HLI Chronicle 1915 - The Royal Highland Fusiliers

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HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY CHRO.NICLE. 127 7th (the Blythswood) H.L.I. THE following notes have been received from an officer in the Battalion, which has now been at the Dardanelles for some months : "We were in the action of the 12th-13th July. After the gunners had given the Turks two hours bombardment, our orders were to charge and capture the first and second trenches, and the third also if there were one. At 4.50 p.m. to the second v:e :vent over the parapet. The men 'went .at ,It hk~ old hands, though it was the Battahon s maIden charge. We streamed across, took the first trench easily, then on to the second, and then away to the third. This turned out to be a dummy trench. However, we stuck to it and dug ourselves in, but after a time were recalled to the second trench to consolidate it. "Our losses in officers have been heavy. Captain Gandy fell in the first rush. I saw he was mortally wounded, and had just an instant to say a word to him, and then, of course, had to go on. Lieut: M'Kersie, Lieut. Brodie Galbraith, and 2nd LIeut. Russell were badly wounded, and. all of .them, I am so~ry to say, have since dIed. LIe~t. Russell tWICe left his trench and brought III wounded men nnder heavy fire, and was wounded in doing so. For this gallant action he was recommended for the V.C., but superior authority would not confirm the recommendation, on the ground that his first duty was to remain with his platoon. Captain Laing also was badly wounded, but I am glad to say he is recovering, and has gone home on leave. The bomb officer-2nd Lient. Moore-was slightly .. wounded, but will be back again soon. Since then we have lost three other officers, all sniped in the trenches-Lieut. Weller, Lieut. Dickson; and 2nd Lieut. David Galbraith. How I was not hit I cannot tell--shelI fire, rifle fire, and machine-gun fire all going like a thunder-shower on still water. "Two men in the Battalion have been awarded the D.C.M.-Pte. J. H. Cowan and Pte. T. Crichton." A PARTY of tourists who were staying at an hotel in the Highlands were questioning a !rillie as to the prospect of securing game. 'i', Are there any deer about here? " one of the party asked. ' .. Well," replied the gillie ponderously, "there was one, but the gentlemen were aye shooting and shooting at it, and I'm 0' the opinion that it left the district." THE 10TH (SERVICE) BATTALION H.L.t IN FRANCE. ON May 12th, 1915, the Battalion embarked at Folkestone for France on board the S.s. "Victoria," the regimental transport having preceded them the previous day on board the s.s. "Inventor" for Havre under Major G. C. Graham, Lieut. R. F. Mather, and 2nd Lieut. R. Robertson. The following officers embarked v,1.th the Battalion :-Lieut. Col. J. C. Grahame, D.S.O., in command; Majors Whitehead and Stuart; Captains Hayley, de Berry, Hill, and ~homson;. Lieuts. Reid, Paterson, Rawlison, ~l111s, Rout, and CampbelI; 2nd Lieuts. Fergusson, M'Kinlay, Broom, Easton, Moyes, Ca~eron, Sibold, and Duncan; Captain and AdJutant Anderson; and Lieut. and Quartermaster Stewart. Captain Farlie preceded the Batalion to France, and Captain Craven remained behind owing to ill-health. They arrived at Boulogne at 12-30 a.m. on the 13th, and after going into the Rest Camp marched at 4 p.m. to Pont de Briouc, and entrained. On the 14th and 15th they were in billets at Aequin. On the 16th they marched via St. Omer to Hounck, where they bivouacked, a distance of about 19 miles. Though the day was hot and the men carried their blankets for the first 7 miles they marched welL The following dav they marched to billets at Bailleul (15 miles), ~nd remained the,re till. May 22nd. While at Bailleul the offlCers dId a tour of dutv in the trenches with the 2nd Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders at Armentieres.. On the 22nd the Battalion marched to Arment1eres, where they were attached to the 18th Brigade, and went into the trenches as follows :-. " A" and "B" Companies with the East Yorkshire Regiment; Headquarters and ,'.' C :: Cov. with the Sherwood Foresters; . D Coy. with the Durham L.L They left the trenches on the evening of the following daV (their casualties being Lieut. B. White wdunded), and on the 24th returned to theil former billets at Bailleul, where they remained till the end of the month. On May 29th they were inspected by Field-Marshal Sir J. French, Commander-in-Chief. "BEGORRA," remarked Private Skidds, as he put his head above the trench and a bullet whizzed past, "it's aisy to understand that the more a man looks 'round in this war the less he's likely to see! "
12!S HIGHLAND 1.IGHT INFANTRY CHRONICLE. In Memoriam. COLIN LANDSEER MACKENZIE. A MEMORIAL Brass has been erected in the baptistery of St. John's-the church in which he worshipped, whenever he was at home, from the days of his early childhood, and which I think I may take it upon me to say he loved'---to the memory of their only son, Cotin, by Mr. and )irs. Landseer Mackenzie. The inscription upon the Brass tells its simple, sad, but glorious story. I say "glorious" deliberately, for he gave his life for King, home, and country; and that is a gl~rious thing to do. It is only by such saCrifices, we know well, that this dear land and all that we hold most precious in life can be saved from utter and irretrievable ruin. We, therefore, who are too old to fight, and all who for whatever reason cannot fight, should hold, and surely do hold, a sacrifice like this in highest honour; while to those who are young and vigorous but have not yet heard the call, the record of this sacrifice will surely speak, telling them that there are nobler things to think of, at a time like this, than even the things which are noblest in a time of peace. None can look at this Brass and read its story without feeling how much we owe to those young heroes who with such magnificent ? courage are facing day by day dangers and horrors. of which we at home can scarcely form any conception, and how much we owe, too, to the fathers and mothers who, though it breaks their heart, bid them go because it is their duty. The inscription on the Brass is as follows : .[The arms of the Mackenzie family. Motto: "Ferendum et Sperandum.] In memory of a dear and only son, Colin Landseer Mackenzie, Sec. I,ieut. the Highland Light Infantry (74th), .who fell in action at the battle of the Alsne, 'Ju on Sunday, 20th September, 1914. Aged T 22 years. His body was buried on the Ex ridge above Verneuil. () Death is swallowed up In victory. The Brass was dedicated on the Vigil of St. }Iatthew's Day, the anniversary of the day on which he died, in the presence of many friends, at a special service. The ser~ce consisted of a celebration of Holy Commulllon, the form of dedication prescribed for use in the Diocese of Winchester, some special prayers, and the hymns "The King of Love my Shepherd is" and "On the Resurrection morning." C. S. M. -St. John the Evangelist (Bournemouth) Magazine. Obitu~ry. IT must have been a great grief to all to learn that Captain Cameron's body had at last been found. Reported missing since the 20th December, 1914, we still had a hope-slender though it was-that he might be a prisoner. Then at the beginning of this month the worst was confirmed without doubt, and those days of anxious hoping were over. That his end was sudden and painless is some slight consolation, as also the fact that he was found and buried on the field of battle by Scotsmen and Highlanders of the Regiment whose name he bore. To no officer does the 1st Battalion owe more than to" Cammy." Gazetted to the Regiment in May, 1901, after spending a few months with the 2nd Battalion he joined the 1st Battalion in South Africa (towards the end of the Boer War) in October of the same year. Quiet and unassuming, with charming manners, he very soon showed his capabilities as an officer. He was so thorough and conscientious, with an infinite capacity for taking pains, that everything he did he did well. He was before all a regimental officer, with a very high sense of "esprit de corps," and sacrificed many personal advantages for the sake of the Battalion. His example in life, too, had a very great moral influence with all ranks, which latter quality was most conspicuous during the period (Aug., 1908 to Aug., 1911) he was Adjutant of the 1st Battalion, and later as a Company Commander. Promoted Captain in 1912, he took over command of "B" Company, the Company in which he had served as a Subaltern. A good shot with revolver and rifle himself, his Company were the best shooting Company in the Battalion during the next two years. In all games and sports especially he took a leading part. During both years of his command " B " Company was the champion Company at games, willlling the Stockwell Challenge Shield on both occasions. He was a very keen and successful shikari, his leave in India being always spent pig-sticking or with rifle and rod. A good though not a strong rider, he was the best No. 1 at polo in the
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HLI Chronicle 1915 - The Royal Highland Fusiliers

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