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.

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.

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.

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."

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.

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."

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.

5/6 Battalion

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

17th Battalion

The pipers, when employed in action at all, went as bearers.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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.

6th and 7th Battalion.

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.

11th Battalion

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."

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.

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.

5th Battalion

In Gallipoli the pipers were mostly employed as stretcher-bearers, and nearly all of them became casualties.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

6th Battalion

This battalion was merged into the 5th in July 1916. The pipers were employed in the ranks.

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.

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.

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.

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.

11th Battalion

Pipers were frequently employed as runners, orderlies, and to bring up stores and ammunition.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

14th Battalion

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

5th Battalion

Pipers in action were employed as orderlies, despatch runners, etc.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

8th Battalion

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.

10th Battalion

THE QUEEN'S OWN CAMERON HIGHLANDERS

"A chlanna nan con

A chlanna nan con

Thigibh an so

S'ghaibh sibh feoil."