The History of the 7th Battalion Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders. Norman Macleod
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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