The pipes of war

25 September – 16 October 1915

Battle of Loos

THE WESTERN FRONT, 1914-1918 23

" 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.

THE WESTERN FRONT, 1914-1918 23

ences 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 accom-
plished 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 role 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.

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENTS 49

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.

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENTS 51

1 198 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 gallantly. He subsequently got a bar to the Medal for repeated
acts of gallantry during the great advance of 1915.

1 July – 18 November 1916

Battle of the Somme

THE WESTERN FRONT, 1914-1918 25

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."

PIPE TUNES 45

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."

RECORD.

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.

RECORD.

14TH Battalion

Pipers played their companies into action on the Somme and at Bourlon
Wood.

REG. NO. RANK.

9 April – 16 May 1917

Battle of Arras (1917)

THE WESTERN FRONT, 1914-1918 29

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."

THE WESTERN FRONT, 1914-1918 31

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

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENTS 47

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 Distin-
guished Conduct Medal.

13283 Pipe Major A. Colgan, 12th Royal Scots.

THE MUSIC OF BATTLE 235

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.

16 April – 9 May 1917

Second Battle of the Aisne

THE QUEEN'S OWN CAMERON HIGHLANDERS

ist 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.

7–14 June 1917

Battle of Messines (1917)

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENTS 59

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
awaided a mention in despatches.

Piper Sydney Wilson, Liverpool Scottish.

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENTS 61

Piper R. Gillespie, J *

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 63

THE LONDON SCOTTISH

ist 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.

NAME.

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.

. NO.

27 May – 6 June 1918

Third Battle of the Aisne

THE QUEEN'S OWN CAMERON HIGHLANDERS

ist 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.

28–31 May 1918

Battle of Cantigny

THE QUEEN'S OWN CAMERON HIGHLANDERS

ist 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.