The Piper of Loos: A Tribute to Bravery in Battle

1. Fill in your sheet in pairs: What do you see, think, wonder, hope, hear? Fill in your sheet in pairs: What would a soldier see, think, wonder, hope, hear? The Piper of Loos

2. Piper Daniel Laidlaw V.C. • Piper Daniel Laidlaw was a Scotsman, and won the medal for his bravery at the Battle of Loos in Belgium in 1915. • Laidlaw led the assault from the trenches, playing his bagpipes. • The ‘Piper of Loos’ was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest British military honour.

3. The Scots made a huge contribution to the Battle of Loos 7,000 of the 21,000 who died were Scots No Scottish town or village was left untouched by the Battle of Loos

4. “The ladies from hell”

5. The battle plan: • BEF to be led by Commander in Chief Sir John French • The aim was for 100,000 British soldiers to capture the enemy trenches. • The British bombarded the Germans with artillery and 150 tons of chlorine gas from 5000 cylinders along a 6 ½ mile stretch of front line trenches. • The battle started on 25th September 1915 after 4 days of bombardment of German trenches by the British.

6. Gas

7. Artillery

8. What actually happened? • The attack began on 25th September 1915 – 8,500 British soldiers were killed on the first day. • Gas was used for the first time by the British army but it drifted back and affected the 15th Division of the King’s Own Scottish Borders.

9. What actually happened? • Initially the attack went very well, but the British reserve troops were not sent in quickly enough to take advantage of the gains. • German reinforcements arrived quickly and the British army was slaughtered when they renewed the attack the next day. 1/3 of all the 20,598 names on the memorial at Loos are Scottish.

12. The final resting place of Private William McAleer from Fife. He was killed aged 22, and was buried 99 years later.

13. Many soldiers’ bodies have never been identified.

14. Loos in our lifetime • http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2580854/Soldiers-died-Battle-Loos-buried-century-later.html

15. Private John McNay of the Gordon Highlanders

16. “John McNay was probably just like any other man who volunteered in 1914. He had worked in Motherwell, in the steel industry. Although he was from Lanarkshire, he did not end up in the Cameronians or the Highland Light Infantry, which would have been expected for that area. Like many Lanarkshire men, he ended up in the Gordon Highlanders. In his case the ninth battalion, although Lanarkshire men were also quite prevalent in the 10th.He didn't serve for long - he "entered the field" at the beginning of July, and he was dead before October. Not a long or distinguished service, but like many others he played his part, and he deserves to be remembered for that.Like many men killed at Loos, he has no known grave, and is commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission on the Loos memorial. • In his home of Motherwell, he is remembered on the main civic memorial in the Duchess Park.He can also be found commemorated on the memorial at Dalziel Parish Church in the centre of Motherwell - both on the main memorial at the entrance and also on a framed Roll of Honour.” http://scottishmilitary.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/battle-of-loos.html

17. Battle of Loos 1915

19. Your tasks • Complete the multiple choice quiz. • Design a memorial plaque to one of the 3 men we’ve studied today: • Piper Laidlaw • William McAleer • John McNay

20. Pipers of the trenches • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oXiAu3P0LM