVID COPLAND Prisoner, Le Cateau, 26/8/14.
" A. THOMPSON Prisoner, Le Cateau, 26/8/14, but
escaped and returned to duty;
again captured, 24/10/14.
" F. PATERSON Killed, Mons, 26/8/14.
" J. WATT Gone to 2nd Batt.
Corpl. F. ROBERTSON Prisoner, Le Cateau, 26/8/14.
Lance Cpl. W. M'FALL Killed, October 1914.
Piper W. FRASER Prisoner, Le Cateau, 26/8/14.
" GEO. MITCHELL Prisoner, Le Cateau, 26/8/14.
" GEO. ANDERSON Prisoner, Le Cateau, 26/8/14.
" N. WATT
" D. WEIR Prisoner, Le Cateau, 26/8/14.
" P. CRAN Invalided.
" F. GRANT Invalided.
" P. HAIR Prisoner, Le Cateau, 26/8/14.
" W. CROMARTY Wounded, 26/9/15.
" W. HARVIE Killed, 24/10/14.
Corpl. A. GARDEN
Piper A. M'KAY Died of wounds, Jan. 1915.
" W. ALLAN Killed, 14/12/14.
" J. COUTTS
" W. PATON
" EADIE
Piper HAY
" M'KAY Wounded.
" GILLIES Wounded.
" HECTOR ROSS Wounded, Loos, 25/9/15; killed,
March, 1916.
2ND BATTALION
This battalion took 32 pipers out to France; by the end of the first
year of the campaign 10 had been killed and 20 wounded. At Loos and
in the Somme fighting the pipers of the 2nd Gordons repeatedly played
the battalion into action and suffered heavily. The pipers were also
employed as runners, bearers, etc., and in the ranks.
In March 1915, the battalion was played to the attack on the Aubers
Ridge under heavy fire, and again at Mametz and Guichy.
In the Italian field of operations they did most excellent work in
getting the wounded back across a swift river, work which their C.O.
considered it would have been impossible to accomplish without their
enthusiastic assistance.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
6349 Pipe Major C. ANDERSON Wounded; Military Medal,
Loos, 1915.
10655 Piper R. GRANT Killed, Loos, 1915.
10639 " J. GRANT Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
110 " R. WILSON Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
219 " W. BRUCE Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
10653 Corpl. J. M'KENZIE Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
205 Piper J. LEDINGHAM Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
" J. RAMAGE Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
" A. CASSIE Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
" J. BISSETT Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
10296 " W. SINCLAIR Died of wounds, Loos, 25/9/15.
311 Lance Cpl. A. M'DONALD Wounded, Ypres, 1/11/14;
invalided.
10113 Piper J. GILLIES Wounded, Ypres, 30/10/14.
175 Lance Cpl. J. LIVINGSTONE Wounded; prisoner of war,
30/10/14.
10243 Piper J. MURRAY Wounded, Ypres, 30/10/14.
8699 " C. MUNRO Despatches; wounded, Loos,
1915.
349 " J. CRUICKSHANKS Wounded, Neuve Chapelle, 1915.
10219 " J. TOPP Wounded, Ypres, 30/10/14.
297 Piper J. GRANT Wounded and invalided.
120 " H. ADAMS Wounded, Ypres, 1/11/14.
10072 " G. TENNENT Wounded, Ypres, 30/10/14.
233 " J. WATT Wounded, Loos, 25/9/15.
7569 Sergt. W. SMITH Wounded, Loos, 25/9/15.
606 Piper A. BRUCE Wounded, Loos, 25/9/15.
192 " W. HINNIE Wounded, Loos, 25/9/15.
429 " T. MACINTOSH Wounded, Ypres, 1/11/14;
invalided.
" FRASER Wounded; invalided.
543 " A. HOLMES Wounded, Ypres, 5/10/17.
10256 " B. M'KAY Wounded, Ypres, 30/10/14.
430 " J. ROBERTSON Killed, Ypres, 30/10/14.
206 Lance Cpl. J. DUGUID
6853 Sergt. R. STEWART, D.C.M. Killed, Loos, 1915; awarded
D.C.M.
7641 Piper J. M'DONALD
10486 " C. TAYLOR Wounded, Somme, July 1916.
5614 " JAMES RITCHIE, M.M. Military Medal, Somme.
7375 Corpl. A. SMITH Killed, Loos, 1915.
8390 Piper J. SCOTT Killed, Somme, 1916.
335 " J. M'CRIMMON Wounded, Ypres, 1914; killed,
Loos, 1915.
10139 " D. WHITE Killed, Loos, 1915.
747 " J. LORIMER Wounded, Somme, 1916.
6994 Sergt. A. HORNE Invalided.
7288 Piper C. ORCHARD
5495 " J. WHITE
10264 " D. BOWIE
7383 " P. BROWN Killed, Ypres, 5/10/17.
235745 " R. INNES
240455 " J. GOW
43479 " J. GRAHAM
2595 " D. WILLIAMS
4TH BATTALION
During the trench fighting the pipers were mostly used behind the
front line, and in marching the battalion to and from rest billets.
Subsequently, in open fighting, the company pipers took their place
at the heads of their companies. At the Marne, Pipers P. Paterson,
R. Prentice, P. Bowie and G. Davidson played their companies into
action, and their action immensely stimulated the troops "and enabled
them to gain a great victory on that day"; at Ypres on 31st July,
1917, Piper P. Bowie "rallied the men at a time when fighting was
very fierce," and was awarded the Military Medal; on 17th November,
1917, Piper G. Paterson also got the Military Medal for playing the
battalion through three successive charges and into Cantaing under
heavy fire. The pipers were also employed as ammunition carriers.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major A. CHISHOLM
201290 Piper JOHN WEBSTER, M.M. Military Medal.
Lance-Cpl. W. CRUICKSHANK
Piper T. WATSON Invalided.
200347 " G. PATERSON, M.M. Wounded; Military Medal.
" N. PATERSON
" W. M'KAY Invalided.
" E. EWEN Wounded.
" P. PATERSON Wounded.
" D. ROBBIE Wounded (twice).
" G. DAVIDSON Gassed, Ypres, 31/10/17.
" J. WYCH Prisoner.
" C. LAWSON Prisoner.
" J. GRAY
" J. GRAY Wounded.
" R. SIM Wounded.
" P. BOWIE, M.M. Military Medal.
" E. MATHER
" R. PRENTICE
" J. OSWALD
" F. WRIGHT
" J. FOOTE
" A. THOMSON Killed.
5TH BATTALION
The pipers were principally employed in the ranks and as observers,
but in the attack on High Wood on the Somme front company pipers
played at the head of their units. On this occasion Piper Willox was
killed as he led his company, and several others became casualties.
It was thereafter decided not to employ pipers in action again.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
302 Pipe Major J. H. CLARK
1596 Cpl.-Piper J. HARVEY
760 Piper A. STEWART
1985 " G. THOMSON
1586 " A. WILLOX Killed, 31/7/16, High Wood.
1156 Piper W. GRAHAM Killed, 3/6/15, Festubert.
" W. ALLAN
" J. BIRNIE
" H. LUNAN
" J. M'DONALD
" G. MIDDLETON Wounded, Bullecourt.
" A. ROBINSON
" J. A. SCOTT
" J. STEWART
" R. WYNESS
" ANDREW BROWN, M.M. Military Medal; killed,
31/7/16, High Wood.
" G. LINDSAY Wounded, Sept. 1917, Ypres.
6TH BATTALION
At Neuve Chapelle the pipers headed the charge of the battalion on
the Moulin du Piètre, losing one piper killed and four wounded.
Pipers were mostly employed in action as stretcher bearers or in the
ranks, and, while suffering heavily, won the highest reputation in
their battalion. At Neuve Chapelle in March 1915 they lost one killed
and six wounded; on this occasion Pipe Major Howarth won the D.C.M.
At Loos in the following September, the casualties were again heavy,
and the pipe major won a bar to the D.C.M. In later operations pipers
were kept, as much as possible, out of the front line.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
10115 Pipe Major J. HOWARTH, D.C.M. Wounded, Loos, 25/9/15.
and Bar
161 Corpl. G. LOGIE Wounded, Neuve Chapelle,
25/3/15.
728 Piper A. SMITH Wounded, Neuve Chapelle,
25/3/15.
62 " G. MILTON Killed, Neuve Chapelle,
25/3/15.
1257 Lance-Cpl. G. M'PHERSON
104 Piper A. COUTTS Wounded, Neuve Chapelle,
25/3/15.
117 " G. GRANT Wounded, Neuve Chapelle,
25/3/15.
10604 " A. MILNE
967 Lance-Cpl. J. BIRNIE
10700 Piper W. BANNERMAN
806 " R. SCOTT
961 " J. BIRNIE
1561 " R. M'CAY Wounded, Festubert.
" H. DAVIDSON Wounded, Loos, 25/9/15.
Lance-Cpl. T. KNOWLES
8TH BATTALION
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major W. J. GRANT Wounded.
Corpl. G. FLOCKHART
9TH BATTALION
The great value of the pipers in action is recognised by the whole
battalion, but it is considered it sometimes happens that the men get
so overkeen under the influence of the music that they are liable
to exceed orders. The employment of pipers as bearers, etc., is
deprecated as resulting in casualties which cannot be replaced.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major K. MACLEOD Invalided, Dec. 1914.
S/7747 " G. FINDLATER, V.C. Invalided, Dec. 1915.
S/4212 " D. MACLEOD
S/6827 Piper A. M'DONALD
S/2772 " M. MURRAY
S/9023 " C. CAMPBELL Killed in action, Somme,
10/7/16.
S/3068 " T. TURNER Invalided.
S/4057 " J. MILLER
S/4058 " H. HEEPS
S/4560 " J. CRAIG Wounded, Somme, 1916.
S/9364 " J. AITKEN
348 " J. M'DONALD Wounded, Neuve Chapelle, 1915;
Loos, 25/9/15; Somme, 1/7/16.
560 " W. WATT Wounded, Ypres, 1914.
S/17640 " H. MACLACHLAN
9283 Lance-Cpl. H. ADAMS Wounded, Ypres, 1914.
S/3052 Pte. J. SHARKEY
10TH BATTALION
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major HORNE
Corpl. ORCHARD Wounded.
5614 Piper JAMES RITCHIE, M.M. Transferred to 2nd Gordons;
Military Medal.
THE QUEEN'S OWN CAMERON HIGHLANDERS
"A chlanna nan con
A chlanna nan con
Thigibh an so
S'ghaibh sibh feoil."
1ST BATTALION
Pipers were not employed as such, but, during the early part of the
war, they were in the ranks. At the battle of the Aisne and Ypres the
casualties were heavy.
The value to the battalion of their pipe band is considered so great
that the officers would like the establishment doubled.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
6720 Pipe Major G. SELBY Killed, 22/10/14.
6718 " W. CRUICKSHANKS
5210 Corpl. W. KINNEAR Wounded, 5/11/14, Ypres.
5173 Piper H. BARRIE Killed, 5/11/14, Ypres.
8445 " C. MACLACHLAN
7671 " A. HENDERSON, D.C.M. Taken prisoner, 11/11/14;
D.C.M.
8535 Lance-Cpl. G. M'CALMAN Wounded, Langemarck, Oct.
1914; died after discharge.
8072 Piper D. ROSS
8475 " M. CAMPBELL Wounded, Aisne, 14/9/14.
9575 " L. JOHNSTONE Wounded, Aisne, 14/9/14.
6726 " D. COOK Wounded, Aisne, 14/9/14.
9345 " L. M'BEAN Died of wounds, Arras, Aug.
1918.
9444 " J. COYLE Wounded, Aisne, 25/8/14.
14059 " J. PEDERS
18921 " N. ROSS
5859 " A. MACDONALD
30748 " N. SMITH
2ND BATTALION
There were heavy casualties among the pipers, who were employed
in many ways throughout the war,--largely in the ranks. One,
Lance-Corporal Johnstone, was awarded the D.C.M. and M.M. for his
gallantry as a guide in 1915 and subsequently as scout sergeant.
Throughout the war the pipers went into action with their companies.
The opinion of the commanding officer is that they have been
invaluable to the battalion. At the time of the advance into Bulgaria
sickness had caused the disappearance of the band.
Altogether 14 pipers were wounded and 7 died or were killed during
the war.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major DOUGALL MATHESON Wounded, 1915, and in 1916.
" JOHN STEELE Wounded, 15/2/15.
Sergt. JAMES JOHNSON, Wounded, 1918.
D.C.M., M.M.
Corpl. ALEX. M'LEOD
" ALEX. THOMSON
8479 Piper DONALD DYCE Wounded, Salonika, 30/9/16.
Lance-Cpl. ARCHIBALD ROBERTSON
Piper WILLIAM BORTHWICK
" PETER EASSON Wounded, 1915, Ypres.
" JOSEPH ELLIOT Wounded, 1916.
" DONNACHIE Killed, 1915.
" ARCHIBALD FULTON Prisoner of war, 1915;
invalided.
Lance-Cpl. JAMES GILLON Wounded, 10/5/15, St. Eloi.
Piper KEEBLE Wounded.
" JOHN LUMSDEN Wounded, Struma, 1/10/16.
" JAMES M'DOUGALL Wounded, Hill 60; invalided.
" JOHN M'CABE Died, 1917.
" DONALD M'RAE
" JOHN M'ASKILL Killed, Hill 60, April 1916.
" THOMPSON Died.
" ALEXANDER THOMPSON Invalided.
" WILLIAM HOPE Wounded, Ypres, 1918.
" HUGH CONNER Wounded, 30/9/16, St. Eloi;
invalided.
" DONALD CAMPBELL Wounded, 10/5/15, St. Eloi.
" ARCHIBALD M'KENZIE Killed, Hill 60, April 1916.
" MURDOCH SCOTT Wounded, Aug. 1915.
" LACHLAN M'BEAN Died of wounds, St. Eloi,
10/5/15.
" MURDOCH SCOTT Wounded, Aug. 1915.
" ARCHIBALD LINDSAY
" ROBERT FERGUSON Invalided.
" WILLIAM STEWART Died, Salonika, 18/10/17.
" JOHN SMART
" JAMES CARSWELL
" ARCHIBALD SMITH
4TH BATTALION
At Festubert on 17th May, 1915, the companies were played to the
attack by their pipers, and these men came through unscathed but with
their pipes rendered useless by mud and water. Of those who were
serving in the ranks several were killed and wounded at Festubert.
Again at Loos the pipers were employed in action as such.
They were often employed as bearers. The battalion was disbanded as a
separate unit.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
56 Pipe Major J. S. ROSS
275 Lance Cpl. J. SHIRRAN Wounded, Fanquinart, 9/5/15.
1090 Piper A. FULLARTON
44 " W. FRASER Wounded.
519 " R. MUNRO
988 " C. MILNE
528 Lance Cpl. G. FORSYTH
53 Piper K. LOGAN Wounded.
1395 " W. F. MACDONALD Wounded, Richebourg, 17/7/15.
1120 " J. CHEYNE Killed, Festubert, 17/5/15.
1100 " J. MUNRO
645 Lance Cpl. D. PATERSON Killed, Festubert, 17/5/15.
2670 " T. D. MACKAY Wounded, Neuve Chapelle,
12/3/15.
200120 Piper W. MACDONALD Died of wounds, 14/10/17.
" W. MACLEAN Transferred as Pipe Major to
5th Camerons.
5TH BATTALION
At Loos the battalion was played into action, and practically all the
pipers became casualties. Subsequently they were employed as bearers.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
4424 Pipe Major A. BEATTIE (Now Quartermaster.)
" JOHN MACMILLAN
" WILLIAM MACLEAN
3/5497 Piper ALEX. MACEACHEN Died of wounds received 25/9/15.
3/5113 Lance Cpl. A. J. M'DONALD Killed at Fosse 8, 27/9/15.
3/5096 " DONALD M'LEAN Wounded, Festubert, 1915.
3/5059 Piper ALEXANDER BOYD
S/14504 " DONALD M'INTYRE
3/3931 " NEIL WILSON Killed, 27/9/15.
S/11755 Piper JAMES BUTLER Wounded, 27/9/15; Loos, and
again subsequently.
3/5636 " J. A. MACASKILL
3/3541 " ANGUS M'DONALD Wounded, 27/9/15, Loos.
3/5621 " ALEX. M'LENNAN Wounded, 27/9/15, Loos.
S/10510 " JOHN M'LACHLAN Wounded, 27/9/15, Loos; killed,
Sorel, 21/3/18.
S/10311 " J. M'GREGOR Invalided.
S/12582 " ANGUS M'PHERSON Gassed, 25/9/15, Loos.
S/11605 " JOHN ROSS Wounded, 25/9/15, Loos.
S/10026 " JOSEPH SCOTT Wounded, 25/9/15, Loos.
" DONALD MACPHEE
Corpl. DONALD CAMPBELL
Piper WILLIAM STRACHAN Invalided.
" ANGUS ROBERTSON
" MALCOLM MACGREGOR
" ALEX. CLUNIE Killed, 3/5/17, Arras.
" JAMES HENDERSON
" LACHLAN MACLEAN
" JAMES MACDONALD Invalided.
" DUNCAN MACLENNAN
" ARCHIBALD CRAWFORD Killed, Sorel, 21/3/18.
" JOHN MACLENNAN
" DONALD MACLENNAN
" D. BOWES
" T. FYFFE Invalided.
" C. GRANT Invalided.
" ALLAN CAMERON Invalided.
" CHARLES MILNE
" JOHN STAVERT
" NORMAN M'KILLOP
" JAMES PORTEOUS Killed, Oct. 1918.
" JAMES INNES
" FINLAY MARTIN
" JAMES FERGUSON
" JAMES RICHARD
6TH BATTALION
During trench fighting the pipers were employed behind the line. In
the Loos attack, when they played the battalion into action, there
were many casualties. On this occasion, when the 44th Brigade had to
fall back, the men rallied on an extemporised flag of Cameron tartan
at the foot of which stood the pipers of several battalions.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
5161 Pipe Major A. MATHIESON
MACDONALD Gassed, 25/9/15.
12643 Lance Cpl. WILLIAM FRASER Wounded, Loos, 25/9/15.
11347 Piper WILLIAM WHITEHEAD
12629 " THOMAS MACCULLOCH
10101 " DUGALD DOW Gassed, Loos, 25/9/15.
10210 " JAMES PITCAIRN
10297 " WILFRED MORRIS
12070 " J. LECKIE MACLEAN
14831 " DAVID ROY ROBERTSON
27434 Sergt. CAMPBELL From 1st Lovat's Scouts.
43268 Lance Cpl. M'NEILL From 2/4th Cameron Highlanders.
10256 " M'READY Wounded, Somme, Oct. 1916.
40971 Piper MACLENNAN From 2/4th Cameron Highlanders.
43267 " MACNEIL From 2/4th Cameron Highlanders;
wounded, Oct. 1916.
43318 " JOHNSTONE From 2/4th Cameron Highlanders.
40715 " MACCORMICK
43311 " M. M'LENNAN From 2/4th Cameron Highlanders.
22461 " JAMES WALKER Killed, 26/4/17.
7TH BATTALION
In the historic attack at Loos the pipers took a prominent part,
and helped to rally the men subsequently. They lost heavily, and in
subsequent actions pipers were only employed singly in the attack.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
13845 Pipe Major R. MACDOUGALL
Piper J. MACLEAN Wounded, Loos.
14356 " J. RAEBURN Wounded, Loos, 25-27/9/15.
13291 " DUGALD SCOULAR
14059 " PEDEN
Corpl. ROSS
" R. M. DEWAR Gassed.
Lance Cpl. J. LEVACK
200104 " H. R. MUNRO
Piper G. ALVES Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
21487 " G. COWIE Wounded, Loos, 25/9/15.
9444 " J. COYLE Wounded, Loos, 25/9/15.
" A. DUNCAN
" J. FINDLAY
" T. FRASER Gassed.
14055 " W. HENDERSON Wounded, Loos, 25/9/15.
200252 " J. HUNTER
201253 Piper A. M'DONALD
5545 " J. M'DONALD
" J. M'INTOSH Wounded, Loos, 25/9/15.
13294 " R. M'KENZIE
" M. M'KILLOP Invalided.
" M. MACKINNON
43209 " J. MUNRO
13442 " A. SHAND
" A. SMART Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
" F. STEWART Wounded, Loos, 25/9/15.
14369 " W. WILLIAMSON
THE ARGYLL AND SUTHERLAND HIGHLANDERS
1ST BATTALION
Early in the war pipers were used in action, but, on account of
casualties being very heavy among them, the practice was given up.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major R. MACFARLANE
Piper M'KAY Wounded.
" KENEALY Wounded.
" CAMPBELL Wounded.
" WOODSIDE Killed, St. Eloi, 16/2/15.
Corpl. F. ROSS
Piper W. M'INTOSH
" C. HAY
" J. BEATTIE
" W. WADDEL
" STEVENSON
" LYNCH
Lance-Cpl. STRUTHERS
" WILSON
" BIRRELL
Piper M'FADYEN
" HANLISON
" BELL
" HARDIE
" M'DONALD
Piper CAMPBELL
" FRASER
570 " ROBERT KENNEDY Killed, 30/7/16, Somme.
2ND BATTALION
During the first year of the war 3 pipers were killed, 3 were wounded
and 3 were taken prisoner, and the band was broken up, the survivors
being returned to the ranks. Throughout the war pipers have been
employed as orderlies, ammunition and ration carriers.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major WILLIAM GRAY
" JOHN MACKINTOSH
10719 " LAWRIE
672 " JOHN GRAY
8157 Piper L. A. PLANNER Killed, Oct. 1918.
" ALEXANDER STEVEN
188 " ALEXANDER SINCLAIR
10313 " J. BLACK
10295 Corpl. J. P. M'DONALD Invalided.
522 Piper HENRY JONES Invalided.
Lance-Cpl. MILNE Missing.
567 Piper PETER M'LINTOCK Killed, Armentières, 27/11/15.
90 " M'KAY Killed, Armentières, 27/11/15.
" J. GARDNER Wounded, Le Cateau, 26/8/14.
974 Lance-Cpl. A. PATERSON Wounded, Le Cateau, 26/8/14.
Piper PETER MURRAY Wounded, Le Cateau, 26/8/14.
1153 Sergt. P. DEAN, D.C.M. D.C.M.
9901 Lance-Cpl. A. MILLER Prisoner of war; wounded, Le
Cateau, 26/8/14.
660 Piper R. SCOTT Prisoner of war; wounded,
Armentières, 27/11/15.
58 " S. DUFF Prisoner of war; wounded, Le
Cateau, 26/8/14.
9279 " ROBERT ORMISTON Wounded, Somme, 13/7/16.
" WILLIAM BLACK
" JOHN WATT
" DAVID BLAIR
" RICHARD ANSELL Wounded, 19/11/15 and 21/6/15.
" DONALD ANDERSON
" ALEXANDER M'DONALD
" JOHN MACCULLOCH
Piper ALEXANDER GRAY
" GORDON INNES
" DUNCAN MACKELLAR
[Illustration: BEN BUIDHE, ARGYLLSHIRE
_From the Water-colour Drawing by George Houston, A.R.S.A._]
5TH BATTALION
When in Gallipoli the full pipers were chiefly employed as messengers
and ammunition carriers. In the latter capacity they did excellent
work in the fighting on 12th July, 1915. The acting pipers were
employed as stretcher bearers. On the occasion of the 12th July
attack a piper mounted the parapet and played the battalion over. The
pipers have been kept out of action as far as possible.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
201471 Pipe Major C. HAY Wounded, 24/11/17.
" JAS. SMITH
Piper ROBERT SMITH
" THOMAS MACDONALD
" ROBERT MACLACHLAN
200129 " JAMES BLAIR
200043 Lance-Cpl. FRED BRANWHITE
Piper ROBERT MACLEOD Wounded, 25/12/15.
200300 Lance-Cpl. ANGUS MACARTHUR
300620 Piper JOHN MACLEOD
200359 " JAMES MURRAY
" MALCOLM STEWART
" GEORGE STIRRAT
325764 " W. HENDRY Wounded, 29/7/18.
200325 " WILLIAM LEPICK
201062 " J. M'CALLUM
200357 " DONALD MATHESON
202708 " WILLIAM MATHESON
43040 " JOHN MYLES
200780 " A. NEILSON
200855 " J. OLIVER
201925 " W. PONTON
6TH BATTALION
While in the trenches were employed as orderlies, messengers, etc.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
362 Pipe Major JOHN M'CONNACHER Transferred as C.Q.M.S.
275321 " D. FINLAYSON
35 Corpl. ANDREW FERGUSON
538 Lance-Cpl. THOMAS DOURNIE Wounded, Richebourg, May 1915.
1704 Piper WILLIAM HENDERSON
1365 " ROBERT M'AULAY Gassed, 25/4/18.
1560 " DAVID GAULT
1507 " HENRY MURRAY
1506 " WILLIAM PARK Wounded, Festubert, 18/6/15.
1890 " JOHN CRAIG Killed, Longueval, 27/7/16.
3037 " JAMES PRINGLE Killed while trying to bring
in wounded man, 18/6/15.
3042 " JOHN M'ALLISTER Killed, Festubert, 18/6/15.
1653 " JAMES GILLAN Invalided.
3256 " JOHN M'FARLANE
3162 " WILLIAM CARLYLE Killed, Festubert, 16/6/15;
despatches.
3166 " WILLIAM GANSON
" THOMAS MYRON
250989 " A. M'LINTOCK Wounded, 23/11/18.
250962 " H. ARMSTRONG
8016 Lance-Cpl. J. STEWART
251957 Piper A. M'ASKILL
202120 " N. CAMPBELL
252567 " F. M'PHERSON
250018 " W. CORSAN
252028 " J. LANG
300099 " N. CRAWFORD
250919 " A. GRAY
325262 " M. THOMSON
7TH BATTALION
Pipers were employed as runners and orderlies.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Piper JOHN WALLS, M.M. Military Medal, 24/7/16.
277167 " HUGH M'DONALD Killed, Aug. 1917, Ypres.
8TH BATTALION
Until the Somme fighting the pipers went into the trenches but
did not play. The battalion had a pipe band composed of officers,
Capt. Alastair M'Laren, Lieuts. Graham Campbell, Yr. of Shirvan,
and Leslie Smith. The drummers were the Adjutant, Major Lockie, the
Quartermaster Lieut. Disselduff and Lieut. Clark.
As far as possible pipers were kept out of the trenches.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major W. LAWRIE Invalided home, and died of
illness contracted on
service.
" J. WILSON Received Certificate from Div.
Comdr. for gallant conduct,
May 1916.
Lance-Cpl. C. JEFFREY Wounded at Richebourg, May
1915.
Piper J. M'LELLAN, D.C.M. Awarded D.C. Medal for
gallantry at Magersfontein,
Dec. 1899; wounded at
Laventie, 1915.
" N. CRAWFORD Invalided, August 1916.
" A. CURRIE
" R. FERGUSON Time expired.
" F. FRASER Wounded.
" D. FERGUSON Invalided, 1917.
" D. JOHNSTONE Invalided, 1915.
" A. LAUDER
" J. M'CALLUM Wounded, Somme, July 1916.
" J. M'DOUGALL
" J. M'DONALD
" J. M'FARLANE Invalided, 1915.
" J. M'INTYRE
" R. M'LELLAN, M.M. Wounded, Somme, July 1916;
awarded Military Medal.
" J. ORR Wounded, La Boiselle, August
1915.
" J. RISK Time expired.
" J. SHIRLAW Gassed.
" J. WOODROW
" N. FLETCHER
" T. STRATHEARN
" R. MORRISON Wounded, Ypres.
" J. MACLEOD
" D. ROBERTSON Invalided.
" D. WOODS Wounded twice.
" T. SHEARER Wounded.
" D. MACINNES Invalided.
" J. MACWILLIAMS
" T. MOFFAT
" J. HANNON
9TH BATTALION
Pipers were principally utilised, when in action, as
stretcher-bearers, orderlies, etc.
Great bravery was shown by pipers when acting as bearers.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major J. R. GARSEWELL
324 Corpl. ALEXANDER M'ALLISTER Missing since 10/5/15; 2nd
Battle Ypres.
1790 Piper DAVID PANTON Wounded, 10/5/15, Ypres.
266 " GEORGE SHEARER, D.C.M. Awarded D.C.M.
1711 " ALEXANDER RUSSELL Killed, 8/4/15.
10TH BATTALION
During the trench fighting the pipers were kept in the reserve lines
in order to avoid casualties. At Loos and on the Somme, however, they
were employed with their companies, and at the taking of Longueval
they behaved with quite remarkable gallantry. On this occasion Pipe
Major Aitken, a man of sixty years of age, was awarded the D.C.M.,
and Pipers Wilson and Dall were commended for playing through
heavy machine gun fire. At the same time Piper Donnachie greatly
distinguished himself carrying despatches.
The commanding officer says the casualties on the Somme have led him
to keep them out of action as far as possible, as he regards them as
invaluable to a regiment. It was, in the later stages, only under
dire necessity, that pipers were occasionally used as bearers.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major T. AITKEN, D.C.M. Superannuated; D.C.M.
" J. WRIGHT
9263 Lance-Sgt. J. MACKENZIE
1720 Corpl. J. DONNACHIE
Piper MACNEILL Killed, Longueval, Oct. 1916.
Corpl. W. LAURIE Wounded, Dickebusch; invalided.
8860 Lance-Cpl. D. CAMPBELL
569 " J. GAMACK, M.M. Military Medal.
4512 Piper W. ANDERSON Invalided.
3205 " J. CULLEN
9835 " J. HEATHERINGTON Wounded, Loos, 25/9/15.
3014 " J. KENNEDY
1375 " J. M'DONALD Wounded, Longueval; invalided.
2011 " W. M'GILLIVRAY
8656 " D. M'RAE
6153 Lance-Sgt. D. D. M'SPORRAN Wounded, Longueval.
10390 Piper J. SMITH Wounded, Ypres, Nov. 1915.
9339 " W. PIRRIE
2616 " D. WILSON Despatches.
570 " R. KENNEDY Died of wounds, Longueval.
9256 Piper A. M'LEAN Invalided.
6191 " J. DALL Wounded, Longueval.
5091 " J. PATERSON Wounded, Loos, 25/9/15.
Sergt. J. F. SWORD
8051 " ALEX. MACLEAY Killed, 12/10/17, Ypres.
300583 " JOHN SINCLAIR Severely wounded, Oct. 1917.
302955 Piper WALTER NAPIER Killed, 12/10/17, Ypres.
" WILLIAM SINCLAIR
" JOHN CLARK
" ANDREW THOMSON
11TH BATTALION
When the battalion was in support of the 44th Brigade at Loos the
pipers took a very prominent share in the glory and the losses of
the day. One, Charles Cameron, stood out in the open and played as
a rallying point, and the battalion called him "The Piper of Loos."
Other pipers were employed as runners, or in the ranks.
The casualties during this part of the campaign were so heavy that
the pipe band was kept, as far as possible, out of the front line.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major DONALD MACFARLANE Wounded, Loos, 25-27/9/15.
Sergt. JAMES RITCHIE Killed, Loos, 26/9/15.
" JOHN M'MILLAN, D.C.M. D.C.M., 25/9/15, Loos.
Piper CHAS. CAMERON
" CHAS. HOEY
" J. BARNETT Killed on Hill 70.
" T. WALLACE
" A. GILLESPIE
" F. M'DIARMID Wounded, July 1915; killed,
July 1916.
Corpl. M. W. M'CALLUM
Piper D. WOOD Wounded, May 1916.
" D. MACPHERSON Wounded.
" F. HARPER Wounded, Somme.
" J. BENNET
" A. M'DIARMID
" HAMILTON
" CAMPBELL
" FERGUSON Died Dec. 1916.
" M'KELLAR
Corpl. J. GRAY
12TH BATTALION
Were often employed as runners. When the battalion was due to go into
support the pipers were sent on to meet the companies and bring them
in. The officers value the band so highly that they consider they
should not be sent into the front line if it can possibly be avoided.
During actual offensive operations pipers were also employed as
runners or on forward trench dumps, etc., and sometimes in the ranks.
Marches in Macedonia were often very arduous "and the pipers made an
amazing difference on the men's spirits."
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
4492 Pipe Major J. DOUGLAS
275286 " J. M'EWAN Wounded.
598 Sergt. R. STEVENSON, M.M. Twice wounded; Military Medal.
6829 Piper JOHN M'COLL Died of disease, Salonika,
16/2/17.
284 Corpl. J. BEATTIE Wounded.
" W. STIRLING Killed, Oct. 1916.
5660 " D. ROBERTSON Killed, 8/5/17.
409 " W. M'KAY
10138 Piper D. WILSON, D.C.M. D.C.M.
20022 " W. NORRIE
203267 " W. PIRRIE
4564 " M. CONNELLY
5808 " A. DONNELLY
4738 " F. HINTON
6468 " J. TRAILL
5388 " A. DAVIDSON
5896 " J. LINTON
14389 " D. KELLY
5705 " M. HARPER
279048 " T. PHILLIBAN
" T. HILL
4927 " L. M'CON Killed in action, 8/5/17.
5813 " A. STRATHEARN
5706 " J. M'KERROW
14TH BATTALION
Owing to their value to the battalion the pipers were not employed in
the front line.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major HENRY FORSYTH
" DONALD CAMERON
Piper PHILIP MELVILLE
" WILLIAM ADAMS
" DAVID DEAN
" WILLIAM M'DONALD
" JOHN M'DONALD
" DAVID GIBSON
" JOSEPH THOMSON
" JOHN KENNEDY
" JAMES M'ISAAC
" CHARLES BURNESS
" ALEX. M'KENZIE
" JAMES M'ARTHUR
" DAVID BLYTH
" ALEXANDER YULE
" WILLIAM CORSON
" WILLIAM CAMPBELL
" WILLIAM MAXWELL
" DUNCAN GRANT
THE LONDON SCOTTISH
1ST BATTALION
During the earlier part of the war the pipers served in the ranks
and suffered heavy casualties. In the fighting at Messines on 31st
October, 1914, and the subsequent operations at Zillebeke, 4 were
killed and 2 were wounded, and of the original pipe band only one
remained after six months. All these casualties occurred while the
men were acting as observers. Several pipers were subsequently given
commissions in other regiments.
Owing to the great difficulty of replacement every effort has been
made, during the last two years of the war, to keep pipers out of the
front line.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major K. GREIG Lt. Army Ordnance Dept.
142 Corpl. J. CAREY Killed at Messines, 1/11/14,
when acting as observer.
139 Lance-Cpl. M. G. LATHAM Despatches; killed at
Zillebeke, while sniping,
16/11/14.
Piper NICOL
Piper R. PORTEOUS Wounded at Messines,
31/10/14-1/11/14.
1145 " W. PORTEOUS Wounded at Messines,
31/10/14-1/11/14.
1341 " D. PARKYN Missing since Messines,
31/10/14-1/11/14.
" C. W. D. MACKAY Lieut. 5th Camerons; wounded
and missing, 17/8/16.
1870 " J. F. BENNIE Killed at Zillebeke, 9/11/14.
" R. F. GORDON FORBES Lieut. Army Ordnance Dept.
" G. ORAM
" A. JOSS
4167 " D. S. PINNINGTON Wounded, Loos, 25/9/15.
" J. HENDERSON
" A. SUTHERLAND-GRAEME
" W. GORDON
3599 " A. A. CORNELL Died of wounds, Somme, 2/10/16.
" ROBERT MORRISON Transferred to R.E.; got D.C.M.
and Military Medal.
" A. CAIRNS WILSON Formerly piper; 2nd Lieut.;
killed; Military Cross.
" SIMON CAMPBELL Killed, 13/5/17, Arras.
510531 " A. B. PATON Killed, 13/5/17, Arras.
511874 " M. W. DAVIDSON Wounded.
" R. S. D. GRANT Transferred to A.O.D., Lieut.
CRAWFORD
2ND BATTALION
The pipers of this battalion have served in three theatres of war.
They have played through Flanders and France, across the desert and
in Palestine. They led the battalion into Jerusalem on 9th Dec.,
1917, and thereafter on across the Jordan, through the hills of
Gilead, and in Jericho, and Bethlehem. Again in Salonika and among
the Macedonian hills they carried the music of the Highlands. In the
desert difficulties were experienced with the reeds and with the
drought; and the men often had to keep the bags going out of their
own scanty ration of water.
From the nature of the operations against the Turks, in which
surprise played so important a part, pipers had no opportunity of
playing their companies into action. So invaluable were they in
keeping the men up in the long desert marches that they were, as far
as possible, reserved for that duty.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major D. C. WILLS Invalided.
510021 " J. A. M'GILVRAY
510013 Corpl. C. ORAM
Piper C. W. CUMMINS Invalided.
513953 " D. K. PULLAR
510759 " E. J. HORNIBLOW
" M. MILLS
511170 " D. A. MATHESON
511450 " C. A. STEWART
510264 " O. MACHELL-VARISE
513865 " J. W. MACMILLAN
513650 " D. HAY Invalided.
S/18941 " F. A. W. GILLIES
S/41114 " A. MACFADYEN
290381 " A. EWEN
THE TYNESIDE SCOTTISH
1ST BATTALION
In the Somme fighting on 1st July, 1916, the battalion was played
into action by its pipers and had 5 killed and 2 wounded; the
survivors, Pipe Major John Wilson and Piper George Taylor, were
awarded the Military Medal.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
290 Pipe Major JOHN WILSON, M.M. Military Medal.
237 Lance-Cpl. GARNET W. FYFE Killed, 1/7/16.
Piper ALEX. BOYD Wounded, 1/7/16.
223 " E. BOYCE Killed, ? 1/7/16.
" E. SCOTT Wounded, 1/7/16.
" STEPHENS Wounded, 1/7/16.
1585 " WILLIAM FELLOWS Missing.
154 " JAMES DOWNIE Missing.
840 " CHARLES M'LEAN Wounded, 1/7/16.
1594 " ROBERT DAVIDSON Missing.
1485 " WILLIAM INGLIS Wounded, 1/7/16.
1525 " GEORGE TAYLOR, M.M. Military Medal.
2ND BATTALION
On the same occasion this battalion was played into action by its
pipers. 1525 Piper James Phillips was mentioned in despatches.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
1147 Pipe Major MUNRO STRACHAN
1149 Piper JOHN STRACHAN Wounded, 1/7/16.
1150 " ALEX. SCOTT
1230 " WILLIE SCOTT Killed, 1/7/16.
1188 Lance-Cpl. W. CLARK
558 Piper G. C. GRIFFITHS
1151 " JAMES PHILLIPS Killed, 1/7/16.
1225 " J. M. PHILLIPS, M.M. Military Medal.
1228 " JAMES CARNEGIE Wounded, 28/6/16.
3RD BATTALION
On the same occasion this battalion was played into action, but the
whole of the pipers were killed or wounded.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Piper A. BOYD Wounded, 1/7/16.
" J. STEPHENS Wounded, 1/7/16.
" D. STEELE Missing, 1/7/16.
" E. FINLEY Killed, 1/7/16.
" R. GREAVES Died of wounds, 1/7/16.
" T. WILSON Wounded and missing, 1/7/16.
THE MIDDLESEX REGIMENT
16TH BATTALION
This was the first English regiment to have a pipe band, the men
being recruited for the purpose from Glasgow.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
1152 Pipe Major CHARLES STEWART
1149 Corpl. THOMAS GIBSON
1144 Piper JOHN GRANT
2530 " WILLIAM SLOAN Wounded, Oct. 1916, Somme.
1145 " FRED CARRUTHERS
1148 " NORMAN M'DONALD
1350 " DUGALD M'FARLANE
1154 " HENRY MITCHELSON
1151 " THOMAS LATHAM Killed, 1/7/16, Somme.
1930 " JAMES GILCHRIST
1153 " JOHN KERR
THE LIVERPOOL SCOTTISH
At Bois Grenier, Piper Thomas Wilson played his company over the
top. Mostly employed as stretcher-bearers, but in 1914 the pipers of
1st Batt. also served in ranks. Piper Sydney Wilson was three times
awarded certificate of gallantry.
1ST BATTALION
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major JOHN STODDART Killed, Poperinghe, July 1917.
" JOHN STODDART (Junior)
Lance-Cpl. JOHN WHITE Invalided.
Sergt. E. J. OGILVIE
Piper JAMES ROGERS
" JOHN GRAHAM
" THOMAS WILSON
" SYDNEY WILSON Twice wounded.
" WILLIAM BARCLAY
" CHARLES COPLAND
2ND BATTALION
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
358269 Piper THOMAS WILSON Wounded (gas).
" JAMES GILFILLAN Twice wounded.
" HENRY FORRESTER
" ROBERT JOHNSON Twice gassed.
" THOMAS CARLYLE Wounded.
" STANLEY RAE
" ARCHIBALD SERVICE
" DON. FOWLER Twice wounded.
" JAMES MARTIN
" SYDNEY ROGERS Wounded.
THE ROYAL FUSILIERS
23RD BATTALION
(1st Sportsman's Batt.)
The pipers, during the period of trench warfare, were employed behind
the lines. The C.O. considers they were of the greatest value in
keeping up the men's morale, on marches and in bringing companies
out of the trenches.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
1339 Pipe Major D. F. ROBERTSON
Lance-Cpl. T. M'CLUNIE Wounded.
Piper W. JOHNSTONE
" W. FOREMAN
" W. F. SUTTIE Killed, 16/3/16.
" ALEX. M'LENNAN
" DAVID SEATH
" JOHN ADAMSON
" WILLIAM MACKENZIE Killed, 16/3/16.
" D. LEATH
THE ARGYLLSHIRE MOUNTAIN BATTERY
The pipers in this Battery all served as gunners.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major WILLIAM MACNEILL Died, pneumonia, 18/8/15.
Corpl. NEIL SMITH Accidentally killed, 1/3/16.
" JAMES MACPHEE
THE ROSS AND CROMARTY BATTERY
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
4403 Piper JOHN MACDONALD Wounded, 14/5/15; died of
wounds.
5035 " JAS. MACKAY Wounded, 14/5/15.
4323 " ANGUS MACDONALD Wounded, 23/6/15.
MISCELLANEOUS
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
318411 Pte. WILLIAM SCOTT 11th F.A., R.A.M.C.; Military
Medal.
93110 Piper ANDREW M'INTOSH 2/2nd Lothian Field Ambulance;
severely wounded.
THE PIPE BAND OF THE 52ND (LOWLAND) DIVISION
This band was formed in Gallipoli in October, 1915.
It was understood then that a dull and dreary winter campaign was in
front of the troops. A committee of officers was formed to find some
sort of entertainment to keep the men as cheery as possible. It was
decided that both a Military and a Pipe Band should be raised. This
job was left entirely in the hands of Colonel C. A. H. MACLEAN of
Pennycross, a critical and enthusiastic lover of music, who, being a
Highlander and an accomplished piper, naturally insisted on the Pipe
Band being a good one.
Practically all that was left of the pipers in the different
regiments of the Division were used to form the band, which consisted
of twelve pipers and six drummers, all having taken part in the
severe fighting prior to this duty. Good players and members of some
of the finest bands in Scotland, under the leadership of Pipe-Major
Wm. Fergusson, 1/7th Battn. Highland Light Infantry, a well-known
piper and exponent of "Ceol Mhor," the band made steady progress,
and soon was in grand fettle. The way both bands were appreciated
testifies to the sound judgment of the committee and the able
management of the Colonel.
The Division, being entirely composed of Scots, hailed with delight
the skirl of the pipes, which had been heard but too seldom since the
Division landed.
The band had exceptional luck while on Gallipoli, never having had
a casualty after it was raised, although often playing under heavy
shell fire. They played and warmed the hearts of all true Scots, and
must have given the wily Turk quite a shock with "Hey Johnnie Cope,"
which could be heard quite distinctly on a quiet morning in the
firing-line, right up till within a few days of the final evacuation
of the peninsula.
After sojourning for a month on the Island of Mudros, they sailed
with the rest of the Division for Egypt. From Abbassia (Cairo) they
moved to the desert front, and have been with the Division in the
trek across Sinai.
From El Arish the band accompanied the Division right into Palestine,
and is believed to be the first pipe band to play in the "Holy Land."
PRISONERS OF WAR BAND
One of the most remarkable of military pipe bands was one organised
in the British prisoners' internment camps in Holland. At one time
this band consisted of 13 pipers of different units, including two
pipe majors, under Pipe Major Duff, 2nd Royal Scots.
OVERSEAS BATTALIONS
PRINCESS PATRICIA'S CANADIAN LIGHT INFANTRY
The pipers were mainly employed as bearers.
In the attack on the Vimy Ridge on 9th April, 1917, the battalion was
played over by the nine pipers.
Pipers were also employed as runners.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
667 Pipe Major JOHN COLVILLE Invalided; despatches.
12942 " W. CAMPBELL
Sergt. JOHN MACDONALD, D.C.M. Died of wounds, 17/9/16;
D.C.M.
262 " H. LAING Wounded, 8/5/15; despatches.
672 Corpl. D. M'INTOSH Invalided.
1770 Lance-Cpl. J. HUNTER Wounded, Oct. 1918.
264 Piper J. RITCHIE Wounded, 22/3/15.
676 " J. M'LOY Wounded, 28/2/15.
265 " W. ROBERTSON Died of wounds, 25/3/15.
1296 " J. M. ROBERTSON,
D.C.M. Wounded, 8/5/15, D.C.M.
679 " J. WOOD Wounded, 17/5/15.
1772 " G. MILLER Invalided.
266 " C. M'LEAN
1771 " G. HARVEY
1174 Piper H. LOGAN Wounded, 15/3/15.
21499 " A. G. M'DONALD
432938 " J. LAING
432013 " R. RITCHIE
432966 " W. ADAMSON Wounded, March, 1916.
432862 " L. SMITH
432137 " J. WOOD
432812 " G. DUNBAR
433130 " G. THOMSON
432312 " G. MURRAY
THE ROYAL HIGHLANDERS OF CANADA
13TH BATTALION
In the Ypres fighting in April 1915 the pipers suffered heavily, 3
of them being killed and 5 wounded. Some of them were employed as
runners, others in the ranks.
At the recapture of Hill 70 in August 1917 the companies were led to
the attack by their pipers.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
24002 Pipe Major D. MANSON
24962 Piper D. A. M'ARTHUR
24010 " J. BURNS Wounded, Ypres, 23/4/15.
24011 Lance-Cpl. J. DYCE Wounded, Ypres, 23/4/15.
24012 Piper W. LAWSON Died of wounds, Fleurbaix,
16/3/15.
24013 " A. J. MACDONALD Killed, 24/4/15.
24014 " N. SINCLAIR
24015 " A. SINGER Wounded, 3/5/15, Ypres.
24392 " H. ROBERTSON Killed, Ypres, 2/5/15.
24155 " N. MACDONALD Killed, Ypres, 24/4/15.
24704 " D. CAMPBELL Wounded, 22/4/15.
25045 " J. W. MACDONALD
8004 " C. S. MACDONALD
11095 " A. EDEN
12942 " W. CAMPBELL
46636 " J. CONNACHER
14536 " G. B. MACPHERSON
THE 48TH HIGHLANDERS OF CANADA
15TH BATTALION
The battalion took out 19 pipers. At the battle of Amiens, 5th-8th
August, 1918, their pipers played in the front line. They were
fortunate as regards casualties during the war, having lost only one
man killed.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
27221 Pipe Major A. R. KEITH, M.M.
27386 Lance-Sgt. A. A. NEWLANDS
27548 Corpl. J. THOMPSON Died of disease.
27925 Lance-Cpl. A. M'DONALD
27659 Piper K. CROSBIE Obtained commission in R.A.
27058 " F. A. COWEN Gassed, Ypres, 22/4/15;
invalided.
27883 " A. DONALDSON
27023 " K. MILLER
2709 " W. H. WICK
13611 " D. BRAIDWOOD Obtained commission.
30207 " A. GORDON
152 " J. A. MACKINNON, M.C. Obtained commission.
43212 " A. STURROCK
37451 " W. MACDONALD
41587 " N. A. ROSS
58456 " G. C. HENDERSON
135514 " A. M. MACDONALD
192071 " D. MACDONALD
193489 " J. HINSHELWOOD
799915 " A. MACDONALD
1045162 " T. HAMILTON
1045069 " J. M'NEILL
1045923 " H. E. MATHEWS
1045177 " R. B. MACWILLIAM
192170 " T. MARTIN
1045779 " W. HYND
192270 " W. MAIR
799627 " R. SMITH
799248 " R. ANDERSON
799041 " W. G. WATSON
799255 " W. LAWRIE
799704 " A. MACLACHLAN
799258 " D. MACPHERSON
799256 " P. T. LAMB
2393381 " F. M'DOWALL
2393526 " J. CANT
THE CANADIAN SCOTTISH
16TH BATTALION
At Ypres (April 1915) two pipers, Jas. Thomson and W. M'Ivor, were
killed while playing the charge; and at Festubert in May, G. Birnie
and A. Morrison were killed in the same way. Some of the pipers were
employed as bearers, runners, etc., but, the casualties continuing,
it was found necessary for a time to withdraw them from the firing
line. During the Somme fighting, however, they were again used as
pipers. In the attack of 8th October, 1916, Pipers Richardson, Park,
Paul and M'Kellar played through very heavy fire for over half a
mile, and Richardson and Park were killed. Piper Richardson was
awarded the V.C. posthumously. On another occasion, in the attack
on the Quirique Rue position, Pipers Birnie and Morrison stood on a
ruined farmhouse and played until they were both killed.
In the attack on the Vimy Ridge on 9th April, 1917, the battalion was
again led to their objective by the Pipe Major, Groat and five pipers
for a distance of over a mile; Pipe Major Groat got the Military
Medal.
For bravery at Paschendaele, Aug. 1917, Lance-Cpl. M'Gillivray--who
was killed--got the Military Medal, and Piper Paul received the same
distinction.
The C.O. regards the pipes as invaluable in action. Of the pipers one
got the V.C., one the D.C.M. and nine the Military Medal. No man was
recommended for a distinction unless he had twice played his company
to an attack.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
28556 Pipe Major DONALD M'LEOD Invalided, 1915.
28558 " RONALD M'DONALD
29327 " JAMES GROAT, D.C.M., Pipe Major, Nov. 1915; D.C.M.;
M.M. Military Medal and Bar.
28812 Piper C. WILSON Wounded, Ypres, 22-28/4/15;
invalided.
28694 " JAMES THOMSON Died of wounds, Ypres, 23/4/15.
28779 " WILLIAM M'IVOR Died of wounds, 10/5/15.
29236 " JAMES LOWE Wounded, Ypres, 22-28/4/15;
invalided.
28595 " GEORGE BIRNIE Killed, Festubert, 20/5/15.
29468 " ANGUS MORRISON Killed, Festubert, 20/5/15.
28557 " ALEC M'GILLIVRAY (?), Killed, 15/8/17; Military
M.M. Medal.
29048 " ALAN M'NAB, M.M. Military Medal.
28559 " HUGH M'DONALD
29336 " GEORGE INGLIS
29149 " GORDON ROSS
28930 " JAMES RICHARDSON, V.C. Killed, 8/10/16; V.C.
28561 " JOHN PARKS Killed, 8/10/16.
28560 " HUGH M'KELLAR Invalided, 1917.
859495 " J. LIGHTHEART
429603 " G. PAUL, M.M. Killed, Amiens, 8/8/18;
Military Medal.
467573 " ALEX. ROBERTSON, M.M. Military Medal.
466703 " JOHN M'ALLISTER, M.M. Military Medal.
183188 " WILLIAM BUCHANAN
183192 " HUGH M'BETH
736522 " DAVID HORN
737176 " JOHN J. M'LEAN Wounded, Amiens, 8/8/18.
736406 " WILLIAM GOLDIE
160387 " NORMAN M'IVER
859059 " ARTHUR DUNCAN
603174 " GORDON CRUICKSHANK,
M.M. Military Medal.
633237 " DUNCAN M'KINNON Wounded, Oct. 1918.
633179 " ARCHIBALD M'DONELL,
M.M. Military Medal.
633524 " LAWRENCE M'GILLIVRAY
189348 " HARRY M'LEAN
603269 " WILLIE DARLOW
859498 " JOHN LIGHTHEART
860095 " JOHN REID
85959 " JOHN M'DONALD Wounded, Sept. 1918.
959196 " DAVID HUNTER
859941 " WILLIAM M'GREGOR
693164 " ARTHUR ROBERTSON Wounded, Oct. 1918.
859100 " ROBERT M'DONALD
779259 " GEORGE M'LEOD
859454 " DONALD M'KENZIE
THE CAMERON HIGHLANDERS OF CANADA
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major JOHN DUKE
Piper JAMES G. MUNRO Taken prisoner, Somme, ? Sept.
1916.
THE 21ST CANADIANS
(Eastern Ontario Regiment)
It is considered in this battalion that pipers are quite
indispensable, and should be spared as far as possible.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major IAN MACKENZIE Killed, Cambrai, 11/10/18.
59224 Corpl. WILLIAM CURRIE, M.M., Wounded, 23/4/16; Military
M.C. Medal; promoted Lieut.; got
Military Cross.
59937 Sergt. WILLIAM SUTHERLAND Wounded, 27/11/15.
60115 Piper HUGH MACKENZIE, M.M. Military Medal.
59320 " C. FYFE Wounded, 28/10/15.
59311 " J. EWART Invalided.
59620 " H. M'KEACHEN Invalided.
633985 " W. GRANT Invalided.
401191 " MACDOUGALL Wounded, 19/6/16.
59618 Pipe Major J. M'DOUGALL
59181 Corpl. J. R. COGHILL, M.M. Military Medal.
675268 Piper W. H. COLLINS
633879 " W. ALEXANDER
675274 " J. LITTLE
633643 " D. M'DONALD
THE 25TH CANADIANS
Piper Telfer played his company into action at Vimy Ridge until
wounded. He was awarded the Military Medal; Piper W. Brand also got
the same distinction. Again, at Amiens, August 1918, the battalion
was played over. There was great competition among the men to be
allowed to perform this duty. Frequently they were employed as
bearers.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major CARSON Meritorious Service Medal;
wounded, 13/8/18; Mons Medal.
Corpl. CANT Invalided.
" MORRISON
Piper W. TELFER Military Medal; wounded,
9/4/18.
" W. BRAND Military Medal.
Piper D. BRAND Invalided.
" A. CAMPBELL Invalided.
" M. M'DOUGALL
" G. HOOPER
" P. KITCHENHAM Wounded, 9/4/18.
" G. THOMAS Wounded, 9/4/18.
" H. O'CONNELL
" E. STEWART Killed, 9/4/18.
" T. H. M'KINNON
" J. H. SHIRLEY
" E. B. THURLOW
" W. FYFFE Wounded.
" A. RITCHIE Wounded.
" H. M'CULLOCH
" N. M'LEOD
" J. MACINTOSH
" A. LAVREY
" W. BUCHANAN
" F. MACBEAN
" HECTOR MACLEAN ANGUS Invalided.
THE 29TH CANADIANS
(Vancouver Regiment)
Pipers were employed as bearers.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
75582 Pipe Major W. MONTGOMERY Invalided.
75132 " D. M'CULLOCH
75297 Corpl. D. MAY Wounded, 13/11/17; invalided.
75599 Piper W. S. GRANT Killed, 6/11/17.
76216 " W. BURNSIDE Killed, 6/11/17.
76484 " J. R. DAVIDSON
76186 " A. ROBERTSON Invalided.
73583 " A. M. BAYNE Wounded, 20/4/16.
76482 " J. CLARK
75848 " R. M'DONALD
75673 " A. M'LACHLAN
76180 " A. M'RAE
75298 " W. A. ROBERTSON
76481 " A. DUNSMUIR
30173 " A. WILSON
THE 236TH CANADIANS
(The MacLean Regiment)
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
1030319 Piper E. BARTON
1030099 " W. H. BLAIR
1030239 " W. W. BRADFORD
1030098 " CECIL BREWER
1030225 " DOUGLAS BURBRIDGE
1030152 " JOHN CAMPBELL
1030076 " GEORGE CLARKE
1030020 " W. H. COLLINS
1030328 Lance-Cpl. CHARLES CROMWELL
1030253 Piper ANDREW DODDS
1030008 Corpl. RICHARD FERRIE
1030312 Piper DONALD GRANT
1030513 " KENNETH GREGORY
1030010 Sergt. FRED HAYTER
1030043 Piper FRED HARRIS
1030012 " JOHN M'FADGEN
1030511 " WILLIAM M'EWAN
1030326 " JOHN M'NAMEE
1030581 " JAMES MACK
742630 " WALTER MORRELL
1030196 " HAROLD MILES
1030045 " EDWARD RALSTEN
1030030 " A. REGAN
743040 " CHARLES ROSS
1030016 Pipe Sgt. W. H. ROSS
1030323 Piper J. BENSON ROBINSON
1030052 " GORDON SCOTT
1030142 " E. J. SLOANE
1030066 " JAMES SMITH
1030014 Corpl. ALEX. STEWART
1030184 Piper DOUGLAS STEWART
291928 " J. SIMPSON
1030545 " WILLIAM STEWART
1030217 " GEORGE TANDY
1030026 " A. E. WALKER
1030093 " GEORGE WHITE
1030110 " E. WILLIS
1030061 " JAMES WILSON
467264 " GEORGE WALKER
1030143 " ROBERT JAMERISON
THE CANADIAN PIONEERS
1ST BATTALION
Owing to the nature of the employment of this battalion on railway
construction the pipers were principally in the ranks as sappers.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
154580 Pipe Major H. M'KENZIE
154492 Piper (Sapper) WILLIAM HENRY
154589 " F. MACDONALD Wounded, 7/5/16.
154184 " J. GRANT Killed, 13/6/16.
155016 " WILLIAM GRAY Wounded, 4/6/16.
154121 " R. KELL
154027 " G. MARS Wounded, 17/8/18.
491353 " W. G. RICHARDSON
154231 " P. HYNDMAN Wounded, 17/9/17.
THE 2ND AUCKLAND REGIMENT
The band was started in Egypt in 1915 with 4 pipers, and gradually a
few more were added. The pipers were not allowed to go into action
as such. Pipe Major J. F. Robertson was given the Military Medal for
gallantry during the operations round Bapaume in 1918.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Piper H. CAMERON
" J. F. ROBERTSON Awarded Military Medal,
Bapaume, 1918.
" H. M. KENNEDY
" J. STEVENSON
" J. BROWN
" D. M'KINLEY
" A. LAMBIE
" F. BARRY
" F. M'LEAN
" J. CLOTHIER
" B. JOHNS
THE 42ND AUSTRALIANS
This battalion raised a band of 8 pipers when they left Australia in
1916. They were largely employed as scouts, runners, etc.
The battalion was subsequently merged into the 41st.
Pipers A. Aitken and R. Gillespie were awarded Military Medals for
valuable scouting work carried out prior to the action at Messines in
June 1917.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major A. R. M'COLL
Corpl. A. S. MACNAUGHT
Piper A. AITKEN, M.M. Wounded; Military Medal.
" R. GILLESPIE, M.M. Military Medal.
" J. A. MURRAY
" A. M'PHERSON Wounded.
" J. M'COLL Wounded.
" J. ROBERTSON Wounded.
" A. MURRAY Wounded.
" M. H. FRASER Killed.
" D. LATHANGIE
" T. A. FRASER Wounded.
" A. S. CHAPLIN
" W. REID
" W. MILNE
" A. M'PHERSON
" J. CLARKE
" A. HOWIE Wounded.
THE SOUTH AFRICAN SCOTTISH
The pipers proved quite invaluable on the long marches in the
operations against the Senussi, in keeping the men going, under the
most trying climatic conditions.
The pipers were sometimes employed as bearers, or as carriers of
stores, ammunition, etc., and as runners.
In the Cambrai advance by the Germans they had to serve in the ranks.
At Houdincourt, having piled their pipes and taken up rifles, nearly
all their instruments were destroyed by a shell.
REG. NO. RANK. NAME. RECORD.
Pipe Major D. CAMERON, D.C.M. Became C. Sergt.-Major;
wounded.
" ALEXANDER GRIEVE Gassed, March 1918.
Lance-Cpl. R. HAY
Piper T. SCOTT Killed, Arras, 9/4/17.
" A. GRAY, M.M. Military Medal.
" J. WATERHOUSE, M.M. Military Medal.
" J. MATHESON
" D. A. CUMMINGS
" F. FRASER
" C. GORDON Invalided.
" R. LINDSAY
" M. M'NEIL
" J. M'CALMAN
" J. MUNRO Wounded, Oct. 1916; invalided.
" M. STRANG
" G. COLLIER
" W. IRONS
" M'GREGOR
" M'COLL
" W. STRANG
[Illustration:
Roll of Honour
1914-1918
Cha till, cha till, cha till Mac Criomain,
An cogadh no sith cha till e tuille;
Le airgiod no ni cha till Mac Criomain,
Cha till e gu bràth gu là na cruinne.
Son épée au Roi,
Son cœur à sa dame,
Ses honneurs à soi,
--À dieu son âme.
]
ROLL OF HONOUR. 1914-1918
1ST SCOTS GUARDS.
3707 Sergt. SAMUEL RICHARDSON Died of wounds, Aisne, 14/9/14.
8543 Piper JAMES MACKENZIE Killed, Ypres, 31/10/14.
991 " ALEXANDER MARTIN,
D.C.M. Killed, 19/2/16.
" MALCOLM MACKENZIE Killed, 1914.
" A. CARMICHAEL Killed, 1915.
2ND SCOTS GUARDS.
Lance-Cpl. HECTOR M'KIMM Killed, Zonnebeke, 26/10/14.
8081 Piper CHARLES M'GUIRE Died of wounds, Ypres,
29/10/14.
1ST ROYAL SCOTS.
48594 Piper D. M'DONALD Died, Bulgaria, Oct. 1918.
2ND ROYAL SCOTS.
13459 Piper WILLIAM FISHER Killed, 15/4/16.
8516 " J. ROBERTSON Killed, Croix Barbes, 13/10/14.
8450 " JAMES DRUMMOND Killed, The Bluff, 23/1/16.
11484 " D. LINDSAY Killed, 4/5/17.
" A. M'KINLAY Killed, 9/4/18.
44118 " A. CRUICKSHANKS Killed, 27/9/18.
3190 " J. THOMPSON Died, 30/9/15
10536 " E. DUGUID Died of gas, 10/5/18.
4TH ROYAL SCOTS.
Pipe Major ANDREW BUCHAN Killed, Gallipoli, 28/6/15.
Piper CHARLES RUTHERFORD Died, dysentery, Gallipoli.
5TH ROYAL SCOTS.
1303 Piper GEORGE HARDIE Killed, Gallipoli, 2/5/15.
766 " ALEXANDER LAWSON Killed, Gallipoli, 28/4/15.
1824 " GEORGE W. DOWNIE Killed, Gallipoli, 7/5/15.
1235 Piper WILLIAM SINCLAIR Died of wounds, Gallipoli,
8/5/15.
8109 " DAVID ROSS Killed, July 1916.
Lieut. TOM BARTLEMAN (formerly Piper), Seaforth
Highlanders, killed, Sept.
1917.
6TH ROYAL SCOTS.
Piper MURDOCH BETHUNE Died of wounds, Somme, 2/7/16.
" THOMAS LEAKE Died of disease.
7TH ROYAL SCOTS.
Pipe Major JAMES GEAR Killed in railway accident.
Piper GEORGE SMEATON Killed in railway accident.
Piper ALEXANDER NICOL Killed in railway accident.
" FRED TURNER Killed, 12/7/15, Gallipoli.
251141 " PETER M'NEILL Killed, 6/11/17, Palestine.
9TH ROYAL SCOTS.
Lance-Cpl. A. L. FORSYTH, M.M. Killed, 23/4/17.
Corpl. G. LAUDER Killed, 23/5/17.
11TH ROYAL SCOTS.
Piper JOHN KANE Killed, 14/7/16.
12TH ROYAL SCOTS.
12991 Piper THOMAS HISLOP Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
200737 Lance-Cpl. PETER WEST Died of wounds.
13459 Piper WILLIAM FISHER Killed, 15/4/16.
13TH ROYAL SCOTS.
Pipe Major MURDOCH MACDONALD Died of disease, 9/2/16.
Piper THOMAS FLOOD Killed, 26/8/18.
" ROBERT CAMPBELL Died as prisoner of war, Sept.
1915.
" ROBERT MITCHELL Died of wounds, 26/8/18.
16TH ROYAL SCOTS.
Piper M. BETHUNE Killed, Somme, July 1916.
" H. GREY Killed, Arras, April 1917.
" A. NOON Killed, Arras, April 1917.
17TH ROYAL SCOTS.
Pipe Major DONALD M'LEAN Killed, 14/7/18 (Lieut. 1st
Gordons).
2ND ROYAL SCOTS FUSILIERS.
Corpl. A. W. RICHARDSON Killed.
Piper W. BUTTERWORTH Killed.
" W. M'LEAN Killed, Messines, 1917.
" W. MOORE Died after discharge.
4TH ROYAL SCOTS FUSILIERS.
Pipe Major N. SHAW Died of wounds, Palestine,
21/4/17.
Lance-Cpl. J. M'ALLISTER Killed, Gallipoli, 12/7/15.
Piper P. GREIG Killed, Gallipoli, 12/7/15.
" J. MILNER Killed, Gallipoli, 12/7/15.
5TH ROYAL SCOTS FUSILIERS.
7797 Lance-Cpl. JOHN MURDOCH Killed, 13/7/15.
1ST KING'S OWN SCOTTISH BORDERERS.
9884 Piper HIGGINSON Died of wounds, Gallipoli,
26/4/15.
11315 " MAITLAND Killed, Paschendaele, 27/4/17.
4TH KING'S OWN SCOTTISH BORDERERS.
778 Piper THOMAS LUNHAM Died of wounds.
779 " J. KERR Died of wounds.
306 " C. STREET
822 " ALEX. HENDRY
5TH KING'S OWN SCOTTISH BORDERERS.
308 Piper R. BROWN Killed, 12/7/15.
1760 " THOMAS MARTIN Killed, 12/7/15.
" JAMES GORMAN Killed.
6TH KING'S OWN SCOTTISH BORDERERS.
14851 Pipe Major ROBERT MACKENZIE Died of wounds, Loos, 25/9/15.
Lance-Cpl. J. LOMAS Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
Piper J. SIMES Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
" P. MOFFAT Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
" J. PRINGLE Killed, Somme, Oct. 1916.
7TH KING'S OWN SCOTTISH BORDERERS.
Piper J. TAYLOR Killed, Arras.
8TH KING'S OWN SCOTTISH BORDERERS.
14277 Lance-Cpl. A. M'VITTIE Killed, Arras.
Piper C. REID Killed, Somme, July 1916.
" G. SURRITON Killed, Arras.
1ST SCOTTISH RIFLES.
9429 Piper T. BEST
9441 " R. BLACK
10924 " P. ROBERTSON
2ND SCOTTISH RIFLES.
Pipe Major ALEX. CAMERON Killed, 10/2/15, Laventie.
Corpl. A. HORNE Killed, 31/7/17.
Corpl. JAMES CAMPBELL Killed, 16/5/15, La Bassée.
Piper A. MACDONALD Killed, 10/2/15, Laventie.
" FORSYTH Killed, July 15, Bois Grenier.
" CLARK Killed, 10/3/15, Neuve
Chapelle.
" LAUDER Died of wounds, March 1918.
5TH SCOTTISH RIFLES.
Pipe Major PATERSON Accidentally killed.
5/6TH SCOTTISH RIFLES.
201124 Pipe Major J. C. PURDIE Killed.
7TH SCOTTISH RIFLES.
1106 Piper ARCHIBALD RAMAGE Killed, 28/6/15, Dardanelles.
868 " ARCHIBALD SHEARER Killed, 23/7/15, Dardanelles.
1178 " WILLIAM DEANS Killed, June, 1915,
Dardanelles.
265958 " J. M'IVER Killed, 12/11/17, Palestine.
1817 " J. STRACHAN Killed, 4/11/17, Palestine.
8TH SCOTTISH RIFLES.
Pipe Major NEIL MACLEOD Killed, 12/7/15, Dardanelles.
Piper JOHN MACINTYRE Killed, 28/6/15, Dardanelles.
" JAMES FERGUSON Killed, 28/6/15, Dardanelles.
" JAMES M'INDOE Killed, 29/7/18, France.
" ROBERT WHITELAW Killed, 28/6/15.
9TH SCOTTISH RIFLES.
30503 Piper HUGH MACARA Killed, March 1917.
10TH SCOTTISH RIFLES.
Piper ROBERT BLACK Killed, 28/1/16.
" DUNCAN MACKENZIE Killed, 17/11/15.
" ALEX. HARRIS Killed, 27/1/16.
11TH SCOTTISH RIFLES.
14631 Piper ALEXANDER STEVENSON Killed, 28/4/17.
1ST BLACK WATCH.
9617 Pipe Major D. M'LEOD Killed, 21/8/16.
1956 Piper T. M'INTYRE Missing, 14/8/14.
2ND BLACK WATCH.
1871 Piper JAMES GALLOWAY Killed, 8/10/15, Givenchy.
9908 Lance-Cpl. JAMES WANN Died of wounds, 10/2/15, Neuve
Chapelle.
1449 Piper JAMES DAVIS Killed, 25/9/15, Mauquissart.
736 " DAVID SIMPSON Killed, 25/9/15, Mauquissart.
941 Lance-Cpl. PETER M'NEE Died of wounds, 25/9/15,
Mesopotamia.
Piper MACKAY Died of wounds, 10/3/15, Neuve
Chapelle.
" WILLIAM MATHIESON Killed, 25/9/15, Mauquissart.
1539 " ALEX. MACDONALD, Discharged; subsequently died,
D.C.M. 26/3/17.
5TH BLACK WATCH.
1568 Piper ALEXANDER HOWIE Killed, 10/3/15, Neuve
Chapelle.
406 Lance-Cpl. FRED REID Killed, 13/3/15, Neuve
Chapelle.
6TH BLACK WATCH.
Piper L. MASSIE Killed, Somme, Oct. 1916.
" DONALD GILLIES Died, July 1915.
" P. FALLON Killed, Festubert, May 1915.
" J. FERGUSON Killed, La Boiselle, Aug. 1916.
" J. HARPER Killed, Fremicourt, 23/12/17.
" A. TAINSH Killed, Fremicourt, 23/12/17.
" A. FORBES Killed, Fremicourt, 23/12/17.
" A. MYLES Killed, Fremicourt, 23/12/17.
" A. PATON Killed, June 1915.
7TH BLACK WATCH.
4470 Piper JAMES JOHNSTON Killed, 7/1/17, Somme.
Lance-Cpl. G. SWAN Killed, Dec. 1916, Somme.
Piper JAMES ROSS Killed, Dec. 1916, Somme.
" ALEXANDER WILKIE Killed, Dec. 1916, Somme.
8TH BLACK WATCH.
3014 Piper DONALD WILSON Killed, Loos, 1915.
265912 " R. MENZIES Killed, Meteren, July 1918.
3019 " D. SIMPSON Killed, Somme, 1916.
3375 " W. REILLY Killed, Loos, 1915.
9TH BLACK WATCH.
Piper J. JOHNSTONE Killed, March, 1918.
1ST HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY.
6894 Sergt. D. BUCHAN Killed, 20/11/14, Festubert.
9615 Piper C. STEWART Killed, 1/5/15, Ypres.
10107 " F. BURNS Killed, 20/11/14, Festubert.
9860 " THOMAS JAMES Killed, 20/11/14, Festubert.
9011 " J. MORRISON Killed, 20/11/14, Festubert.
11499 " J. M'NAUGHT Killed, 20/11/14, Festubert.
11470 " J. SMITH Killed, 7/9/16, Somme.
Lance-Cpl. MITCHELL Killed, 18/9/14, Vermeuil.
11468 Corpl. (acting Pipe Major) J. SMITH Died enteric, Mesopotamia.
2ND HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY.
10264 Sergt. T. FINDLAY Killed, 14/3/15, Neuve
Chapelle.
10976 Piper J. IRVING Killed, 3/11/14.
9272 Corpl. J. MACKENZIE Killed, 21/10/14.
4TH HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY.
Piper CHARLES STEWART Killed.
5TH HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY.
Pipe Major JOHN THOMSON Killed, 12/7/15, Dardanelles.
6TH HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY.
1237 Piper PETER M'NIVEN Killed, 12/7/15.
9TH HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY.
1666 Piper JOHN DRUMMOND Killed, 3/6/15, Vermelles.
333792 " T. CRAWFORD Died of wounds.
333138 " J. M'CREATH Died of wounds, Oct. 1918.
10TH HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY.
12562 Piper ALEX. WHITEFIELD Killed, 25/9/15, Cambrin.
902 Lance-Cpl. DAVID DONALDSON Killed, 9/7/15, Festubert.
17505 Piper PETER M'INTYRE Gassed, Cambrai; died, 8/11/18.
12TH HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY.
Piper WILLIAM THOMPSON Killed, Arras, 9/4/17.
" JOHN M'KEAN Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
Sergt. WILLIAM PIERCE Killed, Somme, Sept. 1916.
14TH HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY.
Piper PETER THOMSON Killed, 24/4/17.
15TH HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY.
353152 Piper D. M'KENZIE Killed, Ayette, 13/4/18.
16TH HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY.
15032 Lance-Cpl. WALTER ORR Killed, 1/7/16, Somme.
14699 Piper ARCHIBALD RANKIN Killed, 1/7/16, Thiepval.
17TH HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY.
Piper ARCHIBALD FORREST Died.
20TH HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY.
26650 Lance-Cpl. DEVLIN Killed, Ypres, 25/9/17.
30503 Piper HUGH MACARA Killed, March 1917.
1ST SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS.
Lance-Cpl. HEARNE Died of disease.
709 Piper J. WILKINSON Killed, France.
7900 " WILLIAM COWANS Killed, 7/11/14, "Port Arthur."
9291 " J. PRATT Died of wounds, 9/5/15, Neuve
Chapelle.
479 " D. BLACK Killed, 3/11/14, "Port Arthur."
788 " T. URQUHART Killed, 20/12/14, Givenchy.
9158 Actg. Pipe Major J. MACLELLAN Killed, 21/4/17, Mesopotamia.
10457 Lance-Sgt. STEWART Killed, 1917.
311 Lance-Cpl. D. CAMPBELL Killed, Mesopotamia, Oct. 1917.
529 Sergt. C. M'KAY Died of wounds, Baghdad, 1916.
" COOK Killed, Mesopotamia, 1916.
" SMITH Killed, France.
2ND SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS.
9106 Lance-Cpl. WILLIAM ROSS Killed, /6/15.
9223 Lance-Cpl. JOHN GRANT Killed, /10/14.
283 Lance-Cpl. DOUGAL MACMILLAN Died, /2/15.
Piper DAVID MACRAE Killed, /2/15.
" KENNETH MACKENZIE Killed, /5/15.
" ROBERT RENNIE Killed, /5/15.
" ALEX. CLARK Killed, /5/15.
9494 " JAMES RENNIE Killed, Loos, 3/10/15.
3 " ROBERT HALL Killed, 1/7/16.
9132 " N. JOHNSTONE Wounded, 25/4/15; killed,
26/1/17.
10456 Lance-Sgt. JAMES STEWART Killed, Somme, 1917.
4TH SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS.
24316 Piper DONALD M'KENZIE Prisoner; died of wounds, May
1918.
" J. KEMP Died of wounds, Neuve
Chapelle, 1915.
" A. M'AULAY Died of wounds, Valenciennes,
1918.
" J. M'KENZIE Died of wounds, Neuve
Chapelle, 1915.
" A. M'LENNAN Killed, Neuve Chapelle, 1915.
5TH SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS.
422 Lance-Cpl. G. ROSS Killed, 21/7/15, Fauquissart.
251 Piper R. ROSS Killed, 21/7/15, Fauquissart.
599 " DONALD M'KAY Killed, 13/11/16, Beaumont
Hamel.
6TH SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS.
Lieut. (formerly Piper) J. HECTOR ROSS Killed, 23/4/17.
Piper W. SUTHERLAND Roclincourt, 9/4/17.
Sergt. WILLIAM M'LEOD Killed, May 1916.
" C. D. MACDONALD Killed, 13/11/16, Beaumont
Hamel.
" H. MACKIE Killed, 13/11/16, Beaumont
Hamel.
" J. BROWN Killed, May 1917, Arras.
Piper J. ALEXANDER Killed, April 1918, La
Bassée.
" A. MACKAY Killed, 9/4/17,
Roclincourt.
" J. ROBERTSON Killed, July 1915.
7TH SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS.
40417 Lance-Cpl. O'KAIN M'LENNAN Died of wounds, 11/4/17.
1456 Piper D. FRASER Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
4181 " R. GALBRAITH Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
9070 " G. GRANT Died of wounds, 30/6/16.
2177 " B. HALLIDAY Died of wounds, at Loos.
3843 " K. THYNE Killed, Somme, 14/7/16.
4661 " B. HAMILTON Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
8TH SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS.
5721 Piper CHARLES ANDERSON Killed, 25/9/15, Loos.
6567 " GEORGE SPENCE Killed, 25/9/15, Loos.
6400 " WILLIAM MACKAY Killed, 25/9/15, Loos.
6546 Lance-Cpl. DUNCAN MACGREGOR Killed, 25/9/15, Loos.
Piper HUGH SUTHERLAND Died of disease, France.
" ANDREW CLARK Killed, 25/9/15, Loos.
9TH SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS.
267336 Piper JAMES SUTHERLAND Killed, 19/4/17.
240018 " ROBERT ROSS Killed, 11/4/18.
3964 " WILLIAM M'MAHON Killed.
23879 " WILLIAM DUNCAN Killed.
1ST GORDON HIGHLANDERS.
Piper FREDERICK PATERSON Killed, 26/8/14, Mons.
Lance-Cpl. W. M'FALL Killed, 24/10/14.
Piper W. HOWIE Killed, 24/10/14.
" A. M'KAY Died of wounds, /1/15.
" W. ALLAN Killed, 14/12/14.
" HECTOR ROSS Killed, /3/16.
2ND GORDON HIGHLANDERS.
430 Piper J. ROBERTSON Killed, Ypres, 30/10/14.
10655 " R. GRANT Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
10639 " J. GRANT Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
110 " R. WILSON Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
219 " W. BRUCE Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
10653 Corpl. J. M'KENZIE Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
205 Piper J. LEDINGHAM Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
10139 " J. RAMAGE Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
" D. WHITE Killed, Loos, 1915.
7383 " A. CASSIE Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
" P. BROWN Killed, Ypres, 5/10/17.
Piper J. BISSETT Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
10296 " W. SINCLAIR Died of wounds, Loos, 25/9/15.
7375 Corpl. A. SMITH Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
6853 Sergt. R. STEWART, D.C.M. Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
8390 Piper J. SCOTT Killed, Somme, 1916.
335 " J. M'CRIMMON Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
4TH GORDON HIGHLANDERS.
Piper A. THOMSON Killed while serving with
R.F.C.
5TH GORDON HIGHLANDERS.
1156 Piper WILLIAM GRAHAM Killed, 3/6/15, Festubert.
11586 " ALEXANDER WILLOX Killed, 31/7/16, High Wood.
" ANDREW BROWN, M.M. Killed, 31/7/16, High Wood.
6TH GORDON HIGHLANDERS.
62 Piper GEORGE MILTON Killed, 10/3/15, Neuve
Chapelle.
9TH GORDON HIGHLANDERS.
9023 Piper C. CAMPBELL Killed, Somme, 1916.
1ST CAMERON HIGHLANDERS.
6720 Sergt. G. SELBY Killed, 22/10/14.
5173 Piper H. BARRIE Killed, 5/11/14, Ypres.
8535 " GILBERT M'CALMAN Died of wounds, Feb. 1918.
9345 " L. M'BEAN Died of wounds, Arras, Aug.
1918.
2ND CAMERON HIGHLANDERS.
Piper JOHN MACASKIL Killed, Hill 60, April 1916.
" DONNACHIE Killed, 1915.
" JOHN M'CABE Died.
" THOMPSON Died, 1918.
" ARCHIBALD M'KENZIE Killed, Hill 60, April 1916.
" LACHLAN M'BEAN Died of wounds, St. Eloi,
10/5/15.
" WILLIAM STEWART Died, Salonika, 18/10/17.
4TH CAMERON HIGHLANDERS.
1120 Piper J. CHEYNE Killed, Festubert, 17/5/15.
645 Lance-Cpl. D. PATERSON Killed, Festubert, 17/5/15.
200120 Piper WILLIAM MACDONALD Died of wounds, 14/10/17.
5TH CAMERON HIGHLANDERS.
5497 Piper ALEX. MACEACHERN Died of wounds, Loos, 25/9/15.
5113 Lance-Cpl. A. J. M'DONALD Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
3931 Piper NEIL WILSON Killed, Loos, 27/9/15.
" JOHN MACLELLAN Killed, Sorel, 21/3/18.
" ALEXANDER CLUNIE Killed, Arras, 3/5/17.
" ARCHIBALD CRAWFORD Killed, Sorel, 21/3/18.
" JAMES PORTEOUS Killed, Oct. 1918.
6TH CAMERON HIGHLANDERS.
22461 Piper JAMES WALKER Killed, 26/4/17.
7TH CAMERON HIGHLANDERS.
Piper G. ALVES Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
" A. SMART Killed, Loos, 25/9/15.
Pipe Major KENNETH MACLEOD Died.
1ST ARGYLL AND SUTHERLAND HIGHLANDERS.
Piper WOODSIDE Killed, 16/2/15, St. Eloi.
570 " ROBERT KENNEDY Killed, 30/7/16, Somme.
2ND ARGYLL AND SUTHERLAND HIGHLANDERS.
567 Piper PETER M'LINTOCK Killed, Armentières, 27/11/15.
Lance-Cpl. MILNE Killed, Armentières, 27/11/15.
90 Piper M'KAY Killed, Armentières, 27/11/15.
8157 " L. PLANNER Killed, October 1918.
6TH ARGYLL AND SUTHERLAND HIGHLANDERS.
3037 Piper JAMES PRINGLE Killed, 18/6/15, Festubert.
3042 " JOHN M'ALLISTER Killed, 18/6/15, Festubert.
3162 " WILLIAM CARLYLE Killed, 16/6/15, Festubert.
1890 " JOHN CRAIG Killed, 27/7/16, Longueval.
7TH ARGYLL AND SUTHERLAND HIGHLANDERS.
277167 Piper HUGH M'DONALD Killed, Aug. 1917, Ypres.
8TH ARGYLL AND SUTHERLAND HIGHLANDERS.
Pipe Major WILLIAM LAWRIE Died, Nov. 1916.
9TH ARGYLL AND SUTHERLAND HIGHLANDERS.
324 Corpl. ALEX. M'ALLISTER Killed, 10/5/15, Ypres.
1711 Piper ALEX. RUSSELL Killed, 8/4/15.
10TH ARGYLL AND SUTHERLAND HIGHLANDERS.
Piper MACNEILL Killed, Oct. 1916, Longueval.
570 " R. KENNEDY Died of wounds, Longueval.
8051 " ALEX. KENNEDY Died of wounds, Ypres,
12/10/17.
302955 " WALTER NAPIER Killed, 12/10/17, Ypres.
11TH ARGYLL AND SUTHERLAND HIGHLANDERS.
Sergt. JAS. RITCHIE Killed, 26/9/15, Loos.
Piper JAS. BARNETT Killed, 26/9/15, Hill 70.
" F. M'DIARMAID Killed, July 1916, Somme.
" FERGUSON Died, Dec. 1916, Somme.
12TH ARGYLL AND SUTHERLAND HIGHLANDERS.
Corpl. W. STIRLING Killed, Oct. 1916.
6829 Piper JOHN M'COLL Died of disease, Salonika,
16/2/17.
5660 " D. ROBERTSON Killed, 8/5/17.
4927 " L. M'CON Killed, 8/5/17.
LONDON SCOTTISH.
Corpl. T. CAREY Killed, 1/11/14, Messines.
139 Lance-Cpl. H. LEATHAM Killed, 16/11/14, Zillebeke.
? 1341 Piper D. PARKYN Killed, 1/11/14, Messines.
" C. W. MACKAY Killed, 17/8/16, Somme (Lieut.
5th Camerons).
1870 " J. BINNIE Killed, 9/11/14, Zillebeke.
3509 " A. CORNELL Died of wounds, 2/10/16,
Somme.
Lieut. A. CAIRNS WILSON Killed, 1917; Military Medal.
(formerly Piper)
513657 Piper SIMON CAMPBELL Killed, 13/5/17, Arras.
510531 " A. B. PATON Killed, 13/5/17.
" WOODCOCK Killed.
1ST TYNESIDE SCOTTISH.
237 Lance-Cpl. GARNET FYFE Killed, 1/7/16, Somme.
223 Piper E. BOYCE Killed, 1/7/16, Somme.
1585 " WILLIAM FELLOWS Killed, 1/7/16, Somme.
154 " JAMES DOWNIE Killed, 1/7/16, Somme.
1485 " WILLIAM INGLIS Killed, 1/7/16, Somme.
2ND TYNESIDE SCOTTISH.
1230 Piper WILLIAM SCOTT Killed, 1/7/16, Somme.
1151 " JAMES PHILLIPS Killed, 1/7/16, Somme.
3RD TYNESIDE SCOTTISH.
Piper J. STEELE Killed, 1/7/16, Somme.
" E. FINLAY Killed, 1/7/16, Somme.
" T. WILSON Killed, 1/7/16, Somme.
" R. GREAVES Died of wounds, 1/7/16, Somme.
16TH MIDDLESEX.
1151 Piper THOMAS LATHAM Killed, 1/7/16, Somme.
Sergt. GEORGE KIRKLAND
(formerly Piper,
11th Middlesex) Killed, Ypres, 17/2/17.
1ST LIVERPOOL SCOTTISH.
Pipe Major JOHN STODDART Killed, Poperinghe, July 1916.
23RD ROYAL FUSILIERS (1ST SPORTSMAN'S BATT.).
Piper W. SUTTIE Killed, 16/3/16.
" WILLIAM MACKENZIE Killed, 16/3/16.
ARGYLL MOUNTAIN BATTERY.
Pipe Major WILLIAM MACNEILL Died, 18/8/15.
Corpl. NEIL SMITH Accidentally killed, 1/3/16.
ROSS AND CROMARTY BATTERY.
4403 Gunner JOHN MACDONALD Died of wounds, 14/5/15.
OVERSEAS BATTALIONS
PRINCESS PATRICIA'S CANADIAN LIGHT INFANTRY.
265 Piper J. M. ROBERTSON,
D.C.M. Died of wounds, 25/3/15.
Sergt. JOHN M'DONALD, D.C.M. Died of wounds, 17/9/16.
ROYAL HIGHLANDERS OF CANADA, 13TH BATTALION.
24013 Piper A. J. MACDONALD Died of wounds, 16/3/15,
Fleurbaix.
24012 " W. LAWSON Died of wounds, 16/3/15,
Fleurbaix.
24392 " H. ROBERTSON Killed, 2/5/15, Ypres.
24704 " N. MACDONALD Killed, 24/4/15, Ypres.
48TH HIGHLANDERS OF CANADA, 15TH BATTALION.
27548 Corpl. J. THOMPSON Died.
CANADIAN SCOTTISH, 16TH BATTALION.
28694 Piper JAMES THOMSON Died of wounds, 23/4/15, Ypres.
28779 " WILLIAM M'IVOR Died of wounds, 10/5/15, Ypres.
28595 " GEORGE BIRNIE Killed, 20/5/15, Festubert.
29468 " ANGUS MORRISON Killed, 20/5/15, Festubert.
28930 " JAMES RICHARDSON, V.C. Killed, 8/10/16, Somme.
28561 " JOHN PARKS Killed, 8/10/16, Somme.
28557 " ALEC M'GILLIVRAY Killed, 15/8/17, Paschendaele.
429803 " GEORGE PAUL Killed, 8/8/18, Amiens.
21ST CANADIANS (EASTERN ONTARIO REGIMENT).
Pipe Major IAN MACKENZIE Killed, Cambrai, 11/10/18.
25TH CANADIANS.
Piper E. STEWART Killed, 9/4/18.
29TH CANADIANS (VANCOUVER REGIMENT).
75599 Piper W. GRANT Killed, 6/11/17.
76126 " W. BURNSIDE Killed, 6/11/17.
76484 " J. R. DAVIDSON Killed, 6/11/17.
1ST CANADIAN PIONEERS.
154184 Piper JOHN GRANT Killed, 13/6/16.
42ND AUSTRALIANS.
Piper M. H. FRASER Killed.
5TH VICTORIAN INFANTRY.
32 Corpl. GORDON INGLIS Died of wounds, 24/1/16,
Gallipoli.
SOUTH AFRICAN SCOTTISH.
Lieut. (formerly Pipe Major)
ROBERT THORBURN Killed, 20/7/16,
Somme.
Piper THOMAS SCOTT Killed, Arras,
9/4/17.
NEW ZEALANDERS (OTAGO REGIMENT).
8/2519 Corpl. Piper NEIL MACDONALD Killed, 15/7/16, Somme.
"So he passed over. And all the trumpets sounded for him on
the other side."
CANNTAIREACHD
BY MAJOR J. P. GRANT, M.C., YR. OF ROTHIEMURCHUS
It is related[14] by Sir John Graham Dalyell how in 1818, one John
Campbell from Nether Lorn, brought "a folio in MS., said to contain
numerous compositions," for the inspection of the judges at the
annual piping competition held in Edinburgh under the auspices of
the Highland Society: the story goes on, "but the contents merely
resembling a written narrative in an unknown language, nor bearing
any resemblance to Gaelic, they proved utterly unintelligible. Amidst
many conjectures relative both to the subject and the language,
nobody adventured so far as to guess at either airs or pibrochs."
It is believed that this is the earliest authentic reference to the
pipers notation known as Canntaireachd, and it is of interest to note
that even as early as 1818,[15] among the class of Highland gentlemen
who acted as judges at the biggest competition in the country, the
very existence of the notation was unknown. Sir John mentions also
that he made later attempts to acquire this MS. volume and to trace
two others in the possession of John Campbell's father: his attempts
were unsuccessful.
In 1828 Captain Macleod of Gesto published some pipe tunes in
Canntaireachd as taught by the MacCrimmons in Skye. The merits of
this publication have been made the subject of controversy among
pipers and others; this controversy has no place in this paper. The
late John Campbell (Iain Ileach) of _Tales of the West Highlands_,
wrote a monograph on Canntaireachd in 1880, in which he reviewed
Gesto's book: the monograph, interesting as it is and written in Iain
Ileach's easy flowing style is extraordinarily disappointing. In
spite of his comprehensive knowledge of folk-lore--more particularly
of Gaelic folk-lore--he fails to indicate any probable source of this
notation--probably no one in Europe was, or is better fitted to make
conjectures on the point. However, he made two statements of interest
in the late history of the notation, (1) that he had "often seen
my nurse John Piper reading and practising music from an old paper
manuscript, and silently fingering tunes. I have tried to recover
this writing, but hitherto in vain," and (2) that there were three
local varieties of the notation (_a_) MacCrimmon (_b_) MacArthur,
and (_c_) Campbell of Nether Lorn. Now "John Piper" was this same
John Campbell of the family of Nether Lorn, which possessed three MS.
volumes of Canntaireachd.
Among the older-fashioned pipers in Scotland, even just before the
war, one constantly heard syllables (hodroho, hiodro, etc., etc.)
being used, generally at haphazard, seldom in their correct place.
The astounding thing is that even fragments of a notation, the system
of which had been out of use for so long, should have survived to
this day.
About 1912 two of the Nether Lorn MS. books were rediscovered, and
from them it has not been hard to reconstruct the system of notation.
Those tunes with recognisably the same names as we know them by
to-day, furnished the first step in the problem: after that it became
easy to identify other tunes with different names, and finally to
rediscover a number of tunes which have been lost for an undetermined
period.
One word of caution will be necessary to certain pipers before
going further into this subject. This notation, invented for and
suitable only to piobaireachd, is not going to teach pipers how to
_play_ piobaireachd. There is and always has been, one way and only
one way to do that--to get instruction from a master; once that is
accomplished, a pupil may be fit to learn more tunes by himself from
books written in any intelligible notation. This I take to be true of
any musicians and any music.
The piobaireachd pupil might well get his instruction through the
medium of canntaireachd, for it has been made solely for this music,
and is in point of fact very suitable for the purpose. To begin with,
if the few master-instructors of piobaireachd will take the trouble
(and assuredly it will not be great to them) to become familiar
with canntaireachd, and to use it as a medium of instruction, it
is a matter of certainty that they will realise its use for this
end--for instead of a perplexing maze of notes and grace-notes in
staff notation to correspond to any movement which they are trying to
teach their pupil, they will have pronounceable vocables which will
act as _memoria technica_ to the pupil: the pupil will, at first,
learn these parrot style, until he gets to a certain length, when,
unaided, he will begin to see that these vocables he has learnt
convey a definite meaning--a definite combination of note and grace
note, in a form which can be crooned to the air. I have found that
for the purposes of learning new tunes, staff notation compared with
canntaireachd is cumbrous and misleading: and even when written in an
abbreviated form (as in General Thomason's great book, _Ceol Mor_) it
appeals mainly to the eye, while canntaireachd appeals to the ear.
For some years now I have found it invaluable as a kind of musical
shorthand, and with a certain amount of practice it becomes possible
to write down a tune in canntaireachd while it is being played,
and then to learn it at leisure. I had the triumph of converting a
brother piper a few years ago. He was inclined to be sceptical about
the whole system, so to test me and it he played me a tune which I
had never heard and I wrote it down as he played it. After he had
finished he said, "Now we shall see what is in it, for I made two
mistakes: play what you have got and we shall see." I played on the
practice chanter just what I had written, with the mistakes, of
course, included.
Again, when one is judging piobaireachd competitions, it is valuable
as shorthand to jot down notes of mistakes, etc.
Before coming to the notation itself, it should be explained that it
is not maintained for a moment that this variety (the Nether Lorn)
is superior in any way to the MacCrimmon or MacArthur varieties. It
is merely given and suggested for use, because it is this variety
which has become once more available to pipers at large. There are
people who undoubtedly can do the same for the MacCrimmon variety
also, and it is sincerely hoped that they will do so. That all three
varieties are first cousins to each other is beyond doubt to any one
who compares them; perhaps at a later date, when more knowledge of
canntaireachd becomes available, it may be possible to point to one
as the original, or to find a common ancestor to all.
Coming now to the actual notation, the following paragraphs should
be read, subject to this note that the pronunciation of the vocables
must be largely a matter of conjecture, but it is reasonable to
suppose that, as they were written in the manuscript and used by
Gaelic-speaking pipers,[16] the pronunciation should have at least
some reference to Gaelic pronunciation--thus the vowels, when
occurring as the last letter of the syllable, would be pronounced
'a' as in English h_a_rd
'e' " h_ay_
'i' " h_ee_d
'o' " h_o_me
and probably the consonants should be given their Gaelic equivalents
also (all which can best be obtained verbally from a Gaelic speaker).
In addition to the simple vowels, combinations occur which require to
be sounded as diphthongs:
'io' } as in English _yo_ke, _e.g._ hioeo
'eo' }
'ea' " _ya_rd, _e.g._ haea.
KEY TO NETHER LORN CANNTAIREACHD.
Key to columns:
A = Scale with high G grace note.
B = Scale with D grace note.
C = Scale with E grace note.
D = Scale with no grace notes.
E = Siubhal.
F = Siubhal Sleamhuinn.
G = Leumluath to E.
H = Taorluath to low A.
I = Tripling or Taorluath Breabach.
J = Crunluath.
+------+---+---+---+------+-------+-------+--------+--------+---------+
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J |
+------+---+---+---+------+-------+-------+--------+--------+---------+
low|him |dam|em |em |himen |himem |himbare|himdarid|himbabem|himbandre|
G | |or | | | | | | | | |
| |bam| | | | | | | | |
+------+---+---+---+------+-------+-------+--------+--------+---------+
low|hin |dan|en |en |hinen |hinen |hinbare|hindarid|hindaen |hinbandre|
A | | | | | | | | | | |
+------+---+---+---+------+-------+-------+--------+--------+---------+
B |hio |to |eo |o |hioen |hioeo |hiobare|hiodarid|hiotoeo |hiobandre|
+------+---+---+---+------+-------+-------+--------+--------+---------+
C |ho |do |eo |o |hoen |hoeo |hobare |hodarid |hodoeo |hobandre |
+------+---+---+---+------+-------+-------+--------+--------+---------+
D |ha | |ea |a |haen |haea |habare |hadarid | |habandre |
| | | |or | | |or | | |or |
| | | |da | | |harodde| | |haroddre |
+------+---+---+---+------+-------+-------+--------+--------+---------+
E |che | | |e |chehin|cheche |chebare|chedarid| |chebandre|
| | | |or | | | | | | |
| | | |de | | | | | | |
+------+---+---+---+------+-------+-------+--------+--------+---------+
F |he | | |ve |hehin |hehe |hebare |hedarid | |hebandre |
| | | |or | | | | | | |
| | | |dhe| | | | | | |
+------+---+---+---+------+-------+-------+--------+--------+---------+
G |hi or | | |di |hihin |hihi |hibare |hidarid | |hibandre |
|chi | | | | | | | | | |
|(high | | | | | | | | | |
|Ag-n.)| | | | | | | | | |
+------+---+---+---+------+-------+-------+--------+--------+---------+
A | | | |I |Ien |no |Ibare |Idarid | |Ibandre |
| | | | | |example| | | | |
+------+---+---+---+------+-------+-------+--------+--------+---------+
The nomenclature of most of the different movements has for
convenience been taken from the Piobaireachd exercises in Logan's
Tutor, price 1s., and the examples here given refer to the staff
notation examples given there and should be compared with them.
PIOBAIREACHD EXERCISES
(_Cf._ Logan's Tutor.)
1st Scale of Instructions, pp. 34 and 35. On the _Urlar_.
Chedari, hiriri, herere, cherede, hiharara, hihodro, hihorodo,
hiharin. (See _Cadences_, p. 185.)
2nd Scale of Instructions.
Enbari (should be embari, _i.e._ from low G), end[(are], endre
(note: if this shake on F or E is approached from a higher note
the vocables become ved[(are] and edre respectively; thus one
gets Ived[(are], but hiod[(are], heedre but hiodre) tradarodo
(tra being the usual throw on D, _e.g._ hiotra), p. 36,
hihor[(od]in, hodr[(od]in, hiotrodin.
3rd Scale of Instructions. On _Crunluath_.
Hinban or hinbain, dre--together hinbandre, Ibandre.
4th Scale, p. 37. On _Crunluath Breabach_.
Hinbandreendi.
IbandreenI hibandreendi, hibandreendhe chebandreende,
habandreenda hobandreendo, hiobandreemto hinbandreendan.
5th Scale. On _Crunluath Fosgailte_.
Hindodre.
No examples of open: closed, himdandre hintodre, hindodre
hindadre, twice over.
6th Scale. On _Crunluath Mach_.
Hiotradre hodrodre, hiotrodre himbamdre, twice over.
7th Scale. The _Exercise on Accidentals_.
IbarI dibari (no example known), vebarhe edre, adeda odro, otro
enban or enbain, twice over.
CHA TILL MACCRUIMEIN
1st. Dreve hiove, cheve cheento, dreve hiove, cheve cheemto,
dreve hioe, trae haento,
2nd. Dreve hiove, cheve cheemto, dreve hioe, trae haemto, dreve
hioe, trae haento,
3rd. Dreve hiove, cheve cheemto, dreve hioe, trae haento.
Var. 1st.
1st. DreI ove, cheI deento, dreI ove, cheI deemto, dreI oe, traI
aento, etc.
Var. 2nd.
1st. Cheve hiove, cheve cheento, cheve hiove, cheve cheemto,
cheve hioe, trae haento, etc.
Doubling of Var. 2nd.
1st. Chea cheo, cheve cheento, chea cheo, cheve cheemto, chea
cheo, trae haento, etc.
_Various Vocables not previously included._
Throw on high A dili.
Taorluath to low G hiodarem, chedarem, etc.
Low A with low G grace-note before -din (_e.g._ hiodin).
D or C followed by B grace-note on
low G grace-note followed by A
with low G grace-note before har[(od]in or hor[(od]in.
Taorluath mach hiotroeo, hodroeo, hiotraea.
Crunluath to low G. hiobamdre, or hiobaemdre
or (on D) haromdre.
_Cadences_
By cadences I mean those notes often printed as grace-notes, GED,
followed by C, B, low A, or low G melody notes, and GE followed
by D, low A, or low G melody notes. The prefix 'hi' is in general
terms used for this, _e.g._ hiharin, hihorodin. Taking them in
above order, examples of the vocables used are, of the former,
hihodin, hihioem, hihinbain, and hihambam, and of the latter hiaen,
hienem, hiemto. It is one of the remarkable points in the MS. that
these cadences are indicated to a far less extent than is played
by traditional players of modern times, and I am as yet unable to
make any deductions from the manner in which they appear as to the
style in which the MS. intends them to be played. To avoid confusion
between 'hi' as cadence and high G with A grace-note, it would be
better to use the alternative 'chi' for the latter.
_General_
A study of the key will reveal various noticeable points, some
of which I will touch on here. It will be seen that some of the
composite vocables can be pulled to pieces into their component
parts, _e.g._, hiotroeo, hinbandre, etc., while others can only be
dissected to a lesser extent, _e.g._, hindaen in the Tripling or
Taorluath Breabach; in this latter case the vocable must be read in
its context, for hindaento might be ^{G}low A, D, low A, ^{D}B, while
standing by itself, but in conjunction with a string of others it
is undoubtedly meant to be the Taorluath Breabach. Again there is
liable to be confusion between 'en' low A without any and with an E
grace-note, and in some few cases it is impossible to say definitely
which is meant: on the other hand it is used in the siubhal
variation, and there can be no doubt in such a context: hinen by
itself is unambiguous, and in various combinations, _e.g._, hiaendre,
it is highly probable that no E grace-note is intended. The question
of the eo and o, B or C, is a little more difficult in theory, but
in practice it will be found to narrow down to one or two instances;
the most common instance of this ambiguity is odro, which may be
either B grip C, or C grip C. It seems likely that this confusion is
the origin of this difference in existing settings of various tunes,
_e.g._, An Daorach Mhor (The Big Spree) Var. 1st and doubling, The
Battle of Auldearn, The Carles of Sligachin and many others. Campbell
often writes 'ho' for 'o,' obviously not intending a G grace-note,
but to avoid this ambiguity.
Time signature and rhythm are, I think, sufficiently shown to enable
a trained player to find no difficulty in playing; bar divisions are
indicated by commas, and each part of each tune is divided into lines
numbered 1st, 2nd, etc.: and a repeat is written at the end of the
line to be repeated, thus: Two times or twice over. '3 times,' etc.,
is often used in the MS. to refer back only to the last comma, not
to the beginning of the line. The smaller details of time, which I
will call "pointing," is a matter of greater doubt. I have said above
why I think Gaelic standards should be applied to the pronunciation
of the vocables, and my opinion is that the same applies to this
question in general terms: it can be said that as a rule the vocables
are separated into distinct words, the accent or stress (and in this
case the longer note) being represented as the first syllable of the
word (an almost invariable rule in Gaelic). Thus one gets hodarid
hiodarid--not daridho daridhio darid. Many exceptions can be pointed
out no doubt, but the above will serve as a broad rule.
It should be made clear to any reader of this paper that it has been
written in haste. Most of it is written from memory after four and
three-quarter years separation from MSS., books and notes, and I have
no doubt that mistakes will be discovered later. Further, it does not
profess to be complete, for there are some vocables not included, the
meaning of which is not yet clear to me.
The two volumes of the MS. contain 169 tunes of which I can trace in
no other collection, printed or MS., 65 tunes: moreover, many tunes
which exist already in printed collections are written in entirely
different settings, and under different names from those known by
present day players. To illustrate this I have included at the end
of this paper the MS. style of An Ceapadh Eucorach (translated
as the "Unjust Incarceration"). This setting, apart from smaller
differences, contains one line in each part which, so far as my
knowledge goes, is unknown to-day, and which in my opinion is an
essential part of the theme, leading the 3rd line up to the musical
climax of the ordinarily accepted 4th line.[17] The names of the
tunes as written in the Index or as headings in the MS. present a
very difficult problem. Some are in English; some are in recognisable
Gaelic; some are in unrecognisable Gaelic, some give the first few
notes of the tune, and some are ludicrous mistranslations of Gaelic
into English. Only approximately 42 out of the total have anything
like the names by which the tunes are known to-day.
It is to be hoped that some day soon the whole MS. will be printed,
so that enthusiasts who have the time may really get to work and
unravel some of the conundrums which still remain so. I have a
feeling that the vocables used in so many Gaelic songs are distantly
related to canntaireachd, and research into this might conceivably
throw light on the larger question of the origin of canntaireachd.
It would also be interesting to know of any examples of similar
notations in foreign countries. But the main thing to be done by all
pipers at the present day is to make real attempts to discover other
canntaireachd manuscripts: and the ideal should be that all MSS. now
known to exist or discovered at a later date should be made available
for comparison and information of other players; this is best done
by publication in as near the original form as possible, and failing
that by loan or gift to some responsible piping society, such as the
Scottish Pipers Society, The Piobaireachd Society, the Caledonian
Pipers Society, London, The Inverness Pipers Society, The Highland
Pipers Society, Edinburgh, or any other well-known society. This
would ensure that the information would get into the hands of those
who can most easily disseminate it.
AN CEAPADH EUCORACH
(From the Campbell MS. vol. i. p. 1.)
1st called _Kepper Eggarich_.
Hiharin hioen[18], hodrooen, himen hoen, hiotroenem, hihodrooen,
hiotroenem hihodroen hioem hiharinen
2nd Hiharin hioen hodrooen, himotrao hoen, hiotroenem, hihodrooen
hiotroenem, hihodroen, hioem hiharinen
3rd Hihodrotra, cheredea hoen, hadrea hoen, hihorodoenem,
hihodrotra, cherededea[19] hihodroen hioem, hiharinen
4th Hihararache, hived[(are]ve[20] cheho, haem, barivecheho,
hiharara[21]hohic, hihodrotraem, barived[(are]vechea,[20]
hihodroen, hioem, hiharinen
5th Chedari Ie, hiririeha diliedrehia, cheredeaho himbarihia,
cheho, hadre himbaria, chedaria, hioem hiharinen.
_The First Motion_
1st Hinen hinen hioen, hoen, hoen, hinen, himen, hinen, hoen,
hioen, hioen, himen, hoen hoen hinen hioen, hioen, himen hoen
hoen hioem, hinen hinen hinen.
2nd Hinen hinen hioen hihoen[22] hoen hinen himen haen hoen,
hioen hioen, himen hoen hoen hinen hioen hioen himen hoen hoen
hioem, hinen three times.
3rd Hoen hoen haem, chehin chehin, hoen haem, chehin hoen hioen
hioen, himen hoen hoen haem, chehin chehin chehin hoen hoen
hioem, hinen three times.
4th Haen haem, chehin hien hien chehin haem hien chehin haen haen
hioem, hoen hoen haem hien hien chehin hoen hoen hioem, hinen
three times.
5th Chehin hien, dilien hien hien, haen dilien, chehin hien,
chehin chehin, hoen hien hien, chehin haem, chehin hien, chehin
hien, hioem, hinen three times.
_The 2nd Motion, called Tolive_
1st Hindarid hindarid hiodarid hodarid hodarid hindarid himdarid
hindarid hodarid hiodarid hiodarid himdarid hodarid hodarid
hindarid hiodarid hiodarid himdarid hodarid hodarid hiodarem,
hindarid three times.
2nd Hindarid hindarid hiodarid hodarid hodarid hindarid himdarid
hadarid hodarid hiodarid hiodarid himdarid hodarid hodarid
hindarid hiodarid hiodarid himdarid hodarid hodarid hiodarem
hindarid three times.
3rd Hodarid hodarid hadarem, chedarid chedarid, hodarid hadarem,
chedarid hodarid, hiodarid hiodarid, himdarid hodarid hodarid,
hadarem, chedarid three times, hodarid hodarid, hiodarem hindarid
three times.
4th Hadarid hadarem, chedarid hidarid hidarid chedarid hadarem
hidarid, chedarid hadarid hadarid hiodarem, hodarid hodarid
hadarem hidarid hidarid chedarid hodarid hodarid hiodarem,
hindarid three times.
5th Chedarid hidarid Idarid hidarid hidarid hadarid Idarid
chedarid hidarid chedarid chedarid hodarid hidarid hidarid
chedarid hadrem,[23] chedarid hidarid chedarid hidarid hiodarem,
hindarid three times.
_Part 3rd, Crolive_
1st Hinbandre hinbandre, hiobandre hobandre hobandre hinbandre
himbandre hinbandre hobandre hiobandre hiobandre himbandre
hobandre hobandre hinbandre hiobandre hiobandre himbandre
hobandre hobandre hiobaemdre hinbandre hinbandre hinbandre
hinbandre.
2nd Hinbandre hinbandre hiobandre hobandre hobandre hinbandre
himbandre habandre hobandre hiobandre hiobandre himbandre
hobandre hobandre hinbandre hiobandre hiobandre himbandre
hobandre hobandre hiobaemdre, hinbandre hinbandre hinbandre.
3rd Hobandre hobandre habamdre chebandre chebandre hobandre
habamdre chebandre hobandre hiobandre hiobandre himbandre
hobandre hobandre habaemdre, chebandre three times, hobandre
hobandre hiobamdre hinbandre hinbandre hinbandre.
4th Habandre habaemdre chebandre hibandre hibandre chebandre
habaemdre hibandre chebandre habandre habandre hiobaemdre
hobandre hobandre habaemdre hibandre hibandre chebandre hobandre
hobandre hiobaemdre, hinbandre three times.
5th Chebandre hibandre Ibandre hibandre hibandre habandre Ibandre
chebandre hibandre chebandre chebandre hobandre hibandre hibandre
chebandre habaemdre chebandre hibandre chebandre hibandre
hiobaemdre hinbandre three times.
THE IRISH PIPES:
THEIR HISTORY, DEVELOPMENT, AND DIVERGENCE FROM THE SIMPLE HIGHLAND
TYPE
By W. H. GRATTAN FLOOD, Mus.D., K.S.G.
There is ample evidence that the bagpipe was used in pre-Christian
Ireland, whence it was brought to Scotland. It is referred to in
the Brehon Laws of the fifth century. Irish writers allude to it
as _Cuisle_ and as _Piob mor_--and this is the warlike instrument
which was adopted by our Scottish brethren and became the national
instrument of Scotland.
During the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries Irish pipers
accompanied the Irish troops that fought in Gascony and Flanders
under King Edward I. Strange, too, that Irish pipers were heard, in
opposition to the Scots, at the battle of Falkirk (July 22, 1298),
and it is surmised that the strident tones of the Irish _piob mor_
suggested to the Scotch the employment of this warlike instrument
in battle. At Creçy (August 26, 1346) the Irish pipes were also
in evidence, and again at Harfleur (1418) and at Rouen (1419).
Incidentally, it may be stated that there is no sound historical
evidence for the Scotch bagpipes in battle at Harlaw (1411), but it
would appear that they were employed at the battle of Inverlochy
(1431). Irish pipers were heard to advantage in Henry VIII.'s
Tournay campaign (1513) and also at the siege of Boulogne (1544).
This association of Irish pipers leading the charge is strikingly
pourtrayed in the _Mask of Irishmen_ played before Queen Mary at
the English Court, on April 25, 1557, in which there were six Irish
_Kerne_ and two _Bagpipers_.
Here is Stanihurst's description of the Irish _piob mor_, in 1575:
"The Irish, likewise, instead of the trumpet, make use of a wooden
pipe of the most ingenious structure, to which is joined a leather
bag, very closely bound with bands. A pipe is inserted in the side
of this skin, through which the piper, with his swollen neck and
puffed-up cheeks, _blows in the same manner as we do through a tube_.
The skin, being thus filled with air, begins to swell, and the player
presses against it with his arm; thus a loud and shrill sound is
produced through two wooden pipes of different lengths. In addition
to these, there is yet a fourth pipe (the chanter), perforated in
different places (having five or six holes), which the player so
regulates by the dexterity of his fingers in the shutting and opening
of the holes, that he can cause the upper pipes to send forth either
a loud or a low sound at pleasure."
A few years after Stanihurst presented this description of the Irish
_piob mor_, a new development of this instrument came into vogue,
that is, about the year 1580, and almost immediately came into
favour. This development was the Irish _Uilleann_ (elbow) pipes, or
domestic pipes, in which the wind was supplied by a bag blown by the
elbow. Shakespearian commentators have been puzzled over the term
"woollen" pipes in the _Merchant of Venice_ (Act iv. Sc. 1); but the
great bard of Avon, who derived much information regarding Ireland
from Stanihurst and Dowland (if he did not actually visit Ireland at
the close of the sixteenth century), used the Irish term _Uilleann_,
equating it with "woollen"--a corruption which subsequently blossomed
forth as "Union pipes." All during the seventeenth century the
_Uilleann_ pipes became immensely popular, and were used as an
accompaniment for dancing, especially the _Rinnce Fada_ (The Long
Dance), the qualifying word _Fada_ becoming Anglicised as "the
Fading," also alluded to by Shakespeare (_Winter's Tale_, Act iv.
Sc. 3). Subsequently keys or regulators were added, a feature that
we also find in the _Surdelina_, or Neapolitan bagpipe, in 1625,
as described by Père Mersenne. It is of interest to note that the
great English composer, William Byrd, _circâ_ 1590, wrote a piece of
programme music called "Mr. Byrd's Battle," in which there are three
movements; the _Irish March_, the _Bagpipe_, and the _Drone_. Thus
the Irish bagpipe furnished the musical form known as "pedal point"
or "drone bass."
When the Regiment of Irish Guards was formed in 1662, provision was
made for a drum major, twenty-four drummers, and a piper to the
King's Company. At the siege of Derry in 1689, the Jacobite regiments
had each fourteen pipers and eighty-six drums.
Further improvements in the _Uilleann_ pipes were effected between
the years 1700 and 1720, and, in consequence, they were taken up by
musical amateurs or "gentlemen pipers," of whom Larry Grogan, Parson
Sterling, and Walter Jackson were famous.
The Irish _piob mor_ was heard at the battle of Fontenoy (May 11,
1745), on which occasion the pipers played "St. Patrick's Day in the
Morning," and "The White Cockade"--two characteristic Irish airs.
Irish pipers were also heard during the American War of Independence,
and, in 1778, Barney Thompson, from Hillsborough, Co. Down, was pipe
major of Lord Rawdon's "Volunteers of Ireland," which corps merged
into the 100th Regiment in 1780.
The revival of the Irish bagpipes in Irish regiments is due to Major
Doyle, in September, 1793. A few months previously, on May 23, his
brother, Colonel Doyle, in command of the 14th Regiment, found the
fortunes of the day at the siege of Famara going against the British
troops, when, by a happy inspiration, he ordered his band to play
up the French revolutionary march of "Ça Ira," and shouted to his
troops: "Come on, boys, and we'll beat 'em to their own damned tune."
As a result, Doyle's regiment successfully routed the French, to
the strains of "Ça Ira," which has ever since been the quick-step
of the West Yorkshire Regiment (the old 14th). The Colonel wrote to
his brother the Major, who was M.P. for Mullingar, telling him of
the advantage of a good band, and, as at that very time (August)
Major Doyle had been commissioned by King George III. to form a new
Irish regiment, originally called "Major Doyle's Legion," the Major
recruited a gallant body of his countrymen, known as "The Prince of
Wales' Royal Irish Regiment"--with a band of Irish pipers.
Not long afterwards, in October 1793, Colonel de Burgh (brother of
the Marquis of Clanrickarde) formed the "Royal Connaught Rangers,"
with a fine band of pipers and drummers. The Wexford Regiment (the
38th), commanded by Lord Loftus, had also a pipe band ere the close
of the year 1794 or early in 1795. Several years later there were
pipers attached to the Tyrones (4th Inniskilling Fusiliers).
However, after the year 1815, the vogue of a pipe band in Irish
regiments waned, and it was not till 1903 that the Queen's County
Militia--the 4th Battalion of the P.O.W. Leinster Regiment--again
took up the war pipes, thanks to the enthusiasm and generosity of
their commander, Lieut.-Col. Lord Castletown, K.P.
To the Tyrone Fusiliers, a link battalion of the 27th Royal
Inniskilling Fusiliers, is due the revival of the Irish _Piob mor_ in
1859. Some years later, Colonel Cox, commanding the 87th Royal Irish
Fusiliers, supplied eight sets of war pipes, as well as two drums, to
eight Irish pipers in his regiment. More recently, the 4th Battalion
of the Leinster Regiment (late Queen's County Militia) formed a pipe
band under the direction of their gallant Colonel, my dear friend,
Lord Castletown of Upper Ossory, K.P., who presented the pipes, in
1903. Since then all five battalions of this regiment have pipe
bands, mainly through the enthusiastic zeal of Captain Orpen Palmer
who published an excellent little book for the war pipes in 1913.
Other Irish regiments having pipe bands are the 2nd Battalion of the
Dublin Fusiliers and the 3rd Battalion of the 18th Royal Irish.
In conclusion it may be briefly said that the Irish war pipe of
to-day is the same as the Scottish or Highland war pipe. On the other
hand, the Irish _Uilleann_ pipes may be regarded as a miniature
organ. The old war pipe is only capable of eight notes with certain
limitations, whereas the _Uilleann_ pipes are of two full octaves,
including chromatic intervals, and are thus capable of performing
most classes of music, added to which the four keys of the regulator
on the chanter make for a wonderful effect.
THE TUITION OF YOUNG REGIMENTAL PIPERS
By JOHN GRANT, Pipe Major
There is an establishment for the training of bandsmen at Kneller
Hall, Twickenham, known as "The Royal Military School of Music,"
where regular soldiers are trained in a very efficient manner both
in theory and practice, for brass bands. Each pupil remains for a
considerable period, extending from one to three years, and not
only do they become good performers on the various instruments,
but they qualify for the rank of bandmaster in any regiment. A
bandmaster holds the rank of a warrant officer, and, in some cases, a
commissioned officer.
Some months ago a colonial soldier asked the question in a Highland
newspaper why the pipe major in a Highland regiment did not also
hold the rank of a warrant officer. In fact pipe major is only an
honorary rank. In reality he is only "sergeant piper." It would be
very interesting to know the difference between the person in charge
of the one band and the other. When the regiment is on the march the
one band leads the men as well as the other. In fact many prefer a
pipe band to a brass band on a long route march. In a pipe band the
pipe major has to train his pipers efficiently in the performance of
their music just the same as the bandmaster of a brass band, and why
should a pipe major not be raised to the rank of a warrant officer
along with his brother bandmaster? True it is that in a brass band
there are many instruments for the bandmaster to teach and bring in
in their proper places, in order to have a perfect band. But then the
pipe major has the same task in front of him in training a perfect
pipe band. In fact--if I may be allowed the analogy--in the case of a
brass band a bandmaster might have many glaring errors and flaws in
instrumentation and harmony in his band, and this is passed over by
the average listener but detected by the expert conductor. The brass
band, from its construction, has more scope for covering errors than
the pipe band.
The regimental pipe band is so constructed that each performer must
play in perfect unison, with pipes all timed in unison, and every
finger should be lifted and laid down together, a thing which is much
more difficult to do than is the case with a brass band. The errors
in a badly trained pipe band are much more easily detected where
every performer has to play in perfect unison, than the errors in a
brass band, where different instruments take different parts.
The next important point is the bandmaster has been properly trained
in his profession at the "Royal Military School of Music," Kneller
Hall, but the pipe major in a pipe band has not had this coveted
opportunity. There is no school where pipe music is taught in theory
and practice, and that may be one of the chief reasons why the pipe
major falls short of the trained bandmaster. If a military school of
piping were instituted by the War Office, such an institution would
supply a long felt want. The piper could then be educated in piping,
to understand music in theory, and be instructed in practice on a
sound basis and fixed system.
Few pipers in pipe bands, if any, are trained at the proper age,
_i.e._, 12-14-16 years, except in industrial schools, where they are
in many cases improperly taught. When the boy is young his fingers
will do anything because they are very supple, but at the age of
twenty they become stiff and set against perfect manipulation. At
this age theory is picked up in a masterly fashion, and the pupil is
unconscious of difficulties in fingering, which simplifies everything
in the process of his training.
At no period in the history of our nation was there greater need for
a military school of piping than at the present moment. There are
hundreds of young pipers required to fill the places of those who
have fallen in action. As can be seen from the record contained in
this volume many pipe bands have suffered most heavily. In fact some
have been entirely wiped out.
From experience of class-work in piping it has been proved that the
training of young pipers at the age of fourteen to sixteen years
under a fixed system is an ideal method of creating good performers.
Boys who have never had a finger on the chanter before, are started
in classes of from eight to ten in number. This prevents them from
making an improper use of the chanter or creating bad fingering
which, if allowed to go too far, can never be got out of. Each pupil
should be provided with a properly made chanter, and all the chanters
in the class should be of the same make and correctly tuned, so that,
while at practice in class-work, they are all in perfect unison.
If one or two improperly made and badly tuned chanters are used
in a class, this is the cause of two great evils. The performer's
ear becomes less sensitive to the notes in proper pitch; and it
discourages the training of a pupil to detect improper sounds and
slovenly fingering. If there are two or three chanters out of tune in
a class of ten they prevent the instructor from detecting errors in
fingering.
The use of a properly tuned chanter tends to cultivate a good ear,
whereas if the ear is used to improper sounds it loses its power of
detecting the difference between what is real and that which is false.
In class-work it is hardly possible to get ten pupils with equal
powers of picking up tunes and correct fingering. The ear may be
compared to a machine which records musical compositions and sounds.
In this respect the perfect machine has already been found. The
phonograph will record and reproduce a tune in perfect form, but then
it is only a reproduction, whereas the musician has life and power to
create new and original tunes.
Take the human ear. Where it is perfect it will record a tune with
the same accuracy as the machine; but, where the ear is defective,
it will only take in what it is capable of. In cases where there
is only a slight defect in ear, and where a pupil is somewhat slow
at fingering, care must be taken that the slow pupil is brought up
in line with the smart pupil. This makes the results in class-work
equal. Many instructors of piping fail because they overlook slovenly
fingering. Each pupil must be made to finger exactly. The slovenly
player spoils the class and every band into which he may go, so that,
if a class is to be properly taught, each pupil must come to know
his class mate as a musician as well as a companion. Each performer
in a pipe band must form part of a machine, as it were, which acts
systematically as a clock, in order to give good results and render a
tune like one man. A properly trained class with a sufficiently long
period of training will, in time, finger together in a manner which
is most surprising as regards regularity.
As an example of irregularity in fingering, take for instance--one
pupil is playing in perfect time, one graces his note a little too
soon and another a little too late. This gives three different
renderings as regards time, and how could they become pleasing to the
ear or ever attain regularity in time or fingering?
"Patience is a virtue," and an instructor of piping must be imbued
with that qualification. Without patience there can be no climax, no
perfection, and no goal to aim at. One may compel a person to do work
even by punishment, but to compel a pupil to play the pipes would be
hopeless. If a pupil has to be forced to play an instrument against
his will, the music will be anything but pleasing to the listener's
ear. Then it will lack expression, the most important and wonderful
thing in all musical performances. To be successful as an instructor
of piping one must first win the hearts of his pupils, so that they
will like and respect him; speak firmly but kindly to them; enforce
strict discipline and good behaviour; and conduct his school just the
same as all well-governed establishments of education. One hour's
instruction should be given at a time, and this should be given by
the instructor of the school himself. Although boys are boys, they
are sensitive to insult and degradation, and they will not accept
tuition from another boy, even although he is a good performer. It
has been found to be the case that intelligent pupils must have
instruction from the proper source, and, when one boy teaches
another, their time is wasted and they drift into slovenly and
careless fingering. This constitutes a reason for strict supervision
on the part of an instructor himself in a school of piping, so
that the best results may be attained and good order and obedience
maintained.
In bagpipe music, theory is entirely neglected. The average piper
is able to read the names of the notes: G A B C D E F G and A, and
he plays from them and pays little attention to their value. They
may be all crotchets, quavers or semi-quavers, for all he cares. In
almost every case the piper has already heard the tune played on the
chanter, and the relative value of the notes mean nothing to him.
Then, one hears illegal syncopation, _e.g._, the taking of the value
from the lengthened note and giving it to the next one, which should
be the shortest note in the beat, especially in six-eight time. Then,
in writing down an original tune without a knowledge of the theory of
music, the average piper is of no use.
Boys should be started on the chanter at fourteen to sixteen years
of age, and given a period of chanter practice of from six to nine
months; at the same time it is necessary to see that, from the very
start, they are able to read music at sight. Then, towards the end
of nine months tuition in practice, theory should be taught; then
they make more progress than they would at the very beginning of
their training. Theory enables the piper to put expression into
his playing, and, in his turn, he can in time take his place as a
qualified instructor of piping.
One thing of great importance in piping and the training of young
pipers is the rate of speed at which they play. The regimental
regulation pace is 120 paces to the minute. This may be all very well
with a brass band, where the performer with his 120 paces to the
minute has a curtailed, nipped, or broken step, but in pipe music
it is far different. Any one who has a knowledge of the Highland
bagpipe and its music knows that piping at the rate of 120 paces to
the minute is not pipe music at all. The great majority of marches
for the pipes are written in two-four and six-eight time. Two-four
time has a crotchet beat and six-eight has a dotted crotchet beat.
The beat in six-eight being a dotted crotchet is of longer duration
than the two-four or crochet beat. When both are played at 120 paces
to the minute they are more or less equalized and spoiled. Time must
be given to the beat note in six-eight to distinguish it from the
two-four beat; hence, 100 to 105 paces to the minute in two-four time
is good marching, and 90 to 95 paces to the minute in six-eight time
gives the proper swinging pace which the men in a Highland regiment
like. To adopt such a suggestion would give time and expression
to pipe music, differentiate the pace in one time signature from
another, and, above all, would tend to give more time for correct
fingering and clear, distinct playing. A young piper who has only
been playing the bagpipes for about six months is very often spoiled
for life as a performer when he begins, at that stage, to play at 120
paces to the minute. He is unable to get the fingering in in time.
What he cannot find time to finger is left out altogether, and then,
worst of all, he becomes a slovenly and incorrect performer.
The teaching of piping has always been placed on an unequal footing
as compared with brass bands in His Majesty's forces, and one wonders
how long it is to be allowed to remain so. It is absolutely certain
that a Military School of Piping would be a blessing to regimental
pipe bands, and the standard of performance could be raised to the
highest point of perfection. In times of peace many people single
out the brass band as the apple of their eye in the garden of music,
so to speak, but let us Highlanders mark time and see what the great
Highland bagpipe has done in war.
Many pipers have gone over the parapet playing the bagpipes and have
won laurels which can never be forgotten. Hundreds of pipers have
fallen in the great war to sleep their last sleep in the graves of
heroes, after sounding the triumphant charge. The bagpipe has lived
in war in its majestic power and splendour, and in peace it should
not be allowed to die.
In war there is, to our Highland regiments, no music like that of the
great Highland bagpipe. Its notes inspire the men to victory, and
the glory of the results of the music of the _Piob Mhor_ with its
fluttering pennons has left a landmark in the history of the world's
war.
The great Highland bagpipe is the hallmark of a race whose
achievements are second to none in the world. It has been played in
every great battlefield in the history of our nation, and the heroic
deeds done by Highland regiments inspired by its music deserve to be
perpetuated in a lasting memorial.
THE SPIRIT OF THE MACCRIMMONS
BY FRED T. MACLEOD, F.S.A. (SCOT.)
It was the year 1626, a memorable year in the history of the Western
Isles of Scotland, and singularly eventful in the history of Skye and
of the Dunvegan family. Sir Rory Mor MacLeod, warrior and statesman,
patron of Art, of Music and of Letters, and dispenser of lavish
hospitality to rich and poor alike, had died in the Chanonry of
Ross an event "greatly deplored among the Gael at that time." The
ancient sea-gate of Dunvegan Castle was opened, and into a waiting
boat stepped Patrick Mor MacCrimmon, the dead chief's hereditary
piper, the representative of a line of pipers almost as long as the
line of MacLeod chiefs. Swiftly, yet silently, the piper was rowed
across Loch Dunvegan to Boreraig. MacCrimmon stepped ashore and took
from his servant the instrument which had on many occasions cheered
his beloved master. His heart could no longer contain its pent-up
emotion, and his frame shook with a violent outburst of grief. Then,
with head erect and firm step, he walked the remaining distance to
the renowned College of Pipers, the home of his family for many
generations. The fingers of a master player lingered for a moment
lovingly on the chanter. In swift succession there fell upon the ears
of his pupils, themselves no mean players of ancient piobaireachd,
the arresting, appealing, plaintive notes of "Cumha Ruaridh Mhoir,"
"Lament to Rory Mor."
To-day, cattle browse upon the site of the MacCrimmon College,
within whose walls instruction on the _Piob mhor_ had been given
by members of the MacCrimmon family to countless students from all
parts. Thither too had come the best pipers of Scotland to receive
the finishing touches to a piping education well-nigh perfect in
itself, including representatives of the three well-known piping
families, MacArthur, Mackay and Campbell. The music of the pipes is
now seldom, if ever, heard on the plateau upon which in former days
many pipers were wont to assemble. Sassenach inhibitory legislation
followed by the unsympathetic action of the Highland clergy combined
in an attempt to stifle for ever the majestic notes of ancient
piobaireachd, and the free, independent, social temperament of the
Children of the Island. But, while the grass grows green on the spot
where the college stood, the memory of these master musicians is
enshrined in the ancient traditions of the island, in the MacCrimmon
compositions preserved and played to-day, and in the names of places
in the vicinity of the MacCrimmon homeland. The ancient castle,
dating from the ninth century, is occupied to-day by Norman Magnus
MacLeod, the 23rd chief of his line, as it has been continuously
occupied by his forefathers, and among the relics carefully preserved
is an ancient set of MacCrimmon pipes. One can still enjoy the
shelter of "Slochd nam Piobairean"[24] and he who desires to do so
can honour the dust of several members of the MacCrimmon family in
the little burying-ground at Kilmuir, overlooking Dunvegan Loch. Nay
more, one may converse with living descendants of the family within
a stone's throw of the home of their forefathers. The fame of the
MacCrimmons will never die so long as these features or the memory of
them remains, and, when these are no longer remembered, the honour
due to these Kings of Pipers will be enshrined in the music they have
left behind them.
It is impossible in this article to do more than touch the fringe of
an almost illimitable subject. There are many controversial points
into which it is not desirable to enter, _e.g._, the origin of the
family name, the exact period during which the MacCrimmons held their
hereditary office, and the "Cainntaireachd" invented and used by
them. The old papers in the castle are singularly silent in regard
to the history of men so closely allied with the fortunes of the
Dunvegan family. The only two documents among these papers, so far as
I am aware, which bear upon the subject, are a lease of the lands of
Galtrigal in Skye to the MacCrimmons in virtue of their hereditary
office, and a rent-roll of the latter years of the eighteenth
century, which contains entries of payments made by MacLeod
tenants, in the form of a tax to assist a member of the MacCrimmon
family in his declining years. But while contemporary documentary
evidence is practically unavailable, tradition has preserved a great
deal of interesting information. While it may not be advisable
to accept as accurate many oral traditions of a country, we are
entitled to rely to a considerable extent upon, and to accept as
generally trustworthy, Highland oral tradition, which every student
of Highland history knows was the common mode of preserving what
otherwise would have been long ago irretrievably lost. The office of
"Seanachaidh"[25] was recognized and honoured in leading Highland
families and, subject to the legitimate criticism that a Seanachaidh
was apt unduly to extol the virtues of those whose praises he sang
and to decry the virtues of rival families, we are entitled to draw
upon this source of information.
The first published account of the family known to me is Angus
MacKay's collection of _Ancient Piobaireachd_, or Highland Pipe
Music, published in 1838, which forms the basis of most, if not
all, the subsequent published references to the family. Dr. Norman
MacLeod's account (in Gaelic) of the MacCrimmons must also be
mentioned, and of more modern date Dr. Fraser's interesting book
on the _Highland Bagpipe_. The Rev. Archibald Clerk contributed
an article worthy of notice in the _New Statistical Account of
Scotland_, and Fionn's _Martial Music of the Gael_ contains some
interesting notes.
I regard, however, as the most authoritative contribution a series of
Gaelic articles contributed to the _Celtic Monthly_ by the Rev. Neil
Ross of Buccleuch Parish Church, Edinburgh. Mr. Ross is one of our
ablest Gaelic scholars, and, having been born and brought up in the
heart of the MacCrimmon country, he has had the peculiar advantage of
obtaining the local traditions of the family at first hand, from old
people practically all of whom have passed away.
I am inclined to place the commencement of the MacCrimmon era so far
as their relationship with the Macleods of Dunvegan is concerned,
approximately as 1500, and the termination thereof as 1822. My
reasons for doing so are first that we find that in 1651 one of the
family was publicly acknowledged as the King of Pipers. In the old
chronicle detailing this incident the name of the piper upon whom
this honour was bestowed is given as John Macgurmen (MacCrimmon)
which I believe to be a mistake for Patrick MacCrimmon, he who
composed the well-known port, "I gave a kiss to the hand of the
King." If the old adage is true that it took seven years of a
man's life and seven generations of pipers before him to make a
perfect piper, the date 1500 is by no means too remote. Further,
the traditional list of MacCrimmon pipers who held their hereditary
office is sufficiently long to bridge that period. Dr. MacLeod
enumerates seven successive members of the family, whereas Mr. Ross
furnishes us with twelve names inclusive of those mentioned by Dr.
MacLeod. The following is Mr. Ross' list:
Finlay of the Breacan.
Iain Odhar.
Patrick Caogach.
Patrick Donn.
Donald Mór.
Patrick Mór.
Patrick Òg.
Donald Bàn
Angus Òg.
Malcolm.
Iain Dubh.
Patrick Mór.
It is outwith the scope of this article to deal with the MacCrimmon
genealogy, or to discuss in detail the different members of the
family. Interesting notes might be furnished concerning most of the
men whose names are enumerated above, and it might not be difficult
for a skilled player of pibroch, by a careful analysis of the
MacCrimmon compositions, to assign many of the extant compositions
to the appropriate composers. I prefer to gather together from the
available sources known to me a few incidents in the lives of three
outstanding members of the family, Donald Mór, Patrick Mór and Donald
Bàn.
DONALD MÓR MACCRIMMON
We shall probably not be very far wrong if we regard the period
during which this piper lived as that embracing the concluding years
of the sixteenth century and the early years of the seventeenth. I
realise that, in so placing him, I lay myself open to the criticism
that I post-date the period of Patrick Mór's activities. Patrick
Mór is regarded as the son of Donald Mór, and it is probable that
both father and son were in the service of Sir Rory Mór. It is
stated that, being a special favourite of his chief, Donald was sent
to Ireland to complete his musical education. There can be little
doubt that as Ireland was the early home of Celtic letters so she
was the early home of musical culture, and that the high degree of
efficiency attained by the MacCrimmons was, at least in part, due
to the finishing touches obtained by them in the sister island. We
learn that Donald Mór played before many of the nobility and gentry
of the country and greatly distinguished himself. Mr. Ross has an
interesting note that Donald accompanied his chief to Ireland in
the reign of James VI., on the occasions when MacLeod led his clan
in battle, and that about that time Donald composed "The Lament to
the Earl of Antrim." Among the compositions attributed to him are
"The Macdonald Salute," "Welcome to Rory Mór," and "The Salute of
the Earl of Ross." Mr. Ross, whose knowledge of pibroch entitles him
to speak with authority, states that close analysis of Donald Mór's
compositions reveals the fact that he frequently used the lower notes
of the chanter, and that there is internal evidence that he possessed
great skill in changing from the low to the high notes.
PATRICK MÓR MACCRIMMON
It is generally agreed that Patrick succeeded Donald as hereditary
piper to the MacLeods of Dunvegan. He is generally admitted to have
been the most distinguished member of his race. His life was spent in
the service of Sir Rory Mór MacLeod, who succeeded to the chiefship
in 1596, and who died as stated in 1626. Under the protection of this
powerful chief the practice of Piobaireachd received an impetus
which is bearing fruit to-day. The Scottish Privy Council, at a
comparatively early date, struck a severe blow at what was regarded
as the despotic power of the chiefs by limiting the number of the
retinue each chief was entitled to gather round him. An important
member of that retinue was the person who held the office of
hereditary piper. In addition to the honour such an office carried,
there were certain material advantages _e.g._, the freeholding of
land and the right to certain dues and liberties which were not
lightly esteemed. As indicating the dignified nature of the office,
it may be mentioned that, included in the chief's retinue, was the
piper's man, whose duty it was to act as servant to the piper and to
carry his instrument for him when not in use.
To Patrick Mór MacCrimmon is assigned the honour of having composed
the largest number of pipe tunes. In the plaintive lament "Cumha
na Cloinne" (Lament to the Children) he gives expression to his
deep grief caused by the visitation of one of the most poignant
afflictions known to man--the deaths of his children. According to
Dr. MacLeod he was the father of eight stalwart sons. Proudly one
Sabbath morning he and they marched to the church in their native
glen. Before the close of that year he mourned the loss of all his
sons who died in an epidemic of fever. Two other well-known laments,
the composition of which is assigned to him, are, "The Lament to the
only Son" and "The Lament to John Garbh MacGhille Chalum of Raasay,"
who was drowned in 1646 while crossing the Minch.
In 1651 Patrick Mór MacCrimmon was in all probability an old man,
but not too old to accompany the clan in support of Charles II. At
this time MacLeod of MacLeod was a minor, and the command of the clan
devolved upon his uncles, Norman MacLeod of Bernera and Roderick
MacLeod of Talisker. According to Angus Mackay's account, both these
men were knighted by Charles II. before the battle of Worcester in
1651 and on that occasion, Patrick Mór having had the honour of
playing before the King, and his performance having greatly pleased
His Majesty, Patrick received the further honour of being allowed
to kiss the King's hand. Mackay states that the well-known port,
"Fhuaireas pog o spog an Righ," was composed by MacCrimmon in honour
of the distinction then conferred upon him. Various accounts of
this outstanding MacCrimmon honour have been published, no two of
which entirely agree. Dr. William Mackay of Inverness has frequently
rendered signal service in the department of Highland history, and
I am indebted to his labours and scholarly research for what I
regard as a complete elucidation of the circumstances surrounding
the composition of this tune. Dr. Mackay edited _The Chronicles of
the Frasers_, an old MS. of events embracing the period 1616-1674.
There are many MS. histories bearing upon Highland matters, some
of which have been fabricated, but no suggestion of falsification
besmirches the reputation of this MS., which has been published under
the auspices of The Scottish History Publication Society. Referring
to the year 1651, the date of the battle of Worcester, the MS. states
that at Stirling, in the month of May, "there was great competition
betwixt the trumpets in the army; one Axell, the Earle of Hoome's
trumpeter, carried it by the King's own decision. The next was anent
the pipers; but the Earle of Sutherland's domestick carried it of
all the camp, for non contended with him. All the pipers in the army
gave John Macgurmen (MacCrimmon) the van, and acknowledged him for
their patron in chief. It was pretty in a morning (the King) in parad
viewing the regiments and bragads. He saw no less than eighty pipers
in a crould, bare-headed, and John Macgurmen in the middle covered.
He asked what society that was? It was told his Majesty--'Sir, yow
are our King, and yonder old man in the middle is the Prince of
Pipers.' He cald him by name and comeing to the king, kneeling,
His Majesty reacht him his hand to kiss; and instantly played an
extemporanean port, 'Fuoris Pooge i spoge i Rhi'--I got a kiss of the
King's hand--of which he and they were all vain." The writer of the
manuscript has made an attempt to render the Gaelic phonetically, and
Mr. Mackay in a footnote gives the correct Gaelic spelling "Fhuaireas
pog o spog an Righ."
DONALD BAN MACCRIMMON
MacLeod of Dunvegan, when Prince Charles Edward made his romantic if
impossible attempt to seize the crown of his forefathers, declined to
lend his services to the Prince, and consequently incurred the deep
displeasure of many of his clansmen. Had he remained simply neutral,
the resentment which his refusal to follow the Prince aroused would
have been less bitter, but he openly supported the reigning house.
Opinions differ as to which of two men, Malcolm MacCrimmon and
Donald Ban MacCrimmon, held the office of hereditary piper, but
most authorities agree that Donald Ban performed the duties of the
office when MacLeod led out his men against the Prince. Many of the
MacLeod men refused to follow their chief, and preferred to follow
the standard of the Prince, under the leadership of the heads of
cadet families sprung from the Dunvegan line. MacLeod's position was
a difficult one. Had the Prince landed in Moidart with sufficient
money, equipment and arms, MacLeod would probably have given him all
the support within his power. It is persistently stated that his was
one of the signatures to the document inviting the Prince to raise
his standard in Scotland. In these circumstances it was necessary
for MacLeod, by some overt act, to give practical evidence to the
Government of his non-adherence to the Stuart cause. He was in close
correspondence with, and being actively advised by, President Forbes,
who realised the importance of securing the services of MacLeod,
thereby lessening the likelihood of the Macdonalds of Skye joining
the Prince's forces. MacLeod gathered around him a substantial body
of men who held the lands in the vicinity of the castle, and led them
from the castle to the shore, where boats waited to convey them to
the mainland, and thence to the east of Scotland.
[Illustration: THE PIBROCH
_From the Painting by Lockhart Bogle_]
We are constantly reminded of the romance of the Forty-Five. We too
often forget the dark tragedies of those days. The spectre of looming
disaster entered the home of the MacCrimmons. Donald Ban MacCrimmon
had heard the note of the Banshee presaging a journey from which for
him there would be no returning. He was told to inspirit the men by
the rousing strains of "MacLeod's March," but true to his hereditary
instincts he could only play a port in harmony with the mood of
the moment. In place of the "March" his pipes attuned themselves to
that most touching of all laments, "Cumha Mhic Cruimein." The pages
of the _Brahan Seer_ do not contain any instance of second sight
more circumstantially fulfilled than that concerning Donald Ban
MacCrimmon. Contemporary history supplies us with the information.
The scene is changed from Dunvegan Castle to Moy Hall, the residence
of The Mackintosh, a few miles east of Inverness. In the absence
of her husband, the wife of The Mackintosh, better known as "Lady
Anne," kept a watchful eye, in the interests of the Prince, on the
movements of his enemies. The Prince had accepted the hospitality of
Moy Hall for the night. News reached "Lady Anne" that a body of men,
under Lord Loudon, including MacLeod and his men, were to attempt
to capture the Prince under the cover of night. "Donald Fraser,
a blacksmith, and other four with loaded muskets in their hands
were keeping watch upon a muir out some distance from Moy towards
Inverness. As they were walking up and down they happened to spy a
body of men marching towards them, upon which the blacksmith fired
his piece and the other four followed his example. The laird of
MacLeod's piper (reputed the best at his business in all Scotland)
was shot dead on the spot. Then the blacksmith (Fraser) and his
trusty companions raised a cry (calling some particular regiments by
their names) to the Prince's army to advance, as if they had been at
hand, which so far imposed upon Lord Loudon and his command (a pretty
considerable one) and struck them with such a panic, that instantly
they beat a retreat and made their way back to Inverness in great
disorder, imagining the Prince's whole army to be at their heels."
Tradition states that Donald Ban's body was buried not far from the
spot where he received his fatal wound, and I am informed that a
large stone on the moor marks the place of interment.
THE HOMELAND OF THE MACCRIMMONS
Pipers throughout the world will probably welcome a short description
of that part of Skye which will for all time be associated with the
MacCrimmon family. We may safely assume that the lands of Galtrigal
and Boreraig have undergone little physical change during the last
300 years. Standing on a lofty plateau, the MacCrimmon practice
ground, we find ourselves in the centre of a district possessing
great natural charm and an unparalled sea view. Dunvegan's ancient
towers are a prominent landmark reminiscent of bloody feuds, when
Macdonald and MacLeod, though connected by marriage, were continually
at one anothers throats. Johnson, Boswell, Pennant and Sir Walter
Scott all testify to the hospitality they received within its walls.
Dun Boreraig, to the east, one of many interesting brochs on the
island--silent witnesses to the strength and ingenuity of a past
race--still keeps its sentinel watch. To the west stand out in strong
relief the rocky cliffs of Dunvegan Head, and in the south are the
marvellous Coolins with their ever-changing aspects. At the time
when Angus Mackay's publication appeared in 1838, the ruins of the
"college" remained _in situ_, disclosing thick walls, massive cabers
or rafters, and other characteristics of old Highland habitations.
Mackay says that the building was divided into two parts, one forming
the class-room and the other the sleeping apartments.
It was the practice of the MacCrimmons to enter into formal
indentures of apprenticeship with their pupils, one of which has been
published in the Inverness Gaelic Society's Transactions. So many
years of study were prescribed, regular lessons were given out, and
certain periods for receiving the instructions of the master were
fixed. The Rev. Archibald Clerk, son-in-law of Dr. Norman MacLeod
(Caraid nan Gaidheal), writing in 1845 states, that the whole tuition
"was carried on systematically as in any of our modern academies;
and the names of some of the caves and knolls in the vicinity still
point out the spots where the scholars used to practice respectively
the Piob Mhor or large bagpipe, before exhibiting in presence of the
master. MacLeod endowed this school by granting the farm of Borreraig
to it, and it is no longer than seventy years since the endowment
was withdrawn. The farm had originally been given only during the
pleasure of the proprietor. For many ages the grant was undisturbed,
but when the value of land had risen to six or seven times what it
was when the school was founded, MacLeod very reasonably proposed to
resume one half of the farm, offering at the same time to MacCrimmon
a free lease of the other half _in perpetuam_: but MacCrimmon,
indignant that his emoluments should be curtailed, resigned the whole
farm and broke up his establishment, which has never been restored."
Any description of the home of the MacCrimmons would be incomplete
without referring to Clach MacCrimmon, a stone which is almost as
well-known as the MacCrimmons themselves. Although the account of
this matter savours of exaggeration, there can be little doubt that
the incident is believed in firmly by the people of the district. The
incident as narrated to me was as follows: One of the MacCrimmons
was in the habit of tethering his horse, in accordance with the
custom of the country, by a rope attached to a cipean driven into the
ground. Some maliciously disposed persons removed the cipean from
its place on more than one occasion, thus causing MacCrimmon's horse
to roam and to do damage to the surrounding crops. In exasperation,
MacCrimmon vowed that he would so fix the cipean that no mortal man
would ever remove it again. He thereupon looked about for a stone
sufficiently large to suit his purpose, and, observing one about
200 yards distant, he immediately proceeded, unaided, to lift it,
carried it that distance and placed it upon the top of the cipean.
The spot from which MacCrimmon removed the stone, and the spot upon
which he placed it, were both pointed out to me. The stone is about
3 feet long by 2½ feet broad, and 2 feet high. I endeavoured to
lift the stone an inch or two from the ground and failed to do so. To
satisfy certain south-country sceptics, not very long ago, several
men, including Murdoch MacLeod (who accompanied me upon the occasion
to which I have been referring), succeeded in removing the stone
from the bed in which it had lain so long, and by using a wall as a
lever, rolled it down a gradient of several yards to the spot where
it at present lies. A most remarkable sequel followed. It was stated
to me, in all seriousness, that underneath the stone when it was
removed, was found an ancient rusty cipean much worn away. Murdoch
Macleod stated to me that he not only saw it, but handled it.
MACCRIMMON PUPILS
If the genius of a master can be measured by the success of his
pupils, then, apart from other considerations, the MacCrimmons of
Boreraig must truly be regarded as kings among pipers. The fame of
their college, long recognised throughout the Isles, spread to the
mainland, and pupils from all parts of Scotland eagerly travelled
long distances to avail themselves of the tuition the college
afforded. No piper's education was regarded as complete until he
had passed through the hands of the masters at Boreraig. Rival
chiefs buried for a time their jealousies, and sent their pipers to
the college on MacLeod's lands. The method usually adopted was to
apprentice the young pipers to the MacCrimmons for a period of years,
and, in the case of those men who had already otherwise been trained,
to send them to Skye for a short period. In a series of articles
upon the History of the Parish of Kiltarlity, written by the Rev.
Archibald Macdonald, I find the following: "There is an indenture
drawn up at Beaufort on 9th March, 1743, in which William Fraser,
tacksman, Beauly, is described as his Lordship's (Simon Fraser, Lord
Lovat) musician. The brother of this William--David Fraser--had been
educated by David Macgregor, his Lordship's piper. His Lordship,
however, was now to send David to the Isle of Skye to have him
perfected as a Highland piper by the famous Malcolm MacCrimmon, whom
his Lordship was to reward for educating the said David for a year."
It in no sense belittles the importance of the MacArthurs, who, as a
family of pipers, were second only in excellence to the MacCrimmons
of Boreraig, to state that the musical education of a member of
this family, Charles, was perfected by Patrick Og MacCrimmon. The
MacArthurs were hereditary pipers to the MacDonalds of the Isles
and, like the MacCrimmons, had a school for instruction in pipe
music. Pennant, who visited the Hebrides in 1774, was hospitably
entertained in this building and listened to the playing of many
pibrochs. He describes the building as consisting of four apartments,
one of which formed the hall set apart for students. Of Charles
MacArthur the following interesting incident is told. Sir Alexander
Macdonald, being at Dunvegan on a visit to the laird of MacLeod,
heard the performance of Patrick Og MacCrimmon with great delight,
and desirous if possible to have a piper of equal merit, he said to
MacCrimmon one day that there was a young man whom he was anxious to
place under his tuition, on condition that he should not be allowed
to return until such time as he could play equal to his master. "When
this is the case," said MacDonald, "you will bring him home and I
will give you ample satisfaction for your trouble." "Sir Alexander,"
said Patrick, "if you will be pleased to send him to me I will do
all that I am able to do for him." Charles was accordingly sent
to Boreraig where he remained for eleven years, when MacCrimmon,
considering him as perfect as he could be made, proceeded to Mugstad
to deliver his charge to Sir Alexander, who was then residing there,
and, where Iain Dall Mackay, Gairloch's blind piper, happened also to
be. Macdonald hearing of their arrival, thought it a good opportunity
to determine the merit of his own piper by the judgment of the blind
man, whose knowledge of pipe music was unexceptionable. He therefore
enjoined Patrick Og and MacArthur not to speak a word to betray who
they were, and, addressing Mackay, he told him he had a young man
learning the pipes for some years and was glad that he was present
to say whether he thought him worth the money which his instruction
had cost. Mackay said if he heard him play he would give his opinion
freely, and he requested to be informed previously with whom the
piper had been studying. Sir Alexander told him he had been with
Patrick Og MacCrimmon. Then Mackay exclaimed, "He could never have
been with a better master!" The young man was ordered to play, and
when he was finished Sir Alexander asked the other for his opinion.
"I think a great deal of him," replied Iain. "He is a good piper; he
gives the notes correctly, and if he takes care he will excel in his
profession." Sir Alexander was pleased with so flattering an opinion,
and observed that he had been at the trouble of sending two persons
to the college that he might retain the best, and that now the
second man would play, so that an opinion on his merits might also
be given. Mackay observed that he must be a very excellent performer
to surpass the first, or even to compare with him. When Patrick Og
(who acted as the second pupil) had finished playing, Sir Alexander
asked the umpire what he thought of his performance. "Indeed, Sir, no
one need try me in that manner," returned the blind man. "Although I
have lost the eyes of my human body, I have not lost the eyes of my
understanding; and if all the pipers in Scotland were present I would
not find it a difficult task to distinguish the last player from
them all." "You surprise me, Mackay, who is he?" "Who but Patrick Og
MacCrimmon," promptly rejoined Mackay, and, turning to where Patrick
was sitting, he observed, "It was quite needless, my good sir, to
think you would deceive me in that way, for you could not but know
that I should have recognised your performance among a thousand." Sir
Alexander then asked Mackay himself to play, and afterwards he called
for a bottle of whisky, drank to their healths, and remarked that
he had that night under his roof the three best pipers in Britain.
So much admired was Charles MacArthur for his musical taste, that a
gentleman in MacLeod's country prevailed on Malcolm MacCrimmon to
send his son Donald for six months to reside with MacArthur, not with
the idea of adding to his musical knowledge, but in order that he
might be improved by studying MacArthur's particular graces.
About the same time one of the MacCrimmons, better known as Padruig
Caogach (obviously not the Patrick Caogach No. 3 on Mr. Ross' list,
if Mr. Ross' order is correct), because of his habit of frequently
winking, was endeavouring to compose a tune. Two years had passed
since the first two measures of it had become known, and still
the tune remained half finished. Poor Patrick utterly failed in
his frequent attempts to finish what he had begun so well. Mackay
succeeded where Patrick failed, finished the tune and called it
"Lasan Phadruig Chaogaich."[26] Annoyed because of Mackay's success,
or perhaps because of the perpetuation of his physical weakness,
Patrick bribed the other apprentices to hurl the blind Iain from a
height of twenty-four feet. Iain, however, landed on his feet without
injury. The place in question was thereafter known as "Leum an
Doill."[27] It is said that the completion by Iain Dall of Patrick's
unfinished tune resulted in great praise being bestowed upon the
former, and gave rise to the saying, "Chaidh an fhoghluim osceann
Mhic Cruimein," _i.e._, "the apprentice outstrips the master."
MACCRIMMON LEGENDS
The legends associated with the MacCrimmons are numerous and
interesting, but I can only refer to one or two of them. The "Cave"
legend is well-known, and I make no further reference to it except to
say that variations of it are to be met with wherever piping has been
practised.
Neil Munro, whose stories of the Hebrides are redolent of peat reek
and quaint Gaelic idioms, has used the following Breadalbane legend
to excellent purpose in his story of the Red Hand: Ross, an old
Breadalbane piper, in a fit of jealous rage, forced the right hand of
his brother into the fire until it became a charred lump, to prevent
him becoming a better piper than himself. Somewhat akin to this old
tale is one concerning the MacCrimmons. Although proud of the state
of perfection to which they had brought the art of piping, and while
encouraging the dissemination of their art by returning young men to
their homes from the college at Boreraig trained to a high degree of
efficiency, they nevertheless retained among the members of their
own family certain movements known only to themselves. They were
rightly proud of the position they occupied, and were jealous lest
they lost it, even though the honour were to descend upon a pupil of
their own training. The story goes that a girl, friendly with the
MacCrimmons, acquired the knowledge of how a certain hitherto secret
combination of notes was accomplished and imparted the information
to her sweetheart, who was not of the MacCrimmon family. Upon this
fact reaching the ears of her family the drastic step was adopted of
instantly cutting off her fingers so as to prevent possible leakage
of information in the future.
In the beautiful Gaelic song, said to have been composed by Donald
Ban MacCrimmon's sweetheart at Dunvegan, one of the lines refers to
the wailing of the fairies when they heard that their friend was
leaving to return no more. These little people play no small part
in Highland legends generally, and we are therefore not surprised
to learn of the existence of the following MacCrimmon fairy legend.
On one occasion, when Dunvegan's chief was entertaining within his
hospitable walls a goodly company, including many representatives of
the leading clans, accompanied by their pipers, it was agreed that
the pipers should compete for the post of honour. MacLeod, as a good
host, naturally left his piper to come last. The competition went on,
piper succeeding piper, until there remained two, including MacLeod's
piper, MacCrimmon, to compete. MacLeod glanced in the direction
where he expected to see MacCrimmon preparing to acquit himself
bravely, but to his annoyance there was no sign of him. Calling a
boy, a young MacCrimmon, to him, he bade him search for and bring
back MacCrimmon. In a short time the boy returned with the tidings
that MacCrimmon was hopelessly drunk. The chief was plunged into the
depths of despair with the certainty staring him in the face of being
disgraced in front of his guests in his own castle. Seizing the boy
by the hand, he whispered in his ear as the eleventh piper stepped
forward, "You are the twelfth piper from your chief." Realizing the
impossibility of the task imposed upon him the poor lad fled from
the hall and threw himself down upon the hillside bitterly bewailing
the helplessness of his condition. Suddenly there arose out of an
adjacent hillock a beautiful little fairy, who, doubtless realizing
the importance of time, handed to the lad a silver chanter and bade
him play upon it. He did so, and through the silent glen there
floated music the like of which had never before been heard by human
ears. With a radiant countenance the lad immediately returned to the
hall and, as he entered, the last notes of the eleventh piper were
dying away. Proudly the little fellow lifted his master's pipes, and
to the surprise and merriment of the great gathering, took the place
just vacated by the previous piper. The virtues of the silver chanter
stood him in good stead and the looks of amusement quickly turned
into admiration, as there came from the pipes the notes of a master
player.
In my own youthful days I heard the following MacCrimmon story. On
the occasion of a great competition among the pipers held at Dunvegan
Castle, the leading MacCrimmon of the day and his nephew, to whom
MacCrimmon had imparted his whole store of knowledge, save one
particular tune, resolved to compete. The old master had specially
refrained from communicating this particular composition to his
pupil in order that, while priding himself upon the accomplishments
of his own pupil, he might yet retain one item, the knowledge and
playing of which would secure for him the coveted honour at the
coming competition. On the night before the great event master and
pupil slept together at a certain inn. Believing his companion to
be sleeping, the old man conned over to himself the air by which he
hoped to distinguish himself on the morrow. The arm of the apparently
sleeping lad was lying stretched across the bed, and the old piper's
hands, mechanically searching for something upon which to "finger"
the tune, seized upon his pupil's arm. Time and again the old man
practised the notes, at the same time quietly humming the notes,
ignorant of the fact that his pupil, though feigning sleep, was very
wide awake, and gradually becoming the possessor of the coveted port.
On the morrow the pupil entered the lists before his master, and to
the mortification of the latter, carried off the leading honour by
reason of his manner of playing the tune of which MacCrimmon believed
himself at that time to be the sole possessor.
* * * * *
Once again, I find myself in "Eilean a' cheó." Six weeks of almost
constant rain, disappointing to others who are not accustomed to the
vagaries of the weather, have not chilled the affectionate ardour
which contact with the island and its people invariably inspires in
me. The mists have ever hung heavy on the hills in times of deep,
heart-breaking sorrow, and the present tempestuous weather is but in
keeping with the sad aftermath of War.
To-day, there came from a distant part of the Island one who served
his country well in the late war and who was sorely wounded in that
service. To the home of Pibroch he brought his pipes, and in the
seclusion of the Pipers Cave in Galtrigal he played two well-known
MacCrimmon ports; "Cumha Ruari Mhor," and "Tog orm mo phiob." An
ardent student of MacCrimmon Pibroch, and a cultured exponent of
their art, he came to do honour at their shrine. It was fitting that
one of those who heard the haunting notes as they welled forth across
the loch was Sir Rory's lineal descendant Macleod of Macleod.
There are many pipers who look hopefully for the day when the memory
of the MacCrimmons and of their immortal genius shall be enshrined
in a College of Piping, where pupils from far and near may receive
instruction in all that is noblest and best in the art of bag-pipe
playing.
A GOSSIP ABOUT THE GORDON HIGHLANDERS
BY J. M. BULLOCH
If the Great War has reversed some preconceptions and ruthlessly
rationalised many traditions, it has confirmed, and actually
enhanced, the fine fighting reputation of the ten Regiments of the
Line--half of them kilted--which Scotland contributes to the British
Army. We now know of a certainty that this reputation is well founded
as we did not know it before. True, there has long been a legend to
that effect, but of recent years there has been a disposition to
question its validity. Scotland, or rather the articulate part of it,
has borrowed the deadly doctrine of self-depreciation, from which the
dominant partner has suffered severely, and the suggestion has not
been wanting that the praise of Scots troops, which received such
an impetus from the enthusiastic pen of the author of _The Romance
of War_, was somewhat overdone. We were reminded that our Army had
not had to face troops on the Continent of Europe since the days of
the Crimea; one Scots Regiment had not done so since 1799, while the
Gordons had nothing to show for it since Waterloo.
If that was true of the old "Contemptibles" generally, it was still
truer of the auxiliary forces, which had seen no fighting at all,
except in South Africa; but to-day all of them have stood the acid
test of the greatest war in history. The old "Contemptibles" were
never finer, and we have lived to see one of the best Divisions in
the Army composed entirely of kilted Territorials. Indeed, a cloud
of witnesses has arisen to prove that all the 126 Battalions, into
which the 69 composing the Scots Regiments expanded themselves
for the purposes of war, have rendered magnificent service. If we
relied merely on the word of the Commander-in-Chief we might suspect
bias, for Earl Haig and more than one of his Generals are Scots
by birth; but we have the appreciation of the special newspaper
war-correspondents, and not one of them hailed from north of the
Border.
We have, moreover, the testimony of the enemy, who very quickly
recognised the valour and skill of all the Scots Regiments,
particularly those of the 51st Division. Indeed, the Scots soldier,
although he represented only eleven per cent. of the British Army
against eighty-one per cent. of England itself, took hold of the
imagination of the Germans to such an extent that their caricaturists
turned John Bull into a Highlander, converting his traditional tall
hat into a diced "cockit" bonnet, his white riding breeches into a
kilt or tartan trews, and his top-boots into gaiters. The pages of
_Simplicissmus_, _Kladderadatsch_, and _Jugend_, to name only a few,
have throughout the war pictured a long procession of the "wife-men"
as representing the British Army, at first in a spirit of incredulous
burlesque, and latterly with something of the wholesome fear, which
was popularly supposed to have overtaken George the Second when
he started in his sleep in terror as he dreamed that the "Great
Glenbogged" (Glenbucket) was swooping down upon him.
It was to the advent of the father of that monarch that we owe the
raising of the kilted Scots--nearly all the trewsed Regiments arose
in the previous century--though the connection was indirect, not
to say inverted, and was touched with an irony (especially in the
light of the greatest of wars), which has been largely lost on a
certain type of popularly accepted English history. According to this
reasoning, the Highlanders, on seeing the country in danger owing to
the expansion adventures of the dominant partner at the expense of
France, flocked to the colours at the call of the English Government,
and thus not only helped to save the Empire, but gratified their
own passion for arms, which had been severely suppressed after the
Forty-Five.
The facts, however, are very different from this facile theory. To
begin with, if the country as a whole had little consciousness of
expansion, as Seeley argued, the Highlander had infinitely less, for
one of the main troubles of dealing with him, even in our own day,
has been his homing instinct, his intense love of his native soil,
no matter how poor it may be. In the second place, the ambitions of
the House of Hanover touched no responsive chord in the Highlander's
heart, for the Clans had felt the full scourge of Teutonism in the
ruthless work of Cumberland at Culloden.
Again, if France was the hereditary arch-enemy of the dominant
partner, Scotland in general and the Highlands in particular, had no
such quarrel with her. On the contrary, France and Scotland, linked
together by racial, psychological, and historical similarities and
identities of interest, had long been the best of friends, and it
must have puzzled the average Highlander why he should be asked to
fight against her. So strong is this community of spirit that it
might very well be argued that the Highland Regiments have never
fought better in their long history than they have done in the Great
War, because they were fighting for France, as well as for their
native country.
No doubt the Union had placed Scotland in the same category as
England so far as France was concerned, but the kilted regiments
arose, not so much out of a political necessity as from a revival of
the spirit which had made the Scot in the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries a soldier of fortune wherever he was wanted, fighting now
for Rome, and now in the ranks of Gustavus Adolphus against her;
fighting to a large extent without passion, but as an artist in
arms; and it was this absence of bias as much as anything else that
made these venturers clean fighters, and raised their reputation as
masters of their art wherever they took service.
From first to last the spirit which animated the soldier of
fortune--out to gratify his instinct for adventure, his desire to
make a living, and his passion for individuality--has always inspired
the Highland regiments to a remarkable extent. It is true that the
war with France involved the most momentous issues for the State, but
the methods adopted for warding off the danger were far more personal
and local than national. It might be argued that the real cause
of the war with France was due to the imperialistic ambitions of
individual adventurers, and therefore raised little national animus,
but precisely the same methods of meeting a crisis coloured the early
stages of Armageddon, when every one felt involved, the influence of
one man, Lord Kitchener, being far more potent in rousing resistance
than any abstract doctrine of State necessity.
The raising of troops to fight France was at no time the complete
State undertaking that conscription has involved in our own day. At
first the duty was taken up by individual landowners, who raised in
turn Regiments of the Line and Fencible Corps; and when their pockets
were exhausted, the task was assigned to local authorities like the
Lords Lieutenant, who were commissioned to raise in turn Militia,
Volunteers (1794-1808), and the very curious force known as Local
Militia (1808-1816).
Scotland afforded a splendid ground for the exercise of personal
influence because, although the Clan system with its chieftainship
had broken down, the influence of the great landowners was still
powerful enough to attract attention, although the devotion of
the people had to be reinforced by bounties on a scale unknown in
our day, and by all sorts of practical recognition, such as the
adjustment of rents and the enlargement of holdings; for, although
the armies thus raised had strong affinities with the levies
organised under the feudal system, the Clan system was infinitely
more democratic, and gave scope for greater individuality. This is so
true that it often happened that the men raised in one glen declined
to march to the rendezvous with the men of another glen who happened
to be their hereditary enemies, and trouble arose over the demands
of particular groups to be led by their local officers, some of them
even believing that they should go forth to battle by Clans, as in
the old days.
Of all the personal potentates interested in recruiting in Scotland,
none was more powerful than the fourth Duke of Gordon who, although
long in possession of vast tracts of Highland territory, was in no
sense a Highlander, his family having migrated from Berwickshire
to the north, and the trouble which existed for centuries between
him and his Highland tenants, like the Macphersons, was due to the
inability of his ancestors, or their representatives, to understand
the true nature of the Celt. More motives than one urged His Grace
forward as recruiter. In the first place, his immediate ancestors had
played a very dubious part in the Jacobite risings, and the fourth
Duke was anxious to remove the last doubts as to the loyalty of his
house. Later on he married an extremely clever and ambitious woman,
the famous Jane Maxwell, who had a great desire to play a big part in
the State, and do something for her sons.
Whatever the motives, the recruiting achievements of His Grace
were splendid, for from first to last he raised no fewer than four
complete regiments, besides contributing two companies to corps
raised by others, and he also played a very active part as Lord
Lieutenant of his county. The forces organised by the Duke were as
follows:
1759-65 89th Regiment.
1775-83 Company for the Fraser Highlanders.
1778-83 Northern Fencibles.
1790-1 Company for the Black Watch.
1793-9 Northern Fencibles.
1794 Gordon Highlanders.
The sole remnant of this mighty effort, which must have cost the
Duke a fortune, is the regiment of Gordon Highlanders, which we have
seen blossom out into eleven battalions, to say nothing of certain
reserves; and although the regiment has not continued to be recruited
on the ducal estates, its connection with the House of Gordon has
all along been maintained, and has actually been strengthened in
recent times. That connection of course has always been symbolised
by the wearing of the clan tartan, but the links with the north were
strengthened by the rearrangement of 1872, when infantry regiments
were allotted to definite Territorial areas for the purpose of
recruiting. About the same time the Gordon family motto, "Bydand,"
and the familiar crest were placed upon the bonnet in lieu of the
hard-won Sphinx.
What is of much more importance is the fact that the genius of the
family, admirably described in the alliterative phrase the "Gay
Gordons," which inspired the original regiment, has passed into all
its subsequent accretions, so that the 75th Regiment added to it
in 1881, although actually of earlier origin, has been completely
absorbed. The same can be said of the old Aberdeenshire Militia,
which became the 3rd Battalion, and also of the various Volunteer
Corps which were gradually absorbed, while the Service Battalions
raised by Lord Kitchener displayed exactly the same spirit as the
cradle corps. This continuity and identity of tradition are also
emphasised, not only in the Gordons, but in all the Scots regiments,
and especially in the kilted units, by the fact that they alone
maintained during the War at least, part of their Peace equipment
in the shape of the kilt--even if it was camouflaged with khaki
aprons--and the trewsed regiments had their glengarries replaced by
Kilmarnock and other braid bonnets.
Who can doubt that such a continuity of outward traditions is but the
symbol of a spiritual identity which links up the Scots regiments of
the present day with the Corps who did such splendid work of old from
Fontenoy to Waterloo, from the Crimea to South Africa. True, when you
come to define it, it is difficult to say what it precisely consists
in. Nearly every Regiment of the Line has its own peculiarities,
but the Scots regiments have them in even greater abundance, for
with them they are reinforced by marked racial characteristics.
It is perfectly true that the Highland regiments are no longer
confined to Highlanders, or even to Scotsmen, although the idea
industriously propagated some years ago that they were originally
composed largely of Irishmen, is a fallacy, completely disproved by
War Office Records. Even if it were otherwise, the fact remains that
the _esprit de corps_ which all these idiosyncracies help to form has
a remarkably proselytising influence, very subtle and difficult to
define, but very potent in actual practice.
The early history of the Gordons is full of curious little incidents
which sometimes run counter to popular notions. For example, it used
to be commonly supposed, especially in support of the now exploded
theory that we have become "degenerate," that the first recruits of
the Highland regiments were gigantic men. This is far from being the
case. From the Description Book of the Gordons, one of the very few
regiments which possess such data in an early form, it is proved that
the average height of 914 men composing the greater part (940) of the
original regiment, was only 5' 5½", only six of them being 6' or
upwards--the tallest, a Morayshire man, scaling 6' 4". Similar facts
can be cited about the heights of other groups of men at the same
period.
There were only 16 men actually named Gordon, against 39 Macdonalds,
35 Macphersons, and 34 Camerons. As to the occupations of the men, it
is interesting to note that 442 were described as "labourers," and
as most of them came from the Highlands, they were presumably farm
servants. Of skilled artisans, 186 were weavers. Inverness-shire,
where the Duke had vast estates, supplied 240 men, Aberdeenshire 124,
Banffshire 82, Lanark 62, Ireland 51, England 9, and Wales 2.
There was a solitary German in the regiment, a musician named C.
Augustus Sochling, hailing from Hesse Cassel. There was another
German in the regiment later on, also a musician, named Friederich
Zeigher (or Zugner) who fell at Quatre Bras. The appearance of these
Germans was in its way a sort of return for the fact that the House
of Gordon had given many good soldiers of its name to what we now
call Germany, although most of them really took post in Poland.
The descendants of at least four of these soldiers still exist in
Germany, and have risen to the dignity of a von, including the
founder of the von Gordon-Coldwells, of Laskowitz, in West Prussia,
the von Gordons of Frankfort, and the family of Dr. Adolf von Gordon,
the well-known Berlin lawyer, whose motto is "Byid Dand." Although at
the beginning of 1914 he told a Berlin newspaper that he knew nothing
more about it than that it was an "altschottischer Spruch," it is, of
course, nothing more or less than the historic word "Bydand."
With regard to the pipe history of the regiment not very much is
known. I fancy this is due to the fact that so much that has to
do with the art of piping generally rests on oral and not written
tradition. In the second place it must be remembered that pipers
were not originally recognised by the State. They were purely a
regimental, and not an Army, institution, and had no separate rank as
the drummers had. Indeed, it was not till about 1853 that they got
the same rank and pay as drummers. Thus, in May 1805, a piper named
Alexander Cameron was taken on the strength of the Grenadiers as
drummer, probably to get him drummer's pay, to which, as a piper, he
was not entitled.
The rivalry of the two is brought out in a story told in Carr's
_Caledonian Sketches_, of a dispute as to precedence between a piper
and a drummer of a Highland regiment. When the Captain decided in
favour of the latter, the piper expostulated with the remark, "Oh,
sir, shall a little rascal that beats a sheepskin take the right
hand of me that am a musician?" The differentiation of the two is
still reflected in the fact that a piper is always a piper, whereas a
"musician" returns to the ranks in time of war.
The first direct mention of pipers in the Gordons occurs in a
regimental order of October 27, 1796, when the regiment was at
Gibraltar, and when it was ordained that pipers were to attend all
fatigue parties. An interesting sidelight on the use of the pipes
occurs in a regimental order of November 12, 1812, when the regiment
was at Alba de Tormes in Spain:
"The pibroch will never sound except when it is for the whole
regiment to get under arms; when any portion of the regiment is
ordered for duty and a pipe to sound, the first pipe will be the
warning, and the second pipe for them to fall in. The pibroch only
will, and is to be considered, as invariably when sounded, for every
persons off duty to turn out without a moment's delay."
A pathetic little story about this function of the pipers is told
by James Hope in his forgotten little book, _Letters from Portugal,
Spain and France_, printed in 1819:
"At ten o'clock (on the evening of the day of Quatre Bras) the piper
of the 92nd took post under the garden hedge in front of the village,
and, tuning his bagpipes, attempted to collect the sad remains of
his regiment. Long and loud blew Cameron, and, although the hills
and vallies (_sic_) re-echoed the hoarse murmurs of his favourite
instrument, his utmost efforts could not produce more than half of
those whom his music had cheered in the morning on their march to the
field of battle."
At the battle of St. Pierre in the Peninsular, December 13, 1813, two
out of the three pipers of the Gordons were killed while playing the
pibroch "Cogadh na sith" (with which they were to charm the ears of
the Czar of Russia in the great Review at Paris in July, 1815). As
one fell, another took up the tune, and it was suggested to Sir John
Sinclair, as President of the Highland Society, that this "should
be made known all over the Highlands." It may be noted that the
Colonel, the gallant, if martinet, Cameron of Fassiefern, who fell at
Quatre Bras, gave great encouragement to his pipers, especially as
regards the specially Highland airs and the high-class music (Ceol
Mor). Colonel Greenhill Gardyne attributes to this the fact that "all
pipers in the Gordons are still taught to play Piobaireachd," and
that the ancient and characteristically Highland class of pipe music
is still played every day under the windows of the officers quarters
before dinner.
The Gordons have enjoyed the services of one particular family of
hereditary ear-pipers, the Stewarts. They came from Perthshire,
where one of them was a piper to the Duke of Atholl, while his
brother, known as "Piper Jamie," crossed the hills into the Parish of
Kirkmichael, Banffshire--the cradle of a remarkable military family,
the Gordons of Croughly--where seven sons were born to him. All of
these strapping fellows entered the Aberdeenshire Militia, now the
3rd Battalion of the Gordon Highlanders, six of them becoming pipers.
The best known of these was the eldest, Donald (1849-1913), who
migrated to New Deer, Aberdeenshire, and was known all over Scotland
as a champion piper. The family has been supplying pipers to the
Gordons for more than half a century.
No doubt modern battles are not won by deeds of individual daring
such as these pipers have achieved, but they are won in terms of the
spirit which makes such conduct possible, for it is just the little
things, the train of tradition, the idiosyncracies of uniform, and
the rest of it, which go to form that _esprit de corps_ which has
made the kilted regiments famous the world over.
TO THE LION RAMPANT
By ALICE C. MACDONELL of Keppoch
Did ye hear the light feet marching,
Marching down the birchclad glen?
Did ye see the pipers' streamers,
Floating free behind the men?
Did ye hear the brave tunes ringing,
As they swung the drones on high?
Did ye watch the rythm of the kilt,
Did ye hear the war march die?
Behind the sharp bend of the road,
Beyond the wild Ben Nevis range:
The strains of Donald Dubh again,
Bore out the clans to battles strange.
But, it's O! our tears ran sorely,
As they left the Scottish shore;
For who'd come back, and who would see
Lochaber's wooded braes no more?
Only the Lord of Hosts could tell,
And the wae heart's own prophetic knell.
Did ye see the brave lads smiling,
As they drew their bonnets' down,
With the shortened breath indrawn and tight,
The flashing eyes, the steadfast frown?
Did ye hear the whistling shot and shell,
That swept the kilted foremost ranks
Like the snow wind's call before its fall,
As clouds lie piled in fleecy banks?
Ah! no, t'was not the keen gust bite,
That reddens cheeks with healthful glow,
Nor the hissing as the shrapnel fell
The sound of melting driving snow.
Did ye hear the war pipes calling,
Like the mavis, in the van,
'Mid the thunder of the battle storm,
To the valour of each Scottish man?
The blood call of the march they knew,
With bayonet charge was answered true.
_O! Piper lads! O! Piper lads!
What magic woven spell
Amergin breathed within your reeds,
Is not for mortal voice to tell.
The wizard winds thro' reed and drone,
The soul draws on to follow after
To splendid heights of hero fame,
Or, spellbound, led to grim disaster.
Great Fingal heard beyond the hills
Your quivering grace notes heavenward soar;
Old Ossian followed in a dream
The "Broom of Peril"[28] Oscar bore.
Blow softly, then, O! Piobaireachd's wail,
Or loud and bold, to stir the heart;
No music stirs as yours can stir,
Wild glamour of the fairies Art._
Did ye hear the war pipes shrilling,
Out beyond the German lines,
Where the gallant soldiers pressing on,
Drove home their charge, despite the mines?
Did ye see yon brave lad casting
His broken pipes aside,
As he plunged among the German lines
To do his part what'er betide?
Did ye watch the tartans pouring down
From hill, and trench, and sweep
The cruel Teuton from the field,
Like herds of driven sheep?
Did ye hear the shot that echoed,
Till it reached a woodland lone?
Did ye see the mother's auld grey plaid,
Wrapped round her mourning head?--Ochone!
Did ye see the tears that dropped like rain,
For the lads we ne'er may see again?
_O! Piper lads! O! Piper lads!
What magic woven spell
Amergin breathed within your reeds,
Is not for mortal voice to tell.
The wizard winds thro' reed and drone,
The soul draws on to follow after,
To splendid heights of hero fame,
Or, spellbound, led to grim disaster.
Great Fingal heard beyond the hills,
Your quivering grace notes heavenward soar;
Old Ossian followed in a dream
The "Broom of Peril" Oscar bore.
Blow softly, then, O! Piobaireachd's wail,
Or loud and bold, to stir the heart;
No music stirs as yours can stir,
Wild glamour of the fairies Art._
True hearts, as ever ready, to guard their native land,
O! Scotland's sons are bonnie, and Scotland's sons are grand.
True hearts that never failed her yet, to-day as yester year,
O! Scotia rouse thine echoes, with one resounding cheer.
Let the Lion Rampant proudly raise his head on cloth of gold,
For the deeds of valour done to-day, in pages yet untold.
Gay Gordon lads, brave Seaforths, Black Watch and Camerons tell,
What steeled your dauntless hearts to face that living screen of hell!
The pipes of Loos, of Mons, of far and distant Dardanelles,
That spake in Gaelic tones to each who dared those deadly shells.
The old time slogan of the race, the spell that cannot fail,
"_À chlanna nan gaidheal! À chlanna nan, Gaidheal!
Guillain ri Guillain a chèile!_"[29]
THE MUSIC OF BATTLE
By PHILIP GIBBS
Through all the days and the years in which I served as a
war-correspondent on the Western Front, it was seldom that I did
not hear, from near by or from afar, the music of the pipes. It was
a sound which belonged to the great orchestra of life in the war
zone, rising above the deep rumble of distant guns, travelling ahead
of marching columns up the long roads to Arras or Bapaume, wailing
across the shell craters of that desert which stretched for miles
over the battlefields of Flanders, and coming to one's ears like
elfin music through the dead woods above the Somme. Before every big
battle the skirl of the pipes went with the traffic of war and guns
surging forward to the fighting-lines. For in every big battle there
were Scottish troops and their pipers played them on to the fields of
honour, and played them out again when their ranks had been thinned
by heroic sacrifice. This music had an inspiring influence not only
on the Scottish troops themselves, whose spirits rose to the sound
of it when, after long marching, their feet were leaden on the hard
roads and their shoulders ached to the burden of their packs, but
also on English troops who were in their neighbourhood, and on their
way to the same battlegrounds. For though an Englishman cannot, as a
rule, distinguish one tune from another--does not indeed believe that
the pipes play any tune--there is something in the rhythm, in the
long drawn notes, in the soul singing out of those "wind-bags," so he
calls them, which in some queer magic way, stirs the blood of a man,
whoever he may be, and stiffens the slackening fibre of his heart,
and takes him out of the rut of his earth to some higher plane of
thought, and gives him courage. It is an Englishman who writes this,
but I am sure of it, for many times in dark days of war I have been
taken up by the sadness and the gladness of the pipes, borne by the
breeze across the fields of war.
The 15th (Scottish) Division were special friends of mine, and I
remember, years ago now, how I saw them marching through Bethune on
their way to the battle of Loos, where they fought their first big
fight in September of '15. Through the Grand-Place of Bethune, not
yet wrecked by shell-fire, they came marching with their guns. Snow
was falling on the steel helmets of the men and clinging to the long
hair of their goat-skin coats. It was a grim scene, and away beyond
the city of Bethune there was the ceaseless thunder of bombardment
over the enemy lines. But above this noise, like a heavy sea breaking
against rocks, rose the music of the Scottish pipers playing their
men forward. One pipe band stood in the Square, and its waves of
stirring sound clashed against the gabled houses, and I remember how
all our English gunners, riding with their heads bent against the
storm, turned in their saddles to look at the pipers as they passed
and seemed warmed a little by the spirit of that Scottish march.
The 15th Division went into battle with their pipers, while the
Londoners of the 47th had to be content with mouth-organs and sing
"Who's your lady friend?" on the way to Loos through storms of
shell-fire. The 10th Gordons were the first into the village of Loos,
and some of them went away to the Cité St. Auguste--and never came
back. It was an unlucky battle and cost us dearly, but it proved the
immense valour of our men, who were wonderful. The pipers played
under fire and some of them were badly wounded, but there were enough
left to play again when the Scots were relieved and came out, all
muddy and bloody, with bandaged heads and arms, to small villages
like Mazingarbe and Heuchin, where I saw Sir John French, then
Commander-in-Chief, riding about on a white horse, and bending over
his saddle to speak to small groups of Jocks, thanking them for their
gallant deeds.
In the early battles of the Somme there were many Scottish battalions
of the 3rd and 9th and 15th Divisions, fighting up by Longueval
and Bazentin and Delville Wood, where they suffered heavy losses
under the frightful fire of German guns. The South African Scottish
were but a thin heroic remnant when they staggered out of the
infernal fire of "Devil's Wood," and the men of the 15th Division
who captured Longueval left many of their comrades behind. That was
one of the finest exploits of the war, and they were led forward by
their pipers, who went with them into the thick of the battle. It
was to the tune of "The Campbells are Coming" that the Argyll and
Sutherlands went forward, and that music which I had once heard up
the slopes of Stirling Castle when the King was there, was heard
now with terror by the German soldiers. The pipers screamed out
the Charge, the most awful music to be heard by men who have the
Highlanders against them, and with fixed bayonets and hand grenades
they stormed the German trenches, where there were many machine-gun
emplacements, and dug-outs so strong that no shell could smash them.
There was long and bloody fighting, and in Longueval village, across
which the Highlanders dug a trench, the enemy put down a barrage,
yard by yard, so that it was churned up by heavy shells. On that day
of July 20, 1916, I met the Scots marching out of that place. They
came across broken fields where old wire lay tangled and old trenches
cut up the ground, and there was the roar of gun-fire about us. Some
of our batteries were firing with terrific shocks of sound which made
mule teams plunge and tremble, and struck sharply across the thunder
of masses of guns firing along the whole line of battle. At the time
there was a thick summer haze about, and on the ridges were the black
vapours of shell bursts, and all the air was heavy with smoke. It
was out of this that the Highlanders came marching. They brought
their music with them, and the pipes of war were playing a Scottish
love-song:
I lo'e nae laddie but ane,
An' he lo'es nae lassie but me.
Their kilts were caked with mud, and stained with mud and filth,
but the men were splendid, marching briskly with a fine pride in
their eyes. Officers and men of other regiments watched them pass,
as men who had fought grandly, so that the dirtiest of them there
and the humblest of these Jocks was a fine gentlemen and worthy of
Knighthood.
Many of them wore German helmets and grinned beneath them. One brawny
young Scot had the cap of a German staff officer cocked over his ear.
One machine-gun section brought down two German machine-guns besides
their own. They were dog-tired, but they held their heads up, and the
pipers who had been with them blew out their bags bravely, though
hard-up for wind, and the Scottish love-song rang out across the
fields--whatever its words, it was, I think, a love-song for the dear
dead they had left behind them.
During the battle of Arras in April of 1917 there was always a
wonderful pageant of men in that old city which had been under fire
since October in the first year of war and was badly wounded, with
many of its ancient houses utterly destroyed, but still a city with
streets through which men could march, and buildings in which they
could find comfortable, but unsafe billets. It was the headquarters
of the battle which lasted in the fields outside by Monchy Hill and
by Fampoux and Roeux, Wancourt and Havinel until the end of May.
Arras is a city built above deep tunnels and vaults made in the
Middle Ages when the stone was quarried out of them to build the
houses, and lengthened and strengthened by our own engineers and
tunnellers, so that our men could live in them under the heaviest
shell-fire, and march through them to the German lines. Above, in the
old squares and streets, in houses still standing between gulfs of
ruin, several of our Divisional generals and some of our battalion
commanders established their headquarters, and when the first fierce
shelling eased off--though it never ceased until the last German
retreat in the autumn of 1918--the streets were always filled with
a surging traffic of men and mules and guns and motor lorries. Many
Scottish battalions of the 15th and 51st Divisions among others were
quartered here, and on one historic day there were assembled no less
than five pipe bands in full strength, who played up and down one of
the Squares amidst crowds of fighting men of English and Scottish
regiments. I remember one such day when the pipers of the 8/10th
Gordons, commanded then by Colonel Thom, were playing in the square.
The Colonel had a proud light in his eyes as the tune, "Highland
Laddie," swelled up to the gables and filled the open frontages of
the gutted houses. Snowflakes fell lightly on the steel hats of
the Scots standing in a hollow square, and mud was splashed to the
khaki aprons over their kilts as they smiled at the fine swagger of
the pipe-major and the thump of the drum-sticks; an old woman danced
a jig to the pipes, holding her skirt above her skinny legs. She
tripped up to a group of Scottish officers and spoke quick shrill
words to them. "What does the old witch say?" asked a laughing
Gordon. She had something particular to say. In 1870 she had heard
the pipes in Arras. They were played by prisoners from South Germany,
and as a young girl she had danced to them. It seemed to me a link
between two strange chapters of history in the city of Arras which
had been crowded with the ghosts of history since those days when
Julius Caesar had his camp outside its walls on the very ground--at
Etrun--where our Scottish troops had their huts.
The pipes of Scotland sounded in many villages of France and
Flanders, where for all time the wail of them will come down the
wind to the ears of men who hear with the spirit. They were played
not only in the roads and fields, but often at night in farmhouses
where Highland officers had their messes, or in cottages where some
battalion headquarters were established or in old houses within city
walls where there was a feast or a guest night. It was my privilege
to spend some of those evenings, when down the long table in a
narrow room the pipers marched, solemnly standing behind the guest's
chair and playing old dances and marches of Bonnie Scotland. Then
the colonel would offer the pipe-major a glass of whisky, which he
would raise high, toasting the health of the officers in Gaelic.
After that, on many a good evening in a bad war, the tables would be
cleared, and the young officers would dance an eightsome reel, with
laughter and simulated passion, and shrill cries of challenge and
triumph which stirred a stranger's soul. Or the pipers themselves
would be asked to give a dance, and in stocking feet on bare boards,
dance as lightly as gossamer and as nimbly as Nijinsky the Russian,
though big, brawny men. In small rooms the music of the pipes was
loud--too loud for any but Scottish ears--and it was hard on a French
"padre" who was trying to sleep upstairs in one small cottage, with
thin walls and cracks between old timbers of the ceiling, while
downstairs late into the night the pipers played merrily for those
who would fight in the next battle, near at hand. The effect of such
pipe-music within four walls was prodigious on a French officer
whom I took one night to the mess of the 8/10th Gordons. The full
pipe-band marched in as usual, and I saw my friend open his eyes wide
and stare with amazement at this apparition. When they stood behind
his chair playing lustily, so that the very glasses quaked on the
table, he became very pale, and after the second "strathspey" I saw
him collapse in his chair in a dead swoon. The Gordons thought this
a fine tribute to their pipers. They enjoyed the incident justly
though full of consideration for the French officer. He explained to
me after the symptoms that overcame him. "I felt," he said, "enormous
waves rolling up to me and passing over me; my heart beat wildly,
and vivid colours rushed past my eyes. Then I knew no more!" Nothing
would induce him to suffer such musical agony again.
I shall always remember one piper I saw in the ruins of the Château
of Caulaincourt. How he came there, or why he stayed there, I do not
know, because few of our troops were in the neighbourhood, and the
place was a desert. The château had been a vast place, with high
walls and terraces and out-houses, but the whole place had been
hurled into ruin by the Germans on their first retreat in the spring
of 1917. They had opened the family vaults and pillaged the coffins,
and I remember being struck by the pathos of a little marble tablet
I saw on a refuse heap, to which it had been flung. On it were the
words in French, "The heart of Madame la Marquise de Caulaincourt."
Poor dead heart of Madame la Marquise! In life it would have broken
at the sight of all this ruin. But there, quite alone, on the central
avalanche of stones, stood a Scottish piper playing a lament.... I
heard from other officers that he was seen there later, still alone,
and still playing his pipes, but why we could not tell.
The last time I heard the pipes was at the end of the war. They were
playing Scottish troops over a bridge across the Rhine, at Cologne,
and at the journeys' end of all that long and tragic way through
which our men had fought with heroism, through frightful fire, with
dreadful losses, until victory was theirs, final and complete. Along
those roads the pipes of war went playing, month after month, year
after year, from one battle to another, and in their music for ever,
as long as remembrance of this war lasts, there will be the tears and
the tragedy and the triumph, reminding the world of all that gallant
youth of Scotland which fought in France.
THE PIPES IN THE EVERYDAY LIFE OF THE WAR
By ARTHUR FETTERLESS
I do not think any one can write with greater pleasure than I for the
Pipers' Record. My only regret is that, personally, I never chanced
to see the pipes go into direct action. I know that, in the earlier
stages of the war, and in a few celebrated cases later, the pipes
went into the charge, but I had not the good fortune to be present
on one of these occasions. Others, however, will have written of
these things, and I do not think I can do better than speak of events
actually known to myself relating to the pipes and the pipers in the
general life of the war.
The pipes! Ah! No memories of the great war will ever be complete to
any member of a Highland regiment without the recollection of the
pipes, for they are unquestionably the finest battle instrument ever
created. They mourned with us in hours of sorrow. They cheered us in
hours of weariness. They played gaily in hours of rest and merriment.
Back in billets, in ruined villages, half the battalion would turn
out to hear "Retreat" played by the pipe-band. It was one of the
events of the day, in the summer in the sweltering heat of the
dust-laden huts behind the front-line, in the winter in the dank cold
mid the seas of mud, in the midst of which the pipers played upon an
island that was sometimes almost a floating raft.
At these times the rumble of the guns was overwhelmed, and the
horrors of war and the atmosphere were for a little time forgotten.
And the fact that the pipes were the pride of the battalion was
evident from the remarks of the men, if several Highland battalions
were billeted together.
"Your pipes are no' a patch on ours!"
"Aw, away wi' ye, look at yer big drum; he canna twirl his sticks
above his heid."
"Umph! We've got a pipe-major, onyhoo."
"Aye." A grudging admission.
Such remarks were of the everyday talk of the men who heard the pipes.
Again, at the periodical meetings and games of Highland brigades, the
massed bands of the battalions were always there playing a mighty
skirl. There were, of course, piping competitions in conjunction with
competitions in Highland dancing and sport.
All these occasions did much to rob modern war of its dismal
character, and bring back something of the glamour of arms, and the
glory of strong men.
But enough of general remarks. I wish to write of five typical scenes
from the life of the war relating to pipes and the pipers.
* * * * *
In the first I am standing at the entrance to one of the low
dug-outs, covered over with turf, which used to lie, and perhaps
still exist, a few hundred yards from the Café Belge up the road to
Ypres. Most people who fought in that sector found a billet in them
at some time, or knew them--filthy they were.
Overhead a couple of aeroplanes are hovering, very high up. An
occasional shell can be heard, coming from a long distance away, with
a rolling noise. The shells are probably 9-inch or perhaps larger,
and they are bursting with crash and splash in the fields around or
near the road.
From the direction of the Café Belge I see a company of men in kilts
advancing, men heavily laden with all the usual impedimenta of packs,
rifles, etc. They look, in the distance, tired and grim, and in
formation they are straggling, owing to the appallingly muddy state
of the road.
A shell bursts in the field to the left of the road along which they
are coming. There is a heavy cloud of smoke, and streams of mud and
slime are spued upwards and around. For a moment the leader seems to
hesitate, and the party halts. Then they move on again.
Suddenly there is a sound as of tuning up, and two pipers commence
to play. The advancing men steady in formation and come slogging
through the mud, with step almost rhythmic to the music.
"Crash!" Another shell bursts nearer them, splashing some of the
platoon with mud. The pipes play on.
"Crash!" A third shell bursts short of them.
The pipes play on, and the men march steadily past to the music of
the pipes. They cover another hundred yards, and a shell bursts in
the road where the platoon were marching a few seconds before. I say
to myself, "Thank God, they got through in time."
As I look back it seems to me that that was not too bad an example of
steadiness of pipers and men under dangerous fire. But of course it
was all just an everyday sort of thing--a few men relieving trenches
with a couple of pipers to cheer them on the way up--part of the
everyday life of war.
The pipes only began to play after the shelling broke out.
* * * * *
My second scene is an incident taken from life in France. I think the
pipes did their share in fostering the _entente_, and the arrival of
Highland battalions with their pipe-bands marching in front did much
to engrave in the hearts of the French people memories which will be
carried on from generation to generation.
In this second scene I stood at the entrance to a French town when a
very famous battalion entered the main street marching to attention,
with pipe-band playing. It was the first Scottish battalion to enter
that town.
Near me stood a little girl in a white dress. Her face, on seeing the
band, first expressed astonishment. The expression changed to pleased
interest, and finally she burst into gleeful smiles.
As the band came near her she danced along beside the pipers, a
beautiful golden-haired child, supremely happy.
The people standing around cheered and waved with French enthusiasm.
To them undoubtedly, in one of the darkest hours of the war--those
magnificent men and the music of the pipes bore a message of hope and
determination, with the promise of ultimate victory.
To any people who are inclined to be supercilious about pipe-music,
the recollection of the unfeigned pleasure of a beautiful child on
hearing the pipes for the first time has often seemed to me to supply
an answer. Those who cannot understand pipe-music might be able to do
so if they were ready to receive it in the same simple spirit.
* * * * *
About the end of October 1915 the trenches on Hill 60 in front of
Ypres, were in a particularly sodden state. The rotting sandbags
which formed the parapets were a mass of oozing earth, continually
being scattered by shell-fire and rebuilt again by the toilsome
labours of mud-covered "Jocks."
The Hun sniper, too, was exceptionally vigilant in these parts, and,
as he had the advantage of ground and of enfilade fire from several
points, to put a head above the parapet in daylight meant almost
certain death. Men also were being continually wounded and killed
while passing along the trenches at points where the parapet had
become too low, and it had not been possible to build it up quickly
enough.
As the combined result of shell-fire, sniping, and the bad state of
the trenches, the amount of work which could be done in daylight
was small. Repairs were done at night. There were also, on account
of these difficulties and others, very few loop-holes available, so
that, excepting through periscopes, the average man saw very little
of the enemy. He scarcely ever got a shot at him by day. I suppose
it was the result of all these things put together which created the
scene.
On a very dull morning a party of Seaforths were gathered in a bay of
one of the trenches. I was round the traverse in the next bay. One of
the party of men was on sentry duty with a periscope; the rest were
cleaning rifles.
Owing to the dullness of the day, mud and filth, the _ensemble_ was
dismal. Suddenly there sounded from the direction of Sanctuary Wood
the music of pipes playing. Why they were playing then, or where
exactly they were playing, I have never known, but there certainly
floated across to the dismal trenches the music of "Horo, My Nut
Brown Maiden."
To us in the trenches the distant music sounded perfectly glorious,
and the burdens of the hour were for a time lifted away. That the
men found it so was evident from their action.
Everybody knows the soldier's version which runs to the same air,
and it apparently struck the fancy of the men as applicable to the
occasion, for there burst forth from the adjoining bay a cheerful
chorus:
"Aa canna see the tairget,
Aa canna see the tairget,
Oh, aa canna see the tairget,
It's owre far awa."
The last line was converted by one of the chorus party into the line:
"For Jerry he's owre fly."
On looking round the corner of the traverse I saw the concert-party
incredibly cheerful, and entirely oblivious of war, mud or danger,
for the pipes had asserted their sway.
* * * * *
There are many marches which the pipers made, including marches
to battle, of which I might write, but I think my second last
reminiscence had best be taken from the journey of the conquering
Second Army which tramped from Ypres to the Rhine on the last great
triumphal march.
Of the 250 miles odd which the Army covered, I am certain that the
pipers of my battalion piped at least a good half, perhaps more.
What could we have done without them on that march? As we tramped
through village after village and town after town, neath welcome
banners and cheering crowds, men wearied with marching, not always
too amply rationed, yet swung forward with assured tread to the lilt
of the pipes through every village and town.
Welcoming bands played the Marseillaise, the Brabançonne, and the
British Anthem, and the crowds shouted their "Vive les Alliês," etc.
The pipes played their regimental and national marches in return, and
if intercommunication through language was not perfect, yet there was
complete accord through music.
Undoubtedly, on that never-to-be-forgotten march, the pipes were
indispensable.
* * * * *
The last scene is taken from Germany. Perhaps I should speak of
massed bands parading in the main squares and streets of the great
towns of the Rhine, bringing home to the Hun as forcibly as in any
way the destruction of his ill-judged schemes; or perhaps I should
speak of the pipers on some of the great occasions--presentations of
medals, presentations of colours, etc.
I prefer to write of a very simple event. Happening where it did, it
seemed so homely.
I was riding through a forest not far from Cologne when I heard the
music of pipes. I turned off the road and proceeded along a pathway
which led to a green sward in the forest.
There I saw a solitary piper marching slowly up and down playing a
lament. His loneliness seemed to me to symbolise two things--the
completeness of victory, and the detachment of the conquerors. The
music sounded very beautiful among the trees.
I did not interrupt the piper, but if I know anything at all of
piping, I am sure that that piper in the forest felt for a little
while almost as if he were treading his native heath again, and
dreamt of the Highland hills and forests from which he had come.
After all, in Germany, we were strangers in a strange land and not
wishing to stay there. Having done our work, we said in our hearts,
"let us away!" for the Huns will always be Hunnish. But we are
Highland, and the pipes are calling us home.
* * * * *
Beat on drums; let the pipes play and the banners be unfurled for
every triumphal march that shall be. But when the marches are played
let us never forget that every march has grown more glorious by the
war and the blood of the men who fell; that every march has woven
around it a thousand memories of life and death, of hardship, of
danger, and of victory.
In days to come we will remember--to battle we went by _that_ march;
to Longueval we went by _that_ march; and from Loos we came by _that_
one. And for every battle march that the pipers play, we know that a
million feet and more have marched to its song.
That record of great work--that, with death and other things they did
not count--_that_ is the Pipers' Record.
THE OLDEST AIR IN THE WORLD
By NEIL MUNRO
Col Maclean, on two sticks, and with tartan trousers on, came down
between the whins to the poles where the nets were drying, and joined
the Trosdale folk in the nets' shade. 'Twas the Saturday afternoon;
they were frankly idling, the township people--except that the women
knitted, which is a way of being indolent in the Islands--and had
been listening for an hour to an heroic tale of the old sea-robber
days from Patrick Macneill, the most gifted liar in the parish. A
little fire of green wood burned to keep the midges off, and it was
hissing like a gander.
"Take your share of the smoke and let down your weariness, darling,"
said one of the elder women, pushing towards the piper a herring
firken. Nobody looked at his sticks nor his dragging limb--not even
the children; had he not been a Gael himself Maclean might have
fancied his lameness was unperceived. He bitterly knew better, but
pushed his sticks behind the nets as he seated himself, and seated,
with his crutches absent, he was a fellow to charm the eye of maid or
sergeant-major.
"Your pipes might be a widow, she's so seldom seen or heard since you
came home," said one of the fishermen.
"And that's the true word," answered Col Maclean. "A widow indeed,
without her man! Never in all my life played I _piob mhor_ but on my
feet and they jaunty! I'll never put a breath again in sheep-skin. If
they had only blinded me!"
There was in the company, Margaret, daughter of the bailie; she had
been a toddling white-haired child when Col went to France, and had
to be lifted to his knees; now she got up on them herself at a jump,
and put her arms round his neck, tickling him with her fingers till
he laughed.
"Oh bold one! Let Col be!" her mother commanded; "thou wilt spoil his
beautiful tartan trews."
"It is Col must tell a story now," said the little one, thinking of
the many he used to tell her before he became a soldier.
"It is not the time for wee folks stories," said the mother; "but
maybe he will tell us something not too bloody for Sunday's eve about
the Wars."
Col Maclean, for the first time, there and then, gave his tale of The
Oldest Air in the World.
* * * * *
"I was thinking to myself," said he, "as I was coming through the
whins there, that even now, in creeks of the sea like this, beside
their nets adrying, there must be crofter folk in France, and they at
_ceilidh_ like yourselves, telling of tales and putting to each other
riddles."
"_Ubh! ubh!_ It is certain there are no crofters in France,
whatever," said William-the-Elder. "It is wine they drink in France,
as I heard tell from the time I was the height of a Lorne shoe, and
who ever heard of crofters drinking wine?"
"Wherever are country people and the sea beside them to snatch a meal
from, you will find the croft," insisted Col the piper. "They have
the croft in France, though they have a different name for it from
ours, and I'll wager the bulk of the land they labour is as bare as a
bore's snout, for that is what sheep and deer have left in Europe for
the small spade-farmer."
"Did'st see the crofting lands out yonder?" asked Margaret's mother.
"No," said the piper; "but plenty I saw of the men they breed there;
I ate with them, and marched with them, and battled at their side,
for we were not always playing the pipes, we music-fellows.
"And that puts me in mind of a thing--there is a people yonder, over
in France, that play the bagpipe--they call them Brettanach--the
Bretons. They are the same folk as ourselves though kind of Frenchmen
too, wine-drinking, dark and Papist. Race, as the old-word says,
goes down to the rock, and you could tell at the first glance of a
Brettanach that he was kin to us though a kilt was never on his
loins, and not one word in his head of the Gaelic language. 'Tis
history! Someway--some time--far back--they were sundered from us,
the Brettanach, and now have their habitation far enough from Albyn
of the mountains, glens and heroes. Followers of the sea, fishermen
or farmers; God-fearing, good hard drinkers, in their fashion--many a
time I looked at one and said to myself, 'There goes a man of Skye or
Lewis!'"
"And the girls of them?" said Ranald Gorm, with a twinkle of the eyes.
"You have me there!" said Col. "I never saw woman-kind of the
Brettanach; the war never went into their country, and the Bretons I
saw were in regiments of the army, far enough from home like myself,
in the champagne shires where they make the wine.
"We came on them first in a town called Corbie, with a church so
grand and spacious a priest might bellow his head off and never be
heard by the poor in the seats behind. 'Twas on a week-day, a Mass
was making; that was the first and last time ever I played pipes in
the House of God, and faith! that not by my own desiring. 'Twas some
fancy of the priests, connived between them and the Cornal. Fifteen
of us marched the flag-stones of yon kirk of Corbie playing 'Fingal's
Weeping.'"
"A good brave tune!" remarked the bailie.
"A brave tune, and a bonny! I'll warrant yon one made the rafters
shiver! The kirk was filled with a corps of the tribe I mention--the
Brettanach--and they at their Papist worshipping; like ourselves,
just country folk that would sooner be at the fishing or the croft
than making warfare.
"My eye fell, in particular, on a fellow that was a sergeant, most
desperate like my uncle Sandy--so like I could have cried across the
kirk to him 'Oh uncle! what do ye do so far from Salen?' The French,
for ordinary, are black as sloes, but he was red, red, a noble head
on him like a bullock, an eagle nose, and a beard cut square and
gallant.
"When the kirk spilled out its folk, they hung awhile about the
burial-yard as we do ourselves in Trosdale, spelling the names on the
head-stones, gossiping, and by-and-bye slipped out, I doubt not, to a
change-house for a dram, and all the pipers with them except myself."
[Illustration: DUNIQUAICH, LOCH FYNE
_From the Water-colour Drawing by George Houston, A.R.S.A._]
"God bless me!" cried Ronald Gorm.
"Believe it or not, but I hung back and sought my friend the red one.
He was sitting all his lone on a slab in the strangers' portion of
the graveyard, under yews, eating bread and onion and sipping wine
from his flask of war. Now the droll thing is that though I knew he
had not one word of Christian Gaelic in his cheek, 'twas the Gaelic I
must speak to him.
"'Just man,' says I to him. 'Health to you and a hunter's hunger! I
was looking at you yonder in the kirk, and a gentleman more like my
clansman Sandy Ruadh of Salen is surely not within the four brown
borders of the world nor on the deeps of ocean. Your father must have
come from the Western Isles, or the mother of you been wandering.'
"Of all I said to him he knew but the one word that means the same
thing, as they tell me, in all Celtdom--_eaglais_. To his feet
got the Frenchman, stretched out to me his bread and wine, with a
half-laugh on him most desperate like Uncle Sandy, and said _eaglais_
too, with a flourish of the heel of his loaf at the kirk behind him
to show he understood that, anyway. We sat on the slab, the pair of
us, my pipes stretched out between us, and there I assure, folk, was
the hour of conversation!"
"But if you could not speak each other's tongue?" said a girl.
"_Tach!_ two men of the breed with a set of pipes between them can
always follow one another. 'Tis my belief if I stood his words on end
and could follow them backwards they would be good Gaelic of Erin.
The better half of our speech was with our hands; he had not even got
the English; and most of the time we talked pipe-music, as any man
can do that's fit to pucker his lips and whistle. The Breton people
_canntarach_ tunes too, like ourselves--soft-warbling them to fix
them in the memory, and blyth that morning was our warbling; he could
charm, my man, the very thrush from trees! But Herself--the _piob
mhor_--was an instrument beyond his fingering; the pipes he used at
home he called _biornieu_, fashioned differently from ours. Yet the
same wind blows through reeds in France or Scotland, and everywhere
they sing of old and simple things; you are deaf indeed if you cannot
understand.
"He was from the seashore--John his name--a mariner to his
trade--with a wife and seven children; himself the son of a cooper.
"I am a good hand at the talking myself, as little Margaret here
will tell you, but his talk was like a stream in spate, and the arms
of him went flourishing like drum-sticks. Keep mind of this--that
the two of us, by now, were all alone in the kirk-yard, on a little
hillock with the great big cliff of a kirk above us, and the town
below all humming with the soldiers, like a byke of bees.
"He bade me play on the pipes at last and I put them in my oxter
and gave him 'Lochiel's awa' to France.' A fine tune! but someway I
felt I never reached him. I tried him then with bits of 'The Bugle
Horn,' 'Take your gun to the Hill,' 'Bonnie Ann' and 'The Persevering
Lover;' he beat time with a foot to them, and clapped my shoulder,
but for all that they said to him I might as well be playing on a
fiddle.
"It was only when I tried an old _port-mor_--"The Spoil of the
Lowlands now graze in the Glen" that his whiskers bristled, and at
that said I to myself 'I have you Uncle Sandy!'
"Before the light that flickered was gone from him I blew it up to a
height again with 'Come to me Kinsman!'
"He was like a fellow that would be under spells!
"'The Good Being be about me!' cried he, and his eyes like flambeaux,
'what tune is that?'
"You never, never, never saw a man so much uplifted!
"'They call it,' said I, 'Come to me Kinsman,' (_Thigibh a so a
charaid!_), and it has the name, in the small Isles of the West, of
the Oldest Air of the World. The very ravens know it; what is it but
the cry of men in trouble? It's older than the cairns of Icolmkill,
and cried the clans from out of the Isles to Harlaw. Listen you
well!' and I played it to him again--not all the MacCrimmons that
ever came from Skye could play it better! For grand was the day and
white with sun, and to-morrow we were marching. And many a lad of
ours was dead behind us.
"When I was done, he did a droll thing then, the red fellow--put his
arms about my shoulders and kissed me on the face! And the beard of
him like a flaming whin!
"What must he do but learn it? Over and over again I had to whistle
it to him till he had it to the very finish, and all the time the
guns were going in the east.
"'If ever you were in trouble,' I said to him--though of course he
could not understand me, 'and you whistled but one blast of that air,
it is Col Maclean would be at your side though the world were staving
in below your feet like one of your father's barrels!'"
II
The day was done in Trosdale. Beyond the rim of the sea the sun had
slid to make a Sabbath morning further round the world, and all the
sky in the west was streaming fire. Over the flats of Heisker the
light began to wink on the Monach islets. Ebbed tide left bare sand
round Kirkibost, and the sea-birds settled on them, rising at times
in flocks and eddying in the air as if they were leaves and a wind
had blow them. Curlews were piping bitterly.
Behind the creek where the folk were gathered on the sea-pinks,
talking, Trosdale clachan sent up the reek of evening fires, and the
bairns were being cried in from the fields.
The Catechist, sombre fellow, already into his Sabbath, though 'twas
only Saturday nine o' the clock, came through the whins and cast
about him a glance for bagpipes. He had seen Maclean's arrival with
misgiving. A worthy man, and a face on him like the underside of a
two-year skate-fish.
Col Maclean turned on him a visage tanned as if it had been in the
cauldron with the catechu of the barking nets.
"Take you a firken too, and rest you, Catechist," said he. "You see I
have not my pipes to-night, but I'm at _sgeulachd_."
But the Catechist sat not; and leaning against a net-pole sighed.
"'Twas two years after that," said Col, again into the rapture of
his story, "when my regiment went to the land of wine, where we
battled beside the French. I assure you we did nobly! nobly! Nor, on
the soul of me! were the Frenchmen slack!"
"The French," ventured Patrick Macneill, "are renowned in story for
all manly parts. Oh King! 'tis they have suffered!"
"'Tis myself, just man, that is not denying it! We were yonder in
a land like Keppoch desolate after the red cock's crowing. The
stars themselves, that are acquaint with grief, and have seen great
tribulation in the dark of Time would sicken at the sight of it!
Nothing left of the towns but _larochs_--heaps of lime and rubble
where the rat made habitation, and not one chimney reeking in a
hundred miles. Little we ken of trees here in the Islands, but they
were yonder planted thick as bracken and cut down to the stump the
way you would be cutting winter kail. And the fields that the country
folk had laboured!--were the Minch drained dry, the floor of it would
seem no likelier place for cropping barley or for pasturing goats.
"There was a day of days, out yonder, that we mixed up with the
French and cleared the breadth of a parish of _am boche_, who was
ill to shift. But the mouth of the night brought him back on us most
desperate altogether, and half we had gained by noon was lost by
gloaming.
"Five score and ten of our men were missing at the roll-call.
"The Cornal grunted. 'Every man of them out of Lewis!' says he;
'they're either dead or wandered. Go you out Col Maclean with your
beautiful, lovely, splendid pipes, and gather at least the living.'
"Not one morsel of meat had I eaten for twenty hours, and the inside
of me just one hole full of hunger, but out went Col and his pipes to
herding!
"Oh King of the Elements! but that was the night most foul, with
the kingdom of France a rag for wetness, and mire to the hose-tops.
Rain lashed; a scourging wind whipped over the country, and it was
stinking like a brock from tatters that had been men. The German
guns were pelting it, the sound of them a bellow no more broken than
the roar on skerries at Martinmas, the flash of them in the sky like
Merry Dancers.
"I got in a while to the length of a steading with a gable standing;
tuned up _piob mhor_ and played the gathering. They heard me, the
lads--the living of them; two-over-twenty of them came up to me by
the gable, with no more kenning of what airt they were in than if a
fog had found them midway on the Long Ford of Uist. I led them back
to King George's furrows where our folk were, and then, _mo chreach!_
when we counted them, one was missing!
"'It is not a good herd you are, Maclean,' said the Cornal, 'you will
just go back and find Duncan Ban; he's the only man in the regiment I
can trust to clean my boots.'
"So back went Col in search of Duncan."
"Oh lad! weren't you the gallant fellow!" cried Margaret's mother,
adoring.
"I was that, I assure you! If it were not the pipes were in my
arm-pit like a girl, my feet would not keep up on me the way I would
be pelting any other road than the way I had to go. But my grief! I
never got my man, nor no man after ever found him. I went to the very
ditches where _am boche_ was lying, and 't was there that a light
went up that made the country round about as white-bright as the day,
and I in the midst of it with my pipes in hand. They threw at me grey
lead as if it had been gravel, and I fell."
"_Och, a mheudail bhochd!_--Oh treasure!" said the women of Trosdale
all together.
"I got to my knees in a bit and crawled, as it might be for a
lifetime, one ache from head to heel, till I came to a hole as deep's
a quarry where had been the crossing of roads, and there my soul went
out of me. When I came to myself I was playing pipes and the day was
on the land. The Good Being knows what I played, but who should come
out across the plain to me but a Frenchman!
"He moved as spindrift from spindrift,
As a furious winter wind--
So swiftly, sprucely, cheerily,
Oh! proudly,
Through glens and high-tops,
And no stop made he
Until he came
To the city and court of Maclean,
Maclean of the torments,
Playing his pipes."
The Catechist writhed; the people of Trosdale shivered; Patrick
Macneill wept softly, for Col Maclean, the cunning one, by the
rhyming trick of the ancient sennachies, had flung them, unexpected,
into the giddiness of his own swound, and all of them, wounded,
dazed, saw the Frenchman come like a shadow into the world of shades.
"He flung himself in the hole beside me, did the Frenchman, gave me a
sup of spirits and put soft linen to my sores, and all the time grey
lead was snarling over us.
"'Make use of thy good hale feet, lad,' said I to him, 'and get out
of this dirty weather! Heed not the remnants of Col Maclean. What
fetched thee hither?'
"He put his hand on my pipes and whistled a stave of the old tune.
"'How learned ye that?' I asked him.
"Although he was Brettanach he had a little of the English. 'Red
John our sergeant, peace be with him! heard you playing it all last
night,' said he, 'took a craze at the tune of you and went out to
find you, but never came back. Then another man, peace be with him! a
cousin of John, heard your playing and went seeking you, but he came
back not either. I heard you first, myself, no more than an hour ago,
and had no sooner got your tune into my head than it quickened me
like drink, and here am I, kinsman!'
"'Good lad!' I cried, 'all the waters in the world will not wash out
kinship, nor the Gael be forsaken while there is love and song.'"
"Vain tales! Vain tales!" groaned the Catechist, and his face like a
skate.
THE PIPES: ONSET
(Somme, September, 1916)
By JOSEPH LEE, Lieut.
_Dedicated to Major Angus MacGillivray._
_The cry is in my ear,
The sight is in my eye,
This is the dawning of the day
That shall see me die:_
What is the piper playing
That battles in my blood?--
Winds in it,
Waves in it,
Waters at the flood;
Sadness in it,
Madness in it,
Weeping mists and rain--
What is the piper playing
That beats within my brain?
Sobbing and throbbing
Like a soul's unrest;
I drink his madd'ning music in
As milk at my mother's breast:
Flame in it,
Fame in it,
Love and all desire;
The clean hills,
The clear rills,
The smouldering peat fire;
Glances sweet,
Dancing feet,
Beating on the floor;
Maidens fair,
Comrades rare
I shall meet no more.
_The cry is in my ear,
The sight is in my eye,
This is the morning of the day
That shall see me die:_
What is the piper playing
That surges in my blood?
The soft breeze
In pine trees,
The hawthorn i' the bud;
The lone tarn,
The golden barn,
Fields of waving grain--
What is the piper playing
That beats within my brain?
Red war screams from his reeds
And in the thrumming drones
There lurks the lapping of men's blood,
And sobs, and dying groans:
Night in it,
Fight in it,
Wraiths of stricken men,
Ghosts of ancient clansmen
Sweeping down the glen;
Life in it,
Strife in it,
Whisp'rings--it is well,
If you bear a foeman down
Right to reddest hell!
* * * * *
_What is the piper playing?
For now I may not hear ...
The glamour comes across my soul,
And the cry is in my ear._
FLESH TO THE EAGLES
By BOYD CABLE
It was during the retreat of 1914 that a Highland regiment was
quartered for a night in one of the French villages, and billetted
in houses, barns, anywhere the hospitable villagers could give them
room. The officers established their Mess and quarters in "The
Chateau," a big house on the outskirts of the village. Many of the
villagers had already cleared out, but in the Chateau the officers
found the mistress of the house, her daughter, and her servants,
standing staunchly to their place; the master of the house being, as
they were told, in the French Army.
Madame spoke English fairly well, the daughter very well--when she
did speak, which was seldom. She was a young and pretty girl of
perhaps fifteen to sixteen years of age, fresh come from a convent
school, reserved, timid and shy, in the presence of the officers
almost to a point of shrinking when they spoke to her. Yet, although
they could see her shiver and blanch at the sound of the distant
grumble of the guns, she supported her mother bravely and asserted
stoutly that she was not afraid to stay, when the C.O. and some of
the other officers questioned the wisdom of the household waiting for
the Germans to advance.
"Perhaps, monsieur," said Madame, "your soldiers will possible arrest
the advance before the Allemands arrive at us here. And if it is not
so, it is, after all, soldiers of the Allemands that will come, and
they will not harm women and old men and boys who make no provocation
or resistance."
Unfortunately the practices of German soldiers were not then
sufficiently known to the officers to make them press their argument
beyond reasonable limits, and they gave in reluctantly to Madame's
reasoning. "We cannot the children and the very old to march away,"
she said, "and one could not go and leave them here. Me, I stay to
speak with the enemy officers and see my people do nothing foolish. I
cannot run away and leave them."
So they left it at that.
Madame gave them dinner that night in the dining-room, and it was
after dinner that one of the regimental pipers was heard parading
round and playing tune after tune. Madame and Mademoiselle were
greatly interested and asked many questions.
"But there," cried Madame at one tune, "there is the music most
fierce. It sound--"
"It is battle music, Madame," explained the C.O. "Music of a war song
of the Highlands--of the Écossais. Ask Monsieur l'Adjutant for the
words of the song."
So the Adjutant recited "The Macgregors' Gathering," with all the
fire and ardour of a fiery Scot, and a Macgregor at that. Madame sat
with brows knit, plainly struggling to follow the English words; her
daughter, as plainly understanding them clearly, held her breath and
listened spellbound and wondering to the words. Her head lifted and
her eye lit to some of the lines:
_While there's leaves in the forest and foam on the river,
Macgregor, despite them, shall flourish for ever._
But at others, delivered with fierce emphasis and dramatic fervour,
she shrank back with quivering lip and pain on her face:
_If they rob us of name and pursue us with beagles,
Give their roofs to the flames, their flesh to the eagles._
When the Adjutant had finished and had sat down, looking a little
shame-faced at having allowed his feelings to so carry him away,
Madame and the girl spoke rapidly in French for a minute.
Then Madame shook her head. "But no," she said, "I do not like it,
this song. It is cru-el, cru-el. How says it--'The roof to the
burning, and the bodies, the dead, the flesh, to the birds of prey.'
But no, that is the war of savage."
The C.O. tried to explain to her, while the Adjutant did so even
more eagerly to the girl, that it was war of the most savage and
relentless kind that ran in those far back days in the Highlands of
Scotland; but again Madame protested. "It is too cru-el. I do not
like it that you make such song and such music now. War, it is no
more so. What is it your song says of the burning of _la maison_?"
She made the Adjutant repeat the lines and repeated after him, "Ah,
m'sieu, 'Give their roof to the flames, their flesh to the eagles.'
That is, burn the shelter of the women and children, and leave the
dead unbury. You would not do that; even the Boche that we despise
would not do this thing. It is cru-el, cru-el."
Mademoiselle said nothing, but they could all see the shrinking in
her eyes as she looked at them, the wonder if, even now, the Écossais
could be so savage as to make such war. The Adjutant set himself to
remove such an idea of their barbarity from her mind, and with some
success apparently, since there was little shrinking and no more
than a faint blush of timid friendship when they said good-night and
retired.
Next morning the orders came, sharp, urgent and imperative, to move
at once, and there was little time for farewells. But Madame and the
girl were both out to see them off and watch the battalion tramp by.
The pipes at their head were screaming their vengeful music, "Give
their roof to the flames, their flesh to the eagles," until the
Adjutant, seeing the protesting motion of Madame's hands to her ears,
hurried to the pipers and asked them to change the tune.
* * * * *
After the ebb of our retreat and the period of the Marne, came the
full flood-tide of our advance, and the sweeping forward of the
French and British over the ground the Germans had taken and held
a space. As the luck had it, the same Highland battalion came back
through the same village where they had billetted that night--or
rather to the shell, the wreckage, the remains of the same village.
The men by now were coming to know what sort of treatment had been
served out to the conquered country by the Germans, and were angry
enough at some of the sights they had seen, the tales they had heard.
But the anger had been cold and impersonal until now, when they
came swinging in to this friendly spot, through the shattered houses
and streets littered with broken bottles and household goods, saw
the gaping windows to the houses, the smoke-blackened shells here
and there, the signs of pillage and wanton destruction everywhere.
The cavalry and an advance guard regiment had been through before
them, but it was plain that no fighting had taken place here, that no
shell-fire had wrought this damage, that cold-blooded "frightfulness"
alone had to answer for it. They were roused to fresh wrath by what
they saw, but to a still greater pitch of fury by the tales they
heard from the quaking villagers who were left, or who came creeping
in from the fields and ditches to which they had fled on word of
approaching soldiers. The sights were no more than the men had been
seeing in any of a dozen villages passed, the tales no more than they
had heard a score of times in the past few days; but in this village
they had been made welcome, had been treated to the best, had made
quick but happy friendships; and they felt a personal injury and pity
for the brutally treated villagers.
The battalion halted there for an hour or so and ate their midday
meal--or rather gave it to the hungry women and children and watched
them eat--and heard fresh and more horrible tales and half-tales that
were too bestial to be told in full.
The moment the battalion had fallen out and he was free, the Adjutant
had asked the Colonel if he might go to the Chateau and make
enquiries....
But when he and another officer came there they found none to make
enquiries of. The house still stood, intact so far as the building
itself went, but otherwise no more than a litter of rubbish and
wreckage. Every stick of furniture that would break was broken, every
crock and dish and bottle was scattered in splinters over the floors,
every curtain, blanket and sheet, every item of bed and table linen,
every piece of clothing was torn, dirtied, and defiled as completely
as men and beasts could do it; every shelf and door and balustrade
and fitting was hacked and broken and wrenched out of place; every
room on the ground floor had been used as horses' stables and left as
foul as a stable could be; every upper room was so befouled that, by
comparison, the places of the animals below was the cleaner.
The two officers hunted through the house, outside and round the
out-buildings, and found no one; and, nauseated by what they had seen
and heart-sick at thought of the women who had been there, returned
to the village. As they entered it again they heard pipe music
softly played, and seeing down a bye-street a cluster of their men,
and hearing the sound of a woman's voice raised loud above the pipe
music, they turned off and pushed in to see what was afoot.
They found a woman in the centre of a close-pressing ring of their
men, a woman wild-eyed, with grey hair in disorder, with black and
blue bruises on her face, with her clothing torn and grimed with dirt.
"Good God!" exclaimed the Adjutant. "Madame!"
He thrust a way through the men to her, but when he spoke to her and
asked her to come with him, she clutched and held his wrist, and
stood there and made him--short of using force to her--stand and
listen with the men. A dozen times he tried to interrupt, but she
would not be interrupted, so at last he left her to go on with her
tale and asked the other officer to go and bring the C.O.
But before the C.O. came, he, like the men, was under the spell of
the woman and of her tale, was listening, like them, with his heart
turning cold and a deadly bitter anger rising in his heart. She spoke
to them in English, breaking off at times into voluble torrents of
French, checking herself and going back and repeating as best she
could in English again. But although French words and phrases and
sentences were mixed through her English, the tale was horribly plain
and clear, the stories detailed and circumstantial enough to make it
evident they were desperately true.
She told of women, girls, girl-children, outraged, and afterwards,
in some cases, mutilated and bayoneted; she told of old men and
boys hauled out and stood against a wall and shot while their women
were made to stand and look on; of one woman who refused to make
coffee for the Germans until they dipped the head of her infant in
a pan of boiling water; of another woman who was crucified, pinned
to the door with bayonets while the arm of her child was broken and
its body was flung down on the ground before her and left there
writhing ... all this and more she told, and helped her story out
with rapid gesticulations and imitative motions and sounds of the
child squirming and whining and the helpless mother wrenching at the
pinning bayonets, while the men pressed in, glowering and cursing
under breath, and behind them the pipe music skirled and wailed
"roofs to the flames, and their flesh to the eagles."
And then, lastly, she told them of herself and her daughter, the
girl of fifteen, fresh from a convent school, timid as a child and
shrinking from the look, much less the touch of a man ... and of
what they had done to her, while they held her daughter and made her
watch; and then had done to the daughter, while she in turn was held
to see and not allowed to look away or even close her ears to the
cries. She told it all, sparing herself and her child no word and
no item of their shame; and then--this was just before the Colonel
arrived--she paused and looked round at the ring of savage faces
about her, and lifted her two hands and shook them above her head.
"I am French, and you are Anglais," she cried, "but I am woman and
you are men. I have told you, so that you may know the animals you
fight. I have asked your music-man will he play this song you have,
that with the music I say it to you 'Give their roofs to the flames,
their flesh to the eagles.' And if ever you have Germans soldat at
your mercy, and they cry for pity, remember this village, and its
women and my daughter, and me. Give us revanche ... their flesh to
the eagles...."
The Colonel broke in here, and, finding she was not to be stopped,
turned and ordered the men away, and when they had gone, handed
Madame over to some of the village women who watched timidly from
their doors. Madame had told nothing but truth they assured him.
Mademoiselle? Ah, ma'm'zelle could not be seen; she hid in a cellar
and screamed like one mad if any entered or spoke--like mad did one
say, but truly she was mad; and Madame scarcely less mad.[30]
They had one more glimpse of Madame as they marched out, a glimpse
of her standing in a door and waving and calling something to the
pipers as they came past. They knew or guessed what she wanted and
the tune they were playing swung abruptly into "The Gathering," and
the battalion tramped past the woman to the vengeful skirl of " ...
flesh to the eagles."
* * * * *
Affairs had not gone well with the battalion, or what was left of
it, through the battle. They had been ordered to advance and take a
certain position in what was supposed to be the flank, had forced
their way forward over the open under a scourging shell-fire, had
suffered heavy losses, and at last gained the point from which they
were to make the final attacking rush. But now that they were here it
seemed impossible for men to go further and live. A stretch of open
still lay before them, and this was swept with a tornado of rifle
and machine-gun fire. What was supposed to be a flank of the enemy
had become a frontal position, strongly held and evidently meant to
be bitterly defended. It was vital to the success of the day that it
should be taken, for various tactical reasons we need not touch here.
The Colonel had passed the word through his officers and N.C.O.'s of
what they were needed to do, and, briefly, why and how much depended
on them.
The moment came.
A battalion on their left surged out and went plunging across the
open, the high-explosive shells bursting and flinging fountains of
spouting black earth and smoke amongst them, the ground puffing
and dust-spurting under the hailing bullets. The Highlanders were
supposed to wait until this other battalion had gained a certain line
before they, the Highlanders, attacked; so they lay in their ditch,
watching the line struggle forward and the men falling in swathes
under the pouring fire, watched it stop at last and drop flat and
then begin to break back to cover. It was no time to wait longer, and
the Colonel, making up his mind swiftly, launched his attack. It was
met by a devastating storm of fire, even heavier and more deadly than
the one they had watched. The battalion, barely clear of their cover,
wilted under the storm, hesitated, stopped, and began to fire back at
the enemy they could not see. Those of the men who stood firing were
cut down quickly, the others dropped prone or jumped into shell-holes
or such cover as they could find. The officers did their best,
jumping up and running forward and calling on their men to follow.
But few of them ran more than a score of paces before bullet or shell
fragment found them, and they fell; such men as rose and tried to
follow only followed them into the next world. The air was alive and
trembling to the whistle and whine and hiss of bullets, their snap
and smack and crack, and to the quick following crash on crash of the
earth shaking shell-bursts.
Again some of the officers tried to rally and start the line forward;
but, by now, so great was the noise, so dense the air with smoke and
dust, so chaotic and confused the whole business, that the officers'
attempts resulted in no more than spasmodic and isolated movements of
little groups, movements that were worse than useless, because each
could be dealt with in detail, and, one after another, the sweeping
machine-guns sluicing bullets on each and cutting them to pieces in
turn. Those that made these separate attempts were mostly cut down;
those that watched their failure were more convinced than ever that
the whole was useless.
The Colonel, too, saw that it was useless and vain slaughter unless
by some desperate chance the line should move together ... and even
now it was perhaps too late, because the battalion on the left,
lying in the open and scourged with fire, was giving way solidly and
struggling back to cover.
It was a crisis in the battle, and where in the crisis many brave men
had failed, one brave man tried and won. From somewhere down the line
high over the roar of the battle there rose a wailing skirl of the
pipes. There was no note of the music that was not familiar to every
man there, that they did not know each word to fit to it. The pipes
might have been crying the very words aloud to them instead of the
music:
"_Thro' the depths of Loch Katrine the steed shall career,
O'er the peaks o' Ben Lomond the galley shall steer,
And the rocks of Craig Royston like icicles melt
Ere our wrongs be forgot, ere our vengeance unfelt._"
It was the voice of their own Highlands, their own clansmen, their
own regiment, that was calling to those crouching men in the ditch.
They stirred, lifting their heads and looking for the piper. They
could not see him, but the pipes shrilled on:
"_Then gather, gather, gather ..._"
The men knew what was coming. "_Gather_" sang the pipes, and, when
they were ready gathered, the word or the sign would surely come.
The music was rousing them to other memories beyond their Scotland
and their name and fame in the Highlands. "_Landless, landless,
landless_," cried the pipes, and the men remembered those women back
in the village, houseless and homeless, tortured and shamed past
telling, remembered too a woman's final word, "But we are women and
you are men."
Along the line the wild and useless fire was steadying and dying
away; they could see now that this was no time for shooting, but for
the cold steel. The Colonel saw and felt that the moment had come,
rose crouching to his knees, made ready to leap out and forward. He,
too, had been looking for the piper without seeing sign of him. But
now, just as he rose,--"_Hulloo, Hulloo ... Gregorlach!_" skirled
the pipes, and down the line a figure leaped from cover into full
view, halted, marked time for a few steps to the beat of the music,
moved steadily forward, the kilt swaying, shoulders and pipe drones
swinging, streamers fluttering, and the pipes screaming their hardest.
All along the line men were scrambling to their feet and into the
open. "_ ... Gregorlach!_"
The Colonel was out and running forward, the line was up and
away--"_Hulloo, Gregorlach!_" and the pipe streamers still fluttering
and dancing ahead of the solid rushing wave of kilt and khaki and
glinting steel. "_Give their roofs to the flames...._"
In that rush many fell and died; but at the end of it so did many
Germans. For this time no bullet storm could stay the charge, the
position was reached and taken, and the cold steel came to its own
again--came to its own and drove home the meaning of the music that
alone had brought it there--"_Their flesh ... to the eagles._"
THE BLACK CHANTER
By CHARLES LAING WARR
It was April above Lucerne, in the year of grace nineteen hundred and
fourteen, and everything was young. A witchery of sunlight and scent
and blossom etherealised the earth and the heavens; and fields, green
as the green diamond at the heart of the world, rioted wantonly to
kiss the white dazzling peaks that glittered in the sapphire sky.
On a fallen tree, its bark all frosted with lichen, two young people
sat at the edge of a pine copse. They were both in the springtide
of life, and they sat in enchanted silence inhaling the perfume of
the trees and listening to the birth song of an awakening universe.
She was not much over twenty, perhaps, and she was enhaloed with the
soul of France. It lurked in the dark glistening coils of her hair,
in the gestures of her shoulders and white, nervous hands, her lips.
Her eyes, half mystic, half tigerish, wells of lightly slumbering
passion, told the eternal story of that indomitable race whose
destiny it seems to have been to demonstrate to the world that the
life of a nation's soul may be unquenchable, though drowned in every
century with blood.
He was obviously from across the Channel; clean built, healthy
and handsome. One versed in the characteristic physiognomy of
the denizens of our islands would have told you after a moment's
observation that he was a Celt. And indeed, the Honourable Gordon
Niall, son and heir of the fifteenth Baron Niall of the Western
Isles, could play the _piob mor_ and speak the Gaelic as his mother
tongue. Twelve years of public school and university life had left
him still dreaming foolish dreams and seeing great visions. Which is
a proof that he was born into this world a trifle late.
They were happy, these two, in their nest in the hills. They looked
out on the world as the good God made it. Among the flower-smothered
fields stretched at their feet a placid-minded peasantry lived and
moved and had their being. Content with their tree-bowered, log-built
chalets and their daily bread, they follow the slow-footed oxen and
their wooden ploughs, just as their fathers did a thousand years ago.
From day to day their stainless, uneventful life unfolds to them the
secret of the untroubled heart, and they believe in the beauty of the
world they see and the goodness of the Creator they one day hope to
see. They are simple folk, of course.
Helene von Behr loved it as she looked. It made her remember so
vividly an old-age worn chateau in the peace of southern France.
She felt again in her inmost soul those scents of childhood which
outlive all human forgetfulness. She sat and dreamed of it all,
and as she dreamed her thoughts became words, and she told them to
her companion, who listened with his blue eyes full of a boyish
unconcealed adoration for the lovely girl beside him. Her eyes
sometimes puzzled him; they puzzled him now. A sad, lambent light was
in them; like sunset glints on the shadowing hills of vanished years.
She talked on: about the moat round the grey creeper-covered house,
the moat into which she had fallen one day when only six years old.
And the forest--so deep and dark and wonderful--with the great
oak, into whose branches Napoleon III. had climbed to smoke his
everlasting cigarette in peace when he had been the unwelcome guest
of her great-uncle, a _grand seigneur_ who had despised the new
régime. Old Jean Barbé, the coachman, was remembered too--old Jean,
who was always cross but didn't mean to be; and what a funny scar it
was over his left eye where her white cat had scratched him!
Then there was the village curé. She said, with simple innocence,
that her nurse had told her as a secret that it was whispered he
was her uncle, and would have reigned in the chateau had he only
travelled into this life down the broad road which leadeth from the
altar. But, what a dear he was! She remembered when she made her
first confession to him, and how she had wondered if he was smiling,
or angry, behind the grating when she told that she had stolen a
cigarette from the big silver box on the writing-table of M. le
Vicomte de Fontaigne, her father, and had smoked it surreptitiously
in the stable beside her pet horse. He used to dine with them every
Wednesday evening; and in the calm summer night the table was laid
beneath the pear tree at the end of the terrace near the river, which
glowed so red in the light of the westering sun. How shabby his
soutane always was, and all brown with the stains of snuff!
So she rambled on and spoke of her father, that proud aristocrat,
bearing a name to be found in the most abbreviated histories. She
laughed when she said that he lived there in magnificent isolation,
too proud to serve the Republic!
Then she sighed, and did not tell that nevertheless he had married
her against her will to that dull old German diplomatist sitting down
there in the Schweizerhof immersed in the voluminous correspondence
which was the breath of his life: that correspondence which she
secretly blessed in her heart for the free, careless hours it had
given her these last ten days with this fresh-faced boy, the only
occupant of the scantily filled hotel with whom her lord and master
would allow her to associate.
She sat silent, and gazed dreamily at the undulating countryside,
radiant in bloom and light and colour, with old Pilatus in the
distance, sentinel of ages. The shimmering sunshine quivered all over
it, and the scattered chalets, and orchards pink and white with foam,
seemed lulled to sleep in the security of God. Once a priest passed,
trudging down the white dusty road beneath; once a peasant, the
smoke of his long black cigar hanging in a blue filmy wreath about
his round felt hat. Far down in the valley tinkled the music of cow
bells. A little stream, crystal clear, trickled at her feet ... flies
danced in clouds above the edging rushes. The warm smell of the earth
was intoxicating like incense....
She was dimly conscious that her companion was whistling softly. He
had a habit of doing this when deep in thought, and she recognised
the odd little refrain. She had heard him whistle it a dozen
times--queer, uncanny, elusive as the mountain mist, with the mystery
of the hills in it, and sorrow, and the spirit of brave men. She
glanced at him. She knew that this boy had begun to exercise a
strange fascination over her, stronger and more dangerous than she
dared to confess even to herself. It was not unnatural, for her life
these last three years in that grim, dull old schloss in Hanover had
been very lonely. The bud will not mate with the yellow leaf, but
spring must call to spring; albeit the mongers of the matrimonial
market prattle as they please.
"What is it you whistle, my Gordon?" she asked suddenly. "There are
strange things in the air. Has it a story from your Scottish hills?"
He sat back and laughed his gay laugh.
"Yes, it has," he answered. "I'll tell it you, if it won't bore you."
"But no: tell me," she said, and prepared to listen, her chin in her
hand.
It was a tune they played on the pipes, he said: and it was a wild,
barbaric story of war and the fierce passion of men and the tottering
fortunes of his race. Six hundred years ago Castle Niall had been
besieged by a neighbouring clan, for the Niall of the day had carried
off the daughter of its chief, and held her within his walls. The
beleaguered garrison was on the verge of starvation, when to Niall
came a dream which told him that deliverance would come from a black
chanter which would drop from heaven upon the castle roof. Three
times, and three times only, would it play a mysterious tune, which
none but the head of the house would be able to awaken from the reed;
and in the hour of peril or distress the playing of the chanter
would bring salvation. When the morning dawned grey over the castle
ramparts, they found, lying on the roof, a black chanter as had been
foretold. The chief blew on it with trembling lips, and lo! it played
of its own accord. Immediately Niall and his men sallied from the
fortress and drove their enemies into the sea.
In the intervening centuries the chanter had again been used and
brought deliverance. Its virtue would be efficacious only once more.
The strange, haunting air had become the battle charge of his race.
It was that which he had been whistling. The last time it had been
played, in the sixteenth century, the family piper had caught the air
and fixed it indelibly on the scroll of memory. He laughed nervously
when he had finished. He was afraid she would treat it lightly. But
he had told his tale with an old-world seriousness, and although
she had felt inclined to smile when he had ended his recital of it,
something in his face restrained her. Instead, she patted his brown
curly head.
"Come," she said, "it is late. We must go home."
* * * * *
It was their last evening together, for Helene and her husband were
leaving the following day. As they walked along under the chestnut
trees on the Schweizerhof Quai, Niall was dull and silent. She
had stirred the very depths of his young, impressionable heart,
this girl. He didn't attempt to deceive himself: he knew he was
passionately in love with her. He felt that he hated old von Behr.
But--it was all so hopeless.
That night he dined with them. The dinner was not a great success.
They were all pre-occupied--Helene and Gordon with crowding thoughts
that were very much akin, the Count with a disquieting dispatch from
the Wilhelmstrasse and a severe attack of indigestion. At ten o'clock
he excused himself: he had writing to do. He pointedly suggested that
his wife should go to bed; and he made his adieux to Niall, remarking
that they were leaving early in the morning and would not likely see
him. Furious with stifled anger, the boy said a conventional good-bye
to the woman he loved. She moved away. Count von Behr lingered for a
moment, and then betook himself with shambling gait to his accustomed
corner of the writing-room, which, for some reason, he preferred to
his own private apartment.
The moment he was out of sight Niall hurriedly left the lounge
and hastened upstairs. On the first floor he saw her, obviously
lingering, a little way down the corridor. She came back as she
saw him approach. The boy blushed deeply as he took her hand, and
stammered something about not being able to say good-bye in such a
beastly cold fashion. His head seemed to be swimming. He had some
confused impressions about the white of her evening gown and a great
crimson rose at her breast.
"My Gordon," she said softly, with that fascinating inability to
control her r's that thrilled him; "Whistle me your tune once
again--quickly, for I must go. I shall remember you by it, boy.
Perhaps, some day if we meet again, I may be able to whistle it to
you!"
She smiled, but her eyes were moist. And Niall drew his parched lips
together and managed to whistle the strange, mysterious air. He
finished and stood awkwardly facing her, tall and distinguished in
his evening clothes. No word of love had ever passed between them,
but as they looked into each other's eyes, each read the secret that
nothing could hide.
"Adieu, my Gordon," she whispered hastily. "You have been good to me.
I won't forget you ... and you'll help me often ... but be sensible,
boy--and forget me!"
A moment later she was running down the corridor and vanished at the
end. The boy stood for a minute or two rigid where he was, staring
blankly at a red rose in his hands, his head reeling with the
delicious joy of the knowledge that for one never-to-be-forgotten
moment her arms had been thrown round his neck, and on his mouth her
warm lips had pressed a swift, burning kiss.
II
Captain Gordon Niall of the Uist Highlanders lay flat on his face
beside a loophole in the wall. With a subaltern, two men, and a stray
sergeant of the Yorkshire Rifles, he occupied the remains of a former
farmstead, now a jumbled heap of bricks and mortar. The only portion
of this mass of refuse that looked like a house was a right angle
formed by the ends of two walls which rose like a skeleton from the
shattered piles of rafters, rubbish, stones, lime, and dead bodies of
mangled men.
It was one of the supreme moments resultant upon the German break
through near Armentières, that grim, bloody month of April, 1918.
The British line existed only in the imagination of an exhausted and
bewildered Staff, their faculties half paralysed with fatigue and
over work. No one knew with anything even approaching certainty what
the situation was. Only one thing was certain because it was obvious,
and that was that the very existence of our Armies was hanging in
the balance. The British front was hopelessly, irretrievably broken;
and a disorganised rabble of tattered regiments, half crazy with
weariness and strain and hunger, were retreating in mixed, irregular
bands back from the river Lys, through a withering hail of bullets
and a raging tornado of shrapnel and high explosive; valiantly and
uncomplainingly to take up new positions and renew the desperate
struggle against overwhelming odds.
Gordon Niall had arrived at the stage when all emotion had been
frozen to its depths. He looked phlegmatically out upon a dreary,
muddy countryside literally alive with the grey advancing hordes of
the enemy. The little group huddled in the shelter of the tottering
walls manipulated a Lewis gun with the dull ceaseless energy of men
in a dream. Dirty, ragged, verminous, with a week's growth on their
smoke-grimed emaciated faces, they were unquestioningly carrying out
to the last their final act in the mighty drama of that last awful
month which clouded their minds like a nightmare from Hell.
They had been all through the sickening horror of the struggle on the
Somme, and after three weeks hard fighting had arrived a week ago at
Armentières for a rest, to find themselves swirled into the vortex
of the new German offensive. Gordon Niall as he stoically waited for
death, knew very little about the facts of it all. He had been told
that the Portuguese who held the line on the left had broken; and
that out of the welter of shattered, scurrying, disordered units, he
had been ordered to take up an advanced position, to stem the rush
with a handful of men he had managed to gather round him out of the
retreating forces. And there he was, with four others--all that were
left--with the German masses two hundred yards ahead, and behind him
the river Lys, its muddy waters splashing under the bursting barrage,
ironically emphasising the fact that for him there was no retreat.
It was only a matter of minutes, and at last the end came. A confused
babel of sounds; a smothering avalanche of men, stamping, yelling,
pushing; the collapse of the whole universe about him; a deadly pain
in his head; a strange, swift, kaleidoscopic vision of home ... his
mother's face ... then darkness.
He didn't know how long afterwards it was that he felt himself
jerked roughly to his feet. As his senses slowly returned he
realised that a German officer was searching him. He watched the
man stupidly as he went through the papers in his pocket-book: then
something fell from a letter to the ground, something brown like a
dead leaf, and Niall lurched forward with a snarl.
"Give it me!" he said hoarsely.
The officer looked up, surprised, and then down at his feet. He
stooped and picked the little fragment from the ground, glanced at it
casually, and handed it to Niall with a look of half amused wonder
in his eyes. Then he went on reading. Niall thrust the recovered
treasure into his tunic pocket--only a faded rose given to him four
years ago by a girl at Lucerne, whose memory the passion of war had
not succeeded in effacing.
The officer soon finished, and Niall was marched off with a small
escort. It all seemed like a bad dream, that scurry over the
fire-swept zone, the arrival at the battered hamlet where more
prisoners were waiting. Then the long weary march, hour after hour,
their numbers constantly swelling, on through the fading twilight and
a dark drizzling night. Like drunken men the straggling column reeled
along, half delirious with hunger and fatigue, past stores and camps
and dumps and villages, while ever past them the reserve masses of
horse, foot and artillery incessantly pressed on the heels of the
advancing German forces. At last, long after midnight, they reached a
smallish town; and, packed into an empty building, they fell on the
cold concrete floor and slept the sleep of utter exhaustion.
Early in the morning they were marched to the station, and Niall
found himself in a third class compartment with eleven other
officers. Some time before the train started a bowl of some sticky,
soupy substance was handed in, with a loaf of bread; and on this they
subsisted during the twenty-six hours which elapsed before they were
detrained at their destination, a dreary, drab little town; and,
cramped and weak as children, they marched two miles out into the
country to the wire-encircled encampment which awaited their coming.
III
Those unfortunates who endured the lonely monotonous horror of
prison life in Germany will tell you what "barbed-wire madness" was.
They will tell you of men who got the disease; and of that furtive,
piteous look that haunted the tragic sunken eyes of weary creatures
who became frenzied with the longing for freedom. It is perhaps
difficult to appreciate from the depths of an arm-chair the terrible
gnawing pain of this consuming passion to which some natures were
so very susceptible. But strong men who have lived, if only just
lived, for three long ghastly months, without letters or parcels, on
a diet of turnip-soup and small lumps of black bread, till the skin
was stretched tight over their protruding cheek-bones like yellow
parchment, their filthy, ragged clothes hanging like mildewed sacks
on their emaciated bodies, and their hollow eyes gleaming like the
eyes of famished beasts--they understand how easy it was to fall a
prey to "barbed-wire madness."
Gordon Niall got it, and got it badly. It was inevitable. The
restless Celtic spirit was the first to fall a victim to the mania
for escape. Five times he eluded his watchful guard, and five times
was recaptured, sullen and still determined, taking his punishment
of solitary confinement as a matter of course, with a purpose dogged
and unbroken. For solitary confinement in cells was no cure for the
disease: it was like malaria, once in the system it was ineradicable.
The weeks dragged on. Parcels and letters arrived from home and
conditions gradually improved, but Niall remained obsessed with his
yearning for liberty. Other men who had escaped and been recaptured
began to realise the futility of it, and the news which filtered
through the German newspapers of the turn of the tide and the
progress of the Allied forces tended to encourage them to settle down
to await developments. And one night the camp was electrified with
the announcement of the defection of Bulgaria. It was the beginning
of the end, and the star of hope shone clear in the firmament. Yet it
had no effect on Gordon Niall, for the following night he made yet
another attempt to escape.
He had thought it out carefully; and at midnight, three friends,
strenuously protesting at his foolishness, hoisted him up to the
little window of their hut which overlooked the prison yard. It was
not more than twelve yards from the wire enclosure, and within four
feet of it rose a telegraph pole. The window had been very carefully
prepared, and it did not take Niall many minutes to remove the glass,
drop the panes into the keeping of his friends below, and wriggle on
to the narrow ledge. He listened carefully, and looked up and down
the yard, white in the searching glare of the great electric lamps
which turned night into day. A high wind and a driving sleet favoured
him, for the sentry who passed shortly afterwards on his beat by the
barbed wire was walking quickly with his chin sunk in the collar of
his coat. Niall waited till he had gone, then, crouching for a moment
on the window ledge, he sprang forward, clutched at the telegraph
pole, clung to it for a few seconds, then laboriously hauled himself
up to the cross-bars. Here he rested for a while and allowed the
sentry once more to pass. Then, judging that he would just have time
to reach the further pole, which was a few feet on the far side of
the wire, before the man returned, he commenced his perilous journey.
Painfully and cautiously he straddled across the wires and began
to work himself along. The swirling blasts of the strong wind more
than once almost swept him from his precarious hold, and the icy
rain numbed his cut and bleeding hands. Beneath his weight the wires
swayed and sagged ... yet he struggled on his desperate way. It was
more difficult than he had supposed, and sick, with nervous strain
and physical exhaustion, he determined to risk discovery and hang
where he was, halfway across, until the sentry passed again. The
minutes dragged, and then round the corner of the next hut the man
appeared, his shoulders hunched in the driving rain, his eyes on the
ground. Above him, clinging frantically to the wire, Niall waited,
his heart in his mouth. The man walked almost beneath him, seeing
nothing; and in a few seconds the prisoner again began to toil along
the wires. At length, almost fainting with fatigue and strain, he
clutched his goal and drew himself across the cross-bars, and waited,
panting, his heart throbbing as if it would burst, until the sentry
should repass him. He soon approached. Nearer and nearer he came. He
tramped beneath the crouching figure on the top of the telegraph
pole. Niall muttered a prayer of thankfulness for the fierce wind and
the torrential rain.
The blood suddenly roared in his ears with excitement ... the man had
stopped ... was he going to look up?... he stamped his feet for a
minute or two, then resumed his monotonous beat.
Niall quickly clutched the pole with his arms and knees and slithered
to the ground. Bending low he ran swiftly across the area illumined
by the glare from the prison yard, and found himself in the
enveloping darkness of the night.
* * * * *
The fugitive had a roughly accurate knowledge of the immediate
countryside, gained by constant observation during the occasional
walks which had been permitted the prisoners, under escort. He
purposed making for a thick wood which lay about two miles to the
westward, and there concealing himself during the following day when
the hue and cry would be in full swing. When night again came round
he would push ahead; if possible, keeping a general course to the
north-west, which, he anticipated, would in time bring him to some
point on the Dutch frontier. He had saved up a quantity of food,
which, with strict economy, he hoped might last him at a pinch for a
fortnight. If, by that time, he had not reached the frontier, things
might become awkward; but this was an eventuality too distant to be
considered at the moment.
He found himself at the outskirts of the forest an hour later, and
forged ahead through the crowding trees and thick undergrowth until
dawn broke, when he searched about for a secure hiding-place. He
resolved not to climb a tree as he felt that sleep was a necessity.
Fortune favoured him by the discovery of a large fox-hole in a dense
thicket; and down this he forced his way feet first, carefully wound
up his wrist watch, and in five minutes was fast asleep.
It was one o'clock in the afternoon when he awoke. Scarcely a sound
broke the tense silence of the wood. The rain had passed and the sun
shone clear above the trees. He ate some biscuits and a meagre slice
of tinned meat, washed his face and hands in a neighbouring stream,
made some rough calculations on a sheet of paper as to direction,
and settled down to wait for nightfall. With the advent of dusk he
again set off through the forest.
For twelve long weary days and nights he successfully eluded capture
and kept up the same monotonous round--hiding by day and pushing
ahead by night. He had been forced on many occasions to retrace his
steps or make circuitous rounds owing to coming suddenly on villages
or towns, and he had not made the progress he had resolved to make.
His food, too, he had miscalculated; and at the close of the twelfth
day he found himself with his rations at an end, and hopelessly
befogged as to his whereabouts. For another day and night he held out
bravely, and then narrowly avoided detection in a fruitless attempt
to steal a chicken from a farmyard. At the expiry of a fortnight he
was starving and in the throes of a fever.
He came to a final decision. He would start again at dusk and press
on. If by daylight there was no sign of the frontier he would give
himself up. There was nothing else for it. He was in desperate
straits: his clothes were torn to rags and he was almost overcome by
the fierce grip of the fever that was rapidly consuming his little
remaining strength. He had given up all hope of winning to the haven
of neutral territory; it might not be far away, perhaps, but his
power of endurance was at an end. However, he would forge ahead that
night, whatever happened.
As soon as darkness rendered it safe he emerged from his concealment
and struck westward along the edge of a rough country road. For hours
he toiled along meeting with nobody, but making poor progress. He
was becoming light-headed, and he lurched heavily as he walked. At
intervals he burned and shivered and sweated fiercely. Time and again
he fell on his face, but on each occasion he staggered to his feet
and struggled ahead.
The night wore on, and through the clouds on the eastern skyline
a palish light began to filter. The skies grew dull grey and then
softer like the wing of a dove. Over the fields and hedgerows the
luminous glow grew clearer as the wheels of the Dawn rolled on,
touching the bare branches of the trees and silvering the green
stagnant water in the ditch, by whose edge reeled and pitched an
exhausted atom of humanity.
Niall raised his bloodshot eyes to the heavens.
"Well, this is the end of it," he muttered, "and probably the end of
me too. I don't mind ... it's been a good effort, and I'm so tired
... my God, how tired I am!"
A hundred yards ahead a high wall began, evidently the bound of
some large country residence, and not much further on was a small
iron gate. Inside, a footpath led winding among the trees of a wide
parkland. With shaking hands Niall unlatched the gate and followed
the path. He could not see now where he was going: a red mist hung
like a veil before his eyes. Once he ran against a tree, striking his
head violently against the trunk. Dazedly he raised his hand to his
forehead and felt it wet.... Shortly afterwards he reached the end of
the parkland. Things grew clearer again, and he saw before him, not
three hundred yards away, the grey battlemented towers of a stately
castle. For a few moments he stared at it in a fuddled manner, then
he collapsed into a ditch full of rotting leaves.
* * * * *
When he regained consciousness it was night. He must have lain there
all day. Slowly past events came back to him, and he raised himself
with difficulty on his elbow and looked at the winking lights in
the castle windows. The fever did not trouble him now: all he was
conscious of was a fierce, overpowering craving for food and warmth
and rest. The twinkle of the lights called to him. It was a German
house, certainly, but he would get something to eat there, and they
would let him rest--how he wanted rest! His thoughts flew back to his
home in the distant western isles. Would they be thinking of him?
he wondered. Thank God, they couldn't see him now. His mother, and
Eileen his sister ... they would be in the old library where they
always sat at night, that vast stone-walled room above the cliff
where the moaning of the sea rose eternally. And his father would be
asleep in the red leather chair by the gun-room fire. He smiled as
the vision rose before him. Would he ever see it again? Great God,
why did men want to kill one another?...
His rambling thoughts switched off in another direction ... if they
could see him now, perhaps his old father would go to the glass case
on the library wall, take from its resting place the black chanter,
and blow on it for the last time! He laughed hoarsely--a good joke
that! Delirious and cracked, his voice suddenly croaked forth the
weird notes of the black chanter's tune. Horrible and broken it rose
on the still night air.
In a few moments the delirium passed, and with a mighty effort he got
on his hands and knees. Painfully and slowly he began to crawl across
the damp grass of the park towards the shadowy mass of the silent
castle.
"They'll give me food," he gasped ... "and let me rest."
IV
The Countess von Behr sat in a deep chair by the open fireplace
of her boudoir in the Schloss Bersenburg. On the white marble
mantelshelf a painted china clock pointed to a quarter past eleven.
The luxuriously furnished room was in deep shadow, the only light
coming from two massive silver candelabra upon the grand piano in a
recess by the window. The flickering glow from the red embers lit up
fitfully the face of the woman who gazed abstractedly into the fire.
Four years of mental strain and suffering had left their mark on
Helene von Behr, for there were lines about her eyes and her mouth
had grown harder. These years had fallen with tragic weight upon
the shoulders of the exiled girl, doomed by the exigencies of the
times to live alone in this vast gloomy house, her heart in bleeding
France, her body in a country which by hereditary instinct she
had always disliked, but now hated with all the intensity of her
passionate southern heart. So she had dragged out her solitary days
in the seclusion of the Schloss, one of that vast multitude, young in
years but old in suffering, whose souls have been ruthlessly crushed
beneath the iron wheels of the chariots of war.
The Count had been keenly alive to the delicacy of his domestic
situation, and from the outbreak of hostilities, though he had
been almost constantly resident in Berlin owing to his important
connection with the Foreign Office, he had deemed it the prudent
course to leave his French wife in the solitariness of his country
home; a policy which saved both himself and her from inevitable
embarrassments which might at once prove detrimental to the interests
of the one, and intolerable to the other.
The unutterable agony of the weary months in a position which was
both false and horrible to her, conscious as she could not fail to
be of the veiled contempt and cleverly concealed hostility of her
servants, and the less disguised dislike of her few neighbours, had
told heavily upon the lonely woman. Two months ago things had become
almost insufferable when the news came that the Vicomte de Fontaigne
had been laid in a soldier's grave. To fight for the Republic was
one thing, but to fight for France was quite another: and so, at the
hour of crisis, like the rest of his order, the haughty nobleman
had put his politics in his pocket and offered his services to the
Govermnent. The grief of her father's death, borne alone, friendless
and exiled, had almost crushed Helene. Yet it seemed as if her
perplexities were never to end: for that very afternoon a telegram
had come intimating in crude staring words, that the Count von Behr
had been shot dead in the Wilhelmstrasse while endeavouring from a
window to appease a revolutionary mob.
She had tried to analyse her feelings when the news was conveyed to
her. She had never loved him, but in his own blunt way he had been
kind and considerate to her; and the sudden tears which she shed were
from the heart, for she sincerely regretted his death. Yet despite
this fact she could not stifle the insistent thought that she was
free--free to go back to France and to the Chateau Fontaigne, that
pearl of her soul, when this holocaust of death was past and over;
a thought rendered doubly moving by the knowledge that the dawn was
already breaking! She had often wondered what it would be like in the
future for a child of France to be wedded for ever to a German.
As she sat before the fire she felt restless and ill at ease. Her
jumbled thoughts refused to be focussed on any one aspect of her
affairs. She felt something strange in the atmosphere, something that
oppressed her. It seemed in the air, it was all around, real yet
indefinable. Time and again she looked round half nervously as if
expecting to find someone in the room with her....
She settled deeper into her chair and listlessly watched a morsel
that fell red from the fire ... it grew pink and then grey. It still
smoked a little, then died. As the lonely woman stared into the
embers there suddenly rose before her a boyish face, so clear and
vivid that she was startled by it. There was pain in the eyes that
looked at her, pain and dull weariness, and the dumb suffering of
a yearning spirit. Helene shivered.... How often during these last
years had that face risen before her, and the sunlight and happiness
of ten brief days in a deserted Lucerne had fallen on her tired heart
like the dew of heaven. She had never forgotten him--how could she?
She had wondered so often where he was. She knew he was not dead: for
he was first in that list of names which she had given to a friend
in Berne, desiring him to keep her acquainted with their fortunes.
She often thought, had she done wrong that night when she kissed his
young mouth? But it didn't really matter, after all: she had done
him no harm, and long ago he would have forgotten her. Men forgot so
quickly. For his own sake she hoped he had: yet--in spite of herself
she prayed that he hadn't. And as she looked ahead, to-night, to
her coming liberty, she wondered.... But the face in the fire made
her uneasy. A queer tune throbbed in her head--his tune! She had
heard it in her thoughts all night; wild, unrhythmical, it seemed
to have vibrated in the stillness of the shadowy room--mysterious,
passionate, compelling. Once it had been so realistic that she had
been convinced that she actually heard it--out in the night; and she
had pulled aside the curtains and peered out into the darkness.
She stretched her arms above her head. She felt stifled: surely the
room was very hot. Rising, she moved restlessly to the window and
looked out. It was a clear, starry night; with a silver moon peeping
from behind some scudding clouds. She lingered, gazing up at the
beauty of the heavens. Then, just as she was about to let the thick
curtain drop, suddenly, muffled yet distinct, she heard a man's voice
rise on the night air. It cried one English word--"Help!"
For a minute she stood startled and irresolute, then she flung open
the window. Below, on the white of the wide gravel sweep, she could
dimly see a dark form lying stretched before the massive steps of the
doorway. She leaned over the edge and called. No answer came. She
drew back into the room and touched the electric bell. A few seconds
later, an old sleepy-eyed footman appeared, their last remaining
manservant.
"Quick," she cried, "there is a man lying outside on the gravel. I
think he is dead. Get some help and bring him into the hall. I'll
come down myself immediately."
The man bowed solemnly and withdrew; and when five minutes later
she descended the broad oak staircase, Helene saw an excited knot
of servants depositing a human burden on the great fur rug before
the cavernous hall fireplace. She approached and looked down upon
the form of a man, little more than a skeleton, his clothes ragged
and smeared with filth, his thin sunken face bearded and dirty. The
cluster of servants stared at him open-mouthed.
The sick man moved an arm. He drowsily muttered a few words; feebly,
but Helene and the domestics heard them:
"Must be near the frontier now.... Thank God!"
"English," said the old footman resentfully, but a quick look from
his mistress silenced any further remark. She despatched the man for
the local doctor and sent the women for blankets, hot water, brandy,
pillows; and she herself knelt by the miserable creature and gently
loosened his ragged collar. The emaciated face recalled nothing to
her as she looked--but, a few seconds later, Gordon Niall opened
his eyes, and, trembling like an aspen leaf, and white to the lips,
Helene von Behr recognised him.
"Mother of God!" she gasped.
The floodgates of memory opened and the great waters poured over
her soul. She felt the walls and the floor of the vast gloomy hall
reeling about her; but, with an almost superhuman effort of will, she
regained her composure, and met the eyes that looked into her ashen
face with a look of wonder and amazement. The fever seemed to have
left him, and for the moment Niall was perfectly conscious. She bent
down and pillowed his head on her arm.
"Helene," he whispered, "is it you?... where am I?"
"It's all right, dear," she said soothingly. "You're quite safe.
Don't speak--you must rest."
The servants returned and Niall was made as comfortable as possible.
Helene thought rapidly. At all costs she must be alone with him for
a time. She dismissed the whispering women upon various errands.
Yes, she said to their enquiries, she would stay with him till they
returned.
When they were alone Niall looked up.
"I escaped, you know," he said weakly. "I've had an awful time--but
I'm safe now, Helene, am I not?... across the frontier, eh?"
"Yes, yes, my Gordon," she answered, smoothing back his matted hair,
"you're across the frontier, and you'll soon be well." She almost
choked as she remembered that the frontier was only five miles away.
He sighed contentedly and closed his eyes. For a while he lay very
still; then he spoke, with difficulty.
"My left tunic pocket," he gasped, "feel in it, Helene ... that's
right ... now, open that flap."
From the tattered leather pocket-book she pulled out a dried withered
flower. His eyes gleamed as he saw it. He turned his face to her.
"Your rose," he whispered--"at Lucerne, you know."
A severe fit of shivering seized him. His eyes closed. From the
corners of his mouth two thin rivulets of blood began to trickle ...
he opened his eyes.
"Helene," he muttered spasmodically, "Helene--the frontier ... I must
get across the frontier ... before the morning."
The end was near and she knew it. With her left hand she extracted
from her bosom a little gold crucifix and held it before the dying
eyes. In a voice, choked with emotion, she said in his ear,
"Say after me, my Gordon ... 'Jesu, have mercy!'"
"_Jesu--have--mercy!_"
"Now, and in the hour of death"--
"_Now, and--in--the hour of--death_"--
"Have mercy on me, a sinner!"
"_Have mercy--on--me--a sinner!_"--
He shivered as in a blast of icy wind, then smiled like a tired child
and nestled his head against her breast. And very quietly he crossed
the silent frontier of that shadowy country, whence no traveller
returns.
* * * * *
The servants were clustered about her, and the stout village doctor
was bending over the thin body stretched on the fur rug; but Helene,
her head bowed, neither looked up nor spoke....
THE PIPES
BY EDMUND CANDLER
On Christmas night the pipers came into the mess. They had piped
the regiment across many a hot place in France and escorted bombing
parties down many a German trench. In one action four out of the
eight were hit and two killed. They touch a chord deep down somewhere
which no doubt has its proper scientific name. The eye of the piper
which conceals his gladness, denying all rapture, is a key to the
undemonstrative temper of the men who would rather die than throw up
their bonnets and shout.
A subaltern of nineteen years put the case for the pipes to me in his
own eloquent slang.
"Of course I get cold feet sometimes" he said, "like everyone else.
But the pipes soon warm one. MacFarlane, the Company Piper, piped us
across on the 25th, the regimental slogan, you know. By Jove, it was
top-hole."
We called him the Chicken. Being bigger in the beam than in the
shoulders and having a slightly forward stoop he looked in his kilt
like a preternaturally large nestling just emerged from the egg. To
see him walking reminded one of a determined young chicken. He had an
assurance unnatural in the new-born which set off his callowness and
puzzled one. It was not side. To hear him talk made one smile. You
would think he had plumbed experience and was already convinced about
the main issues of life, celibacy or marriage, the rights and wrongs
of Demos, peace and war, and the like. One smiled in sympathy, not
in derision, accepting the indisputable explanation that the Chicken
had had special privileges in the egg. And one thanked the war for an
ingenuousness of speech, the bloom of which would have been rubbed
off in a week of peace-time conditions in a mess.
"MacFarlane was killed with a bombing party," the subaltern went on.
"They let hell loose,--all their machine guns, rifle grenades, trench
mortars, and every rifle thirty rounds at least. Our fellows came in
half an hour afterwards, having been snug in a shell-hole through the
whole show. Only two of our men were hit--by a trench mortar. One was
MacFarlane. It was a horrid sight--made me feel a bit green. Nothing
was left of them, and you couldn't tell who they were save by their
identity discs. I put a sentry by the traverse on both sides and gave
orders that no one was to pass. It wouldn't have done for these young
recruits to see the mess," this pink-faced subaltern of nineteen
explained with paternal solicitude.
His tenderness for the recruits amused me, for the absence of down
on his chin made the Chicken look younger than his years. But I
marvelled more at the complacency with which he found himself in
command. He spoke of his blooded veterans--Perthshires, if you
please, the salt of the British Army, as if he were a huntsman
holding them in the leash; yet it was only in spirit that he had
attained to man's estate. One phrase struck me. He was describing the
capture of Hun murderers, or if not actual murderers the comrades and
accomplices of murderers, men whom his Highlanders wanted to kill.
"They were all holding up their hands," the boy told me, "and
trembling with funk and holding out pictures of their Fraus and
kids, and calling out 'Don't shoot, Kamarade! Don't shoot!' and my
men wanted to shoot them. The Perthshires had been out for blood
since the 9th of May when the Huns had burnt their wounded comrades,
shooting them with petrol bullets so that their clothes burst into
flame and they died in agony, and men who couldn't stick the sight
of it any longer crept out of their trenches, in spite of orders, to
drag them in and were burnt alive too. That day my company swore that
they would take no more Prussian prisoners, and now word had been
passed round by the Brigade, 'The 15th Prussians are in front of you,
who burnt the men of your regiment. You will know how to behave.' My
men wanted to shoot them all down, make the place a shambles; but,
of course, I wouldn't have it. I told them they had to take the men
prisoners."
"Did they obey you?" I asked.
The Nestling looked at me in surprise as if I were a very ignorant
person.
"Obey! They knew very well that the first man who fired I'd blow out
his brains with my revolver."
After all, the Chicken's assurance was a compliment to the regiment,
where discipline is an elemental fact. And it spoke well for the
boy too, that he realized what admission into that Kingdom, or
corporation, meant,--all self and chickenhood being merged in the
subaltern of the Perthshires, whose powers were as natural and
inalienable as the properties of carbon or oxygen.
Yet this callow youth on whom authority sat so lightly spurned his
profession. It appeared that he had ambitions. He scoffed at the idea
of sticking in the army after the war. He wanted "to do something,"
he said. I could not understand how he could resist the glamour of
it all. His Colonel thought well of him and he knew it. The O.C., a
reserved man, and sparing of praise, had been talking to me about the
Chicken before dinner; he told me that the boy had the right spirit
and no fear in him. "I sent him on a patrol," he said, "a day or two
after he arrived at the front, to a building between the lines which
was supposed to be occupied by Germans. My orders were, 'Find out if
the house is held. Find out for yourself, remember, and don't take
your men's word for it. They'll always see Germans, especially on a
wet night when they want to be snug in the trenches.'"
The Subaltern had the sight of an owl, but he was determined not to
come back until he had seen Germans. So far he had seen none, having
arrived at the trenches straight from Winchester, where he held a
commission in the O.T.C. and had just won a scholarship for New
College. He swore he would see Germans that night or promenade the
empty house between the lines.
A slip of a moon showed above the clouds and the rain ceased when
they were within fifty yards of the building. The Corporal touched
the Subaltern's sleeve and said, "They're there, Sir. I can see about
a dozen of them."
"Where? I don't see."
"Straight ahead, Sir, by the wall."
The Chicken approached nearer. Within forty--thirty yards. The
Corporal warned him again in a throaty whisper:--"There's 'arf a
company, Sir, lining the side of the house. We're almost agin them."
Still the Chicken could not see. He gave the order to move forward.
At fifteen yards the Germans opened fire. A quick volley. The patrol
threw themselves flat. Luckily they were concealed in a slight
depression, and in a few seconds the moon went under a dark cloud.
The Subaltern whispered the order to return the enemy's fire, and his
four men blazed away into the shadow under the house. The Germans
replied vigorously; by a miracle none of the little party were hit.
Then the Huns turned the machine gun on to them from somewhere
farther back. The Subaltern heard the spray of bullets coming nearer,
spattering the earth, searching every inch of soil, passing with a
thirsty sucking noise overhead. He was the most exposed of his party,
but he felt for the body of the dead man he had stumbled against, and
drew it into a close embrace. The current of lead passed an inch over
them where they lay interlaced, the live man clinging for life to the
dead. The fire dropped. The body received a bullet and shook as if it
were wrestling with him. Its head butted his own. A faint smell of
cigar fume clung to its moustache. The boy had let the situation go
for a moment, and was wondering, with a detachment at which he was
surprised, whether all Germans smoked Havanas in the trenches, when a
new kind of explosion added to the din. It was "A" Company's patrol
bombing the house. The little scouting party received their first
casualty from them. The man behind the Chicken uttered a cry of pain.
A splinter from a bomb had taken away part of his right ear.
This extended attack was too much for the Huns, who thought the whole
line was advancing and decamped. The moon peeped out again as they
were going off, and the Subaltern, Corporal and the two men accounted
for at least half a dozen of them. These dark figures which rolled up
like rabbits were the first Germans the Chicken had seen.
The Subaltern entered the house with the two privates and sent the
Corporal back to tell the Colonel that we were in possession. He had
taken a rather important Observation Post marked 2.22 on the map.
I had some of the story from the boy and some from the Colonel, but I
will let the boy finish it.
"The next day we had some burying," he said. "From the new post
we could send out patrols to bring in our fellows who had been
knocked out on the 12th. You won't mind me talking about things
which make you feel a bit squeamish, will you, Sir?"--the boy called
everybody above the age of forty "Sir"--"Tell me to shut up if it
is too beastly; but, you see, most of these bodies had been out
for six weeks and were more or less decomposed. We dug a shallow
trench towards them, threw out a hook on a bit of rope and drew
them in. We had to find their identification discs. It was not a
pleasant business taking off a man's shirt and not always easy, and
my Corporal being sick every minute didn't help things either. I
generally went for their pockets for letters; that was easier, but
..." I omit here some details which are too unpleasant to print. "The
Corporal with his weak stomach was a bit of a nuisance, especially at
night, for if the Germans heard him they would send up a flare."
Then he told me about a frontal attack at Loos. The Chicken had seen
and suffered more and lived more in six months in France, and done
more for England than I had in two score odd years. He was clearly a
born soldier. He was happy in the regiment and quite one of them--one
of the new incarnation at least who approximate in some ways to the
old. I could not see what more he desired.
"You really think of throwing up the army after the war?" I asked.
The Chicken turned on me the wistful smile that talk of "after the
war" evoked among the sanguine at the time. "In war time of course
everybody has got to be a soldier," he said, "but in peace time--no
thank you!"
"But what are you going to do?"
"Anything, but inspect meat and tunic buttons. Something that counts.
I suppose I shall go into the Bar or Parliament."
I would have asked him if he really thought these talking shops
counted more than the Perthshires; but the pipes were coming in again
and they were playing the regimental slogan. It gave one the most
extraordinary feeling in the pit of one's stomach and all down one's
back.
"I'm not sure, though," the boy said ingenuously when they had gone
out, "I may stick to the regiment on the chance of another show."
I understood, I had passed through the two moods myself in a long
route march when the pipes took over charge from the brass band.
GLASGOW: PRINTED AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS BY ROBERT MACLEHOSE AND CO.
LTD.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] _The Bagpipe_. Grattan Flood.
[2] Probably the first pipers to play on French soil were those
of the 2nd Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders on their landing at
Boulogne.
[3] _Echoes of Flanders._ C. L. Warr.
[4] Philip Gibbs.
[5] "We will take the high road."
[6] _The Adventures of a Despatch Rider._ Major W. H. Watson.
[7] _More Adventures in Kilt and Khaki._ Thomas Lyon.
[8] Stephen Graham.--_The Times_, 16th January, 1919.
[9] Philip Gibbs.
[10] "The battle beyond Baghdad--'A Highland Officer.'"--_Blackwood's
Magazine._
[11] Stephen Graham.--"A Private in the Guards."
[12] _With the Gordons at Ypres._--Rev. A. M. Maclean, C.M.G.
[13] Lieut.-Col. Cyrus Peck, V.C., D.S.O.
[14] _Musical Memoirs of Scotland_, 1849, p. 9.
[15] Sir John was wrong in his date: this incident happened in 1816.
[16] The names of the tunes are largely written in rather badly spelt
Gaelic, including in some cases the letter 'v,' _e.g._, Vuirlin
instead of A Bhirlinn, and h is the commonest consonant in the
vocables--neither 'v' nor 'h' alone being used in correct Gaelic.
[17] Since this was written I have discovered this line in staff
notation in an old MS. by Donald Macdonald, son of the man who
published the Collection of Piobaireachd in the early nineteenth
century.
[18] The commas are thrown about haphazard in this tune.
[19] Something is omitted here--probably 'a.'
[20] It is not easy to see what 'ved[(are]' means here: comparing
it with same point in First, Second and Third Motions, it should
probably be 'dari' instead of ved[(are] or 'vedari' perhaps. As
written in D. Macdonald, Jr's. MS. it would be 'dari.'
[21] 'h' is probably inserted here to show that C and not B is meant.
[22] Perhaps this cadence is a clerical error.
[23] Probably a clerical error for hadarem.
[24] "The pipers' hollow."
[25] Keeper of family records, genealogist.
[26] "The anger of winking Patrick."
[27] "The blind man's leap."
[28] "The Broom of Peril," the banner borne by Oscar in battle.
[29] "Sons of the Gael shoulder to shoulder."
[30] All the atrocities mentioned above are not fiction but fact. Day
and date, names and places can be given for all of them.
TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE
Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
A superscript is denoted by ^{x}.
In the pipe music notation an accent over a group of letters xyz is
denoted by [(xyz]; for example end[(are], and hodr[(od]in.
Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been
corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within
the text and consultation of external sources.
The one hundred and twenty table headers in the 'REGIMENTAL RECORDS'
section have been made identical; a small number in the original text
omitted the column header 'REG. NO.'
Footnote [20] is correctly referenced twice from pg 189.
Except for those changes noted below, all misspellings in the text,
and inconsistent or archaic usage, have been retained. For example,
unrhythmical; outwith; bagpipe, bag-pipe; dugout, dug-out.
Pg ix, 'The Cameron Highlanders' replaced by 'The Queen's Own Cameron
Highlanders'.
Pg 5, 'invididuals' replaced by 'individuals'.
Pg 7, 'Ch till mi' replaced by 'Cha till me'.
Pg 11, 'sons of Erc' replaced by 'sons of Ere'.
Pg 19, 'unfavourably' replaced by 'unfavourable'.
Pg 52, 'dipersed' replaced by 'dispersed'.
Pg 65, 'sporans' replaced by 'sporrans'.
Pg 73, 'REG. NO. NAME. RANK.' replaced by 'REG. NO. RANK. NAME.'.
Pg 102, '23/121/7' replaced by '23/12/17'.
Pg 124, '24/10/141' replaced by '24/10/14'.
Pg 130, 'Piper Major' replaced by 'Pipe Major'.
Pg 166, 'June, 1615' replaced by 'June, 1915'.
Pg 183, 'himbandrc' replaced by 'himbandre'.
Pg 183, 'hobandrc' replaced by 'hobandre'.
Pg 200, 'Higlanders' replaced by 'Highlanders'.
Pg 202, 'The musi' replaced by 'The music'.
Pg 222, 'Higland' replaced by 'Highland'.
Pg 229, 'shapnel' replaced by 'shrapnel'.
Pg 236, 'Nifinsky' replaced by 'Nijinsky'.
Pg 248, 'Bretannach' replaced by 'Brettanach'.
Pg 262, 'boys haled' replaced by 'boys hauled'.
Pg 282, 'unrythmical' replaced by 'unrhythmical'.
Pg 287, 'shell-hope' replaced by 'shell-hole'.
*** End of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "The Pipes of War - A Record of Achievements of Pipers of Scottish and Overseas - Regiments during the War 1914-18" ***
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