Kilties in the Great War

[CEF]

Marcel,
thanks for the comments re my pics and info, but I can't claim to have started the thread, that honour goes to G Koch
Regards
Cef

[g koch]

For putting flesh on my bones of a post!

[turpin]

This one gets it's own bookmark. I don't do that often.

Thanks to all historians and history buffs who contributed their collective knowledge.

[Marcel]

Marcel,
I can't claim to have started the thread, that honour goes to G Koch
Regards
Cef

My apologies to G koch, I got confused. So now I will cover my butt by thanking every one who has posted info or pix on this thread, with an extra special thanks to G koch the real starter of this thread.

[CEF]

I don't know much about this piper, I know he was a Great War Veteran by his medals.
The 14-15 Star, The War Medal, and The Victory Medal, commonly known to the Veterans as Pip, Squeak, & Wilfred ( Comic characters) if you had served through out the war you were entitled to wear all three, if you had served from 1916 just the War Medal & Victory Medal, Mutt & Jeff.
He his with his wife and three sons, I think its a great photo

[CEF]

Image of the three medals

[Marcel]

Great photo! I love the son that looks slightly out of place, the one that looks like he might almost be happy.

[CEF]

This piper I do know a little more about
Daniel Laidlaw V.C (Victoria Cross) Britain's highest military medal.
He was born in 1875 in Little Swinton Berwickshire.
He had served both in the Durham Light Infantry and the Kings Own Scottish Borderers, K.O.S.B before the war.
He re-enlisted back into the K.O.S.B in 1914 and won his V.C at the Battle of Loos.
Here in his own words he describe's the action.

On Saturday morning we got orders to raid the German trenches. At 6.30 the bugles sounded the advance and I got over the parapet with Lieutenant Young. I at once got the pipes going and the laddies gave a cheer as they started off for the enemy's lines. As soon as they showed themselves over the trench top they began to fall fast, but they never wavered, but dashed straight on as I played the old air they all knew 'Blue Bonnets over the Border'.
I ran forward with them piping for all I knew, and just as we were getting near the German lines I was wounded by shrapnel in the left ankle and leg. I was too excited to feel the pain just then, but scrambled along as best I could. I changed my tune to 'The Standard on the Braes o'Mar', a grand tune for charging on.

I kept on piping and piping and hobbling after the laddies until I could go no farther, and then seeing that the boys had won the position I began to get back as best I could to our own trenches.

The London Gazette stated
[ London Gazette, 18 November 1915 ], Loos, France, 25 September 1915, No. 15851 Piper Daniel Laidlaw, 7th Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers.


"For most conspicuous bravery prior to an assault on German trenches near Loos and Hill 70 on 25 September 1915. During the worst of the bombardment, Piper Laidlaw, seeing that his company was badly shaken from the effects of gas, with absolute coolness and disregard of danger, mounted the parapet, marched up and down and played 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."
Daniel Laidlaw was invested with his Victoria Cross by King George V at Buckingham Palace on the 3rd February 1916.
He died in 1950 at the age of 74.

And in Later age


Regards
cef

[kiltimabar]

Why do you suppose he was not wearing his VC with his war medals?

[turpin]

Those are two different pipers. Ibelieve CEF was saying he doesn't know much about the first but [I]does[I] know a bit about Piper Laidlaw. It was a bit confusing at first, but the pix are not of the same man.