Transcriber's Note.
Apparent typographical errors have been corrected. Inconsistencies in
hyphenation and in the accenting of French words have been retained.
In the appendix listing officers who served with the battalion, some
entries are out of alphabetical order; while blank spaces indicate
missing dates.
Italics are indicated by _underscores_, small capitals have been
converted to full capitals, and superscripts and a ligature have been
rendered in ordinary font.
THE HISTORY OF THE 7TH BATTALION
QUEEN'S OWN CAMERON HIGHLANDERS
"Lieutenant-Colonel Sandilands of the 7th Camerons arrived on the
hill. Being the senior officer present, he took command and planted
the Headquarters flag of his Battalion on the top. It was his
business to recall the van of the advance, now lost in the fog and
smoke of the eastern slopes, and to entrench himself on the summit.
The Redoubt was now out of our hands and the line taken ran just
under the crest on the west, and was continued North of Loos by the
46th Brigade. To retire the van was no light task. Two officers whose
names deserve to be remembered, Major Chrichton of the 10th Gordons,
and Major Barron of the 7th Camerons, volunteered for the desperate
mission. They fell in the task, but the order reached the stragglers,
and they began to fight their way back. In the midst of encircling
fire it was a forlorn hope, and few returned to the British lines on
the hill. All down the slopes towards Loos lay the tartans Gordon and
Black Watch, Seaforth and Cameron, like the drift left on the shore
when the tide has ebbed."--_John Buchan, in "Nelson's History of the
War."_
[Illustration: THE 7th CAMERONS ON HILL 70--25th SEPTEMBER, 1915.
_From the Painting by Joseph Gray, the property of Evan M. Barron,
Esq., Inverness._]
THE HISTORY
OF THE
7TH BATTALION QUEEN'S OWN
CAMERON HIGHLANDERS
By
Colonel J. W. SANDILANDS
C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O.,
and
Lieut. Colonel NORMAN MACLEOD
C.M.G., D.S.O.
STIRLING:
ENEAS MACKAY, MURRAY PLACE,
1922
Dedicated
to
The Mothers
OF OUR GALLANT COMRADES IN THE 7TH
BATTALION QUEEN'S OWN CAMERON
HIGHLANDERS WHO GAVE THEIR
LIVES FOR THEIR COUNTRY
AND THE HONOUR OF
THEIR REGIMENT.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
FOREWORD, 9
1. EARLY DAYS, 17
2. THE BATTLE OF LOOS, 27
3. HULLOCH-LOOS SECTOR, 39
4. THE SOMME BATTLE, 1916, 47
5. BATTLE OF ARRAS, 1917, 65
6. THE SALIENT, 1917, 87
7. THE BRITISH WITHDRAWAL, 28/3/18, 111
8. AMALGAMATION OF 6TH AND 7TH, 132
9. BUZANCY, 139
10. DEMOBILISATION, 148
HONOURS AWARDED, 157
OFFICERS WHO SERVED WITH THE BATTALION, 161
EXTRACTS FROM WAR DIARY, 169
ILLUSTRATIONS.
THE 7TH CAMERONS ON HILL 70, _Frontispiece_
Facing Page
COLONEL J. W. SANDILANDS, C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O., 40
LIEUT. COLONEL NORMAN MACLEOD, C.M.G., D.S.O., 80
MONUMENT ERECTED BY THE 17TH FRENCH
DIVISION TO 15TH SCOTTISH DIVISION, 144
FOREWORDS.
BY DIVISIONAL COMMANDERS.
Lieut.-General Sir F. W. N. M'CRACKEN, K.C.B., D.S.O.
Major-General H. F. THUILLIER, C.B., C.M.G.
Major-General H. L. REED, V.C., C.B., C.M.G.
Having commanded the 15th (Scottish) Division for two years and a
quarter, I have followed with deep interest this history of the 7th
Cameron Highlanders.
I am convinced that all who read of the gallant deeds performed by
this Battalion, in company with the other Battalions of the 15th
(Scottish) Division, in the service of their King and Country, will be
stirred with an intense feeling of pride in the achievements of their
countrymen recorded in this little book.
The Battalion has indeed nobly maintained the splendid traditions of
the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders.
F. W. N. M'CRACKEN.
Lieut.-General.
24/3/22.
This is a great story. A narrative of the adventures in training
camps, in billets and trenches, in battles and in periods of rest, of
one of the units of that splendid body of men known as the "New
Armies" which sprang into being in 1914 under the inspiration of Lord
Kitchener. A story of comradeship, endeavour and sacrifice in the
great cause.
By far the greater part of it deals with the periods of fighting, and
it is doubtful whether any of the New Army units saw more, for the
famous 15th Scottish Division, of which the 7th Camerons formed part,
was one of the earliest of the new divisions to go to the front and
take a place in the line, and its record includes the battles of Loos,
the Somme, Arras 1917, Ypres 1917, the German attack on Arras in 1918,
and the capture of Buzancy in the Soissons area in August 1918, as
part of the 10th French Army under General Mangin.
I had two opportunities during the war of judging the fighting
qualities of the 15th Division. The first was when serving with the
1st Division, which attacked alongside the 15th at Loos. The energy
and enthusiasm with which the Scotsmen prepared for the attack, and
the dash and determination with which they executed it, excited the
highest admiration of their regular comrades of the 1st Division. The
two divisions served in the same Corps for some months in the ensuing
winter, succeeding each other in and out of the water-logged trench
lines of the Loos Salient, and the admiration aroused by their action
in the battle was deepened by the observation of their soldierly
qualities under the trying conditions of trench warfare in winter.
The second time I was a more intimate observer, for I had the supreme
privilege of being appointed to the command of the 15th Division in
June, 1917, just as it was entering the Ypres Salient to take part in
the desperate and bloody fighting of the efforts to capture the
Passchendaele Ridge. Its personnel had largely changed, owing to the
casualties of the Somme and Arras, but the Scottish fighting spirit
was there still, and the dour and stubborn valour with which, after
seizing and holding the Frezenberg Ridge, they essayed again and again
to win the concrete defences of Borry Farm, Beck House, Iberian House,
etc., under indescribable conditions of mud, shell-fire and gas, forms
a story which has not yet been fully told.
In this fighting, as in all the other operations of the Division, the
7th Camerons bore a full and gallant share. The last of the German
efforts to retake the Frezenberg Ridge was broken up by a skilfully
led counter-attack by a company of this Battalion with one of the 8th
Seaforths.
The last time I saw the 7th Camerons was after the return of the
Division to the Arras Sector in September, 1917, when they were
encamped in Blangy Park in the Scarpe Valley. To men who had been
through what they had it was, as the narrator says, a delightful
change and rest. But rest, although more than well earned, was not
accompanied by any slackness or loss of discipline. I was particularly
struck by the state of their camp, its excellent order and
cleanliness; cooking and sanitary arrangements all that they should
be, the men healthy and in good spirits. A rapid recovery after heavy
fighting is a mark of a first-class battalion.
Colonel Norman Macleod had the good fortune to serve with the
Battalion from the day it crossed the Channel till it was amalgamated
with the 6th Camerons in June, 1918 (except a short time when
recovering from wounds). He commanded it for 15 months, and
subsequently commanded the combined 6th/7th Battalion until the end.
It would be a record of which any one might well be proud merely to
have taken part in the great events comprised in that period, but to
have commanded this splendid battalion, and to have been with it from
its first raising in Scotland to its victorious entry into Brussels
after the armistice, during all the period it was gathering its
imperishable laurels and adding lustre to the name of the historic
regiment whose name it bears, is an honour which he probably would not
change for any other, however high.
It is well that such stories should be told. To the survivors of the
events they narrate they are a reminder of great days and great
friendships. To future generations of Scottish lads they will be an
inspiration.
H. F. THUILLIER,
Major-General.
30/5/22.
This modest record of the services of a great battalion in the Great
War adds yet another page to the glorious history of "The Queen's Own"
Cameron Highlanders.
I had the honour to command the 15th (Scottish) Division from October,
1917, to March, 1918. During the first year of that period this
Battalion, or perhaps I should say these Battalions, for the 6th, the
7th and the 6/7th Cameron Highlanders are almost inseparable in my
mind, were most severely tried on many occasions in battle, most
notably in front of Arras in March, 1918, and South of Soissons in
July, 1918.
The authors state that the battle of the 28th March, 1918, was
probably the heaviest fighting in which the 7th Battalion ever took
part. Lieut.-General Sir Charles Fergusson, Commanding the XVII.
Corps, when the great German attack was foreseen, had warned the 15th
Division that it was in a "Post of Honour," adding: "I am glad that it
is in the hands of a Scottish Division, who I know will never let the
enemy pass." Again on the 29th March, after the great attack, General
Fergusson wired: "I knew you could be relied on to stick it out to the
end. There are fresh troops in support of you now, but I want the
honour of holding Arras to be yours alone."
General Ludendorff, in his _Memoirs_, practically attributes the
turning point of his hopes of success to the failure of the 17th
German Army to capture the heights East and North of Arras, this "in
spite of employing a vast amount of artillery and ammunition." I am
sure all comrades of the 15th (Scottish) Division will agree that no
unit of ours deserved more credit for stopping the Germans in front of
Arras than the 7th Cameron Highlanders.
During the period, December, 1918, to March, 1919, the troops were
tried in a different way. A time of absolute inactivity prevailed in
Belgium, with many temptations for all ranks to be slack and to allow
discipline to deteriorate. A natural reaction after the strain of war.
There was also a feeling, rightly or wrongly, that in the system of
demobilisation length of service at the front was not always
considered. During this difficult time the 6/7th Cameron Highlanders
retained their splendid discipline and still upheld their claim to the
nickname "The Shiny Seventh."
The authors refer to their firm belief in the advantages of the kilt
as a service dress. Opinions may differ on this point, but there is no
question as to the prestige and confidence which the kilt carries with
it.
When we moved suddenly to join the Xth French Army in July, 1918, the
British troops were, for some reason, temporarily out of favour in
that area, but the sight of the Highlanders, and the sound of the
bagpipes, changed this feeling at once, and nothing could have
exceeded the enthusiasm with which the 15th Division was received in
billets during this period of operations.
Again, on the coldest of days in January, 1919, when troops of three
Divisions marched past His Majesty, the King of the Belgians, in
Brussels, there was a sudden roar of applause from the half-frozen
crowd as the kilted pipers leading the 45th Infantry Brigade, which
represented the infantry of the 15th Division, approached. The 6/7th
Cameron Highlanders swung past; His Majesty turned to me and said:
"Truly magnificent soldiers." Those who read this narrative will agree
that this splendid tribute was deserved.
H. L. REED,
Major-General.
2/4/22.
CHAPTER 1.
EARLY DAYS.
Soon after the outbreak of the Great War, Colonel D. W. Cameron of
Lochiel received permission to raise Service Battalions of the Cameron
Highlanders under Lord Kitchener's New Army Scheme. He proceeded at
once to Scotland, and at meetings in Glasgow and Inverness stirring
appeals for recruits for the new Battalions were made. These appeals
met with so enthusiastic a response that within a week or two the 5th
and 6th Battalions were raised, and recruiting for the 7th Battalion
was in full swing. Recruits for the 5th and 6th were sent direct to
Aldershot, but when it was found that there was every prospect of
raising another Battalion, it was decided to make its Headquarters at
Inverness, the Capital of the Territorial District of the Cameron
Highlanders.
From the outset, Major Seymour Clarke of the Cameron Highlanders, who
had returned to duty at the Cameron Depot at Inverness on the outbreak
of war, took a great interest in the Battalion, and he did much for it
during its early days in Inverness. On 8th October, 1914,
Lieutenant-Colonel D. P. Haig, who formerly commanded the 3rd
Battalion, was gazetted as the first Commanding Officer of the 7th,
but the date of the birth of the Battalion may be said to be 28th
September, 1914, on which day Captain James Barron, Captain
Mackenzie-Gillanders, and Lieutenant W. H. Kirkland were gazetted to
the Battalion. On 30th September, Captain C. D. Stewart, and on 5th
October, Captain Norman Macleod, were also gazetted. Unfortunately,
Captain Mackenzie-Gillanders and Captain C. D. Stewart were very
shortly afterwards invalided out of the service, and for several weeks
the Battalion had to carry on with Lieutenant-Colonel Haig and
Captains Barron and Macleod as the only senior officers. Captain
Barron acted as Adjutant of the Battalion until shortly before it went
to France, where he fell at the Battle of Loos while Second in
Command; Captain Macleod served with the Battalion throughout most of
the War, commanding it for the last 18 months of its existence, and
Lieutenant Kirkland fell while commanding a Company at Loos.
The two months spent by the Battalion at Inverness were very strenuous
but very happy. It was soon recruited up to full strength, and the
type of man it attracted was of a particularly high order and fine
physique, as at this time the height and chest measurement for
recruits had been increased. A large proportion were students and
young professional men from Glasgow, where a Cameron Recruiting Office
had been opened as soon as Lochiel received permission to raise the
new Battalions, and it was a rule that no man was admitted unless he
was a Scotsman. A considerable number of recruits also came from
Inverness-shire, including not a few from the town of Inverness, where
the Battalion was immensely popular. The Cameron Barracks were, of
course, too small to accommodate more than a small proportion of the
Battalion, but quarters were found for many in a distillery hard by.
Here the comforts of life were lacking, many men having to sleep on a
stone floor with only one blanket, but so fine was the spirit of the
men that there was little or no grousing. The good people of
Inverness, too, vied with one another in doing everything possible for
all ranks. The hospitality extended to officers and men alike was
unbounded, and many citizens earned the undying gratitude of the
Battalion by placing their private baths at their disposal. Moreover,
nearly all the halls in the town were formed into Clubs for the use of
the men, and in these refreshments were dispensed in right royal
fashion. No man who served with the Battalion during these two months
is ever likely to forget the porridge and milk, which, in response to
a well-nigh universal demand, came to be regarded as the _piece de
resistance_ on these occasions.
The first route march of the Battalion was, appropriately enough, to
Culloden Moor. Then, and for several months thereafter, the men were
in civilian clothes: but as time went on (so great was the keenness to
wear the kilt) many members supplied themselves with the Cameron
Service Dress at their own expense. By and by week-end leave was
granted, but no 7th Cameron wanted to go on leave in "civvies." Few
kilts were available at that time, even for those who were eager and
willing to buy them, but there was, happily, a nucleus of Regulars at
the Barracks who boasted the coveted garb. A tentative suggestion that
these proud wearers of the kilt might perchance hire them out to their
New Army brethren who were going on leave, met with a ready
acquiescence, and so rapidly did the idea catch on that kilts were
often booked for weeks ahead. But if a Cameron Highlander is
incomplete without a kilt, so is a Cameron Battalion without a Pipe
Band. Fortunately, one of the band boys at the Barracks, the son of an
old Pipe-Major, was able to play the pipes, and he proudly strutted in
front of the Battalion on its first route march to Culloden Moor.
Before long other pipers were discovered among the recruits, and the
time the Battalion left Inverness it could boast quite a respectable
Pipe Band.
On 30th November the Battalion left Inverness for Aldershot. It was
with many regrets that it said farewell to the "Capital of the
Highlands," where it had been so kindly treated, and where the men had
won golden opinions by their behaviour and discipline. In a farewell
letter to Colonel Haig the Provost expressed the feeling of the
citizens in the following terms:--
"The men of the Battalion have by their exemplary conduct, and their
manly and courteous bearing, won favour on all hands, and it is with
regret we realise that we are no longer going to have them in our
midst."
The Battalion arrived at Aldershot 1136 strong, and were quartered in
the Salamanca Barracks, which they shared with another Battalion of
the same strength, and where they remained for several weeks. An
unsolicited testimonial was given to the physique of the Battalion by
an Instructor of the 5th Camerons, who saw them march into Aldershot.
He declared that they were one of the finest bodies of men,
physically, he had ever seen. At Aldershot a period of intensive
training was put in, and the Battalion benefited greatly from the
ministrations of Captain Crooks, a splendid instructor and
disciplinarian, who voluntarily placed his services at its disposal.
Christmas and New Year were spent at Aldershot. On 15th January, 1915,
the Battalion marched into billets at Liphook. The long march was
completed in full kit without a single man falling out.
Here Major Norman MacLeod was posted to the Battalion. He had served
in the Calcutta Light Horse, and for some time had acted as Musketry
Instructor to the Brigade.
About this time the Battalion received its first consignment of kilts,
although, as we have indicated, many of the men had already bought the
full uniform privately. Owing to the difficulty of getting the
different tartans and keeping up a supply in France, the War Office
introduced an article called the "universal kilt." It was made of
grey-brown cloth, pleated and sewn on to a waist-band of the same
material like a girl's skirt. It incorporated all the disadvantages of
a kilt without any of the advantages. Luckily this monstrosity was
soon killed by the Highland Societies.
On 22nd February the 15th Division was inspected on Frensham Common by
a distinguished French visitor under the most depressing weather
conditions, as it snowed and rained alternately throughout the day.
The Battalion left Liphook and arrived at Cirencester on the 25th
February. The men were practically all billeted in private houses, and
never were they more happy and fit than in this fine old town. Who
will ever forget the splendid deer park, with its beautiful woods and
long, broad grass rides? But the kindness of the people themselves
will always be uppermost in our minds. Another unique experience we
must record, as it betokens a large-minded tolerance, which is to be
the more appreciated and acknowledged because of its rarity even in
these times. The two Scottish Battalions could find no place large
enough for Divine Service, so the Authorities of the Church of England
were approached, and leave was granted for 1200 men to worship in the
beautiful old Parish Church. They had their own Presbyterian service
under their own Presbyterian chaplain, and the organist led the praise
with the old psalm tunes which Scotsmen love so dearly. Had the grand
old church, with its lofty pillars, clerestory roof, and walls
enshrined with memorial tablets and coats of arms, ever echoed before
to such a service, so impressive and unique? Not since the days of
Cromwell's Iron Rule, if even then, can the preacher have seen from
the pulpit such a sea of manly faces and a sight so inspiring in its
character and its associations.
About 8 miles out from Cirencester was the training area, to which we
used to march in the morning and return about 4 o'clock in the
afternoon, very often to fall in again about 9 or 10 p.m. for night
operations. The men were now so fit that, although they had had a
strenuous day, they would simply race home the 8 miles at night,
singing and chaffing their comrades in front in order to urge on the
pace. On 6th April the Battalion left Cirencester for Chiseldon, which
was a large hutted camp on Salisbury Plain.
Lieut.-Colonel Haig, on the 22nd April, received the appointment of
Commandant of the Staff Musketry Camp at Barry, Lieut.-Colonel J. W.
Sandilands, D.S.O., taking over command the same day. It was with
great regret that the Battalion parted with Colonel Haig. He was a
thorough gentleman and sportsman, and no officer could have been found
better suited for the arduous work of handling a Battalion raised
under such peculiar circumstances. Lieut.-Colonel J. W. Sandilands had
the advantage of having already been out at the Front, where he had
commanded a Company in the 1st Battalion, and also the London
Scottish. Just previous to his taking over the 7th Battalion, he had
been employed as Brigade Major in the 46th Brigade of the 15th
Division.
At Chiseldon the Battalion worked strenuously, and were put through
their musketry course. On 12th May they marched to Park House, which
was a very similar camp to Chiseldon. On 15th May the Brigade marched
past Lord Kitchener, who stated that it was the finest, from a
physical point of view, which he had yet seen. On 3rd June the
Battalion won the 44th Brigade Championship in Highland Games, for
which a silver bugle was presented by Brigadier-General M. Grant
Wilkinson, M.V.O. This bugle has, along with many other prizes, since
been presented to the Depot Cameron Highlanders.
On Sunday, 4th July, orders were received to proceed overseas. This
news was the cause of the greatest enthusiasm amongst the men, who
were eager to give practical proof of the value of their training. On
8th July the Battalion embarked on S.S. "_Arundel_" at Folkestone for
Boulogne, and was entrained for Houle, where a few days were spent.
From Houle it marched to Houchin, the men's feet suffering
considerably from new boots and the paved roads. From Houchin we
proceeded to Les Brèbis as a detached Battalion, and can therefore
claim to be the first Battalion of the 15th Division to enter the
shelled area on the Western front.
Les Brebis was being constantly shelled. It was found almost
impossible to keep the men in their billets, as, being much interested
in this new experience, they would rush into the streets whenever a
shell burst, in order to see the effect, and to collect fragments as
souvenirs. They very soon got tired of this habit.
On 21st July Lieut.-Colonel M'Dougall of Lunga, who commanded the 10th
Gordon Highlanders, was killed while making a tour of the trenches. He
was buried at Houchin with full Military Honours. Colonel M'Dougall
was a splendid type of Highland officer and gentleman, and was the
first officer casualty in the Division.
On the night of the 2/3rd August we took over the trenches for the
first time at Maroc, holding the extreme right of the British line.
Opposite to us were the now famous Towers of Loos, from which the
enemy had good observation over our whole system. The Battalion while
in reserve in this sector was billeted in Mazingarbe. While there a
Church Parade was held in the grounds of the Chateau, which belonged
to a rich mine owner of the district. This, although within range of
the enemy's guns, was most beautifully laid out with masses of flowers
and lovely lawns, through which a burn ran with cascades and pools in
which gold fish sported. The owner resided here during the whole War,
and when the Battalion returned in 1918 they found the garden as
beautiful as ever.
On the 30th August we proceeded to Noeux-les-Mines. On return to the
line the Battalion sustained its first officer casualties. On the 9th
September, Lieuts. W. G. Stuart, MacDonell, and MacRae were wounded by
trench mortars. Three days later rather serious casualties were caused
by the enemy bombarding a saphead which we held.
On the 12th the Battalion was relieved, and went into billets at
Verquin. The pipes and drums played "Retreat" each evening in the
grounds of the mansion house, and also played in Bethune on the
afternoon of the 19th. On the 18th the 4th Battalion marched through
Verquin on its way to the trenches, and was given a very hearty
reception by the 7th Battalion, the band playing them through the
village.