The Scottish Military Research Group - Commemorations Project

Tachum · Joined: 12 Oct 2008 Posts: 11 Location: Livingston

I came across this while in the Longueval Area at the South African and New Zealand Memorials.

It is of a Piper Playing as he goes over the top.

The Plaques on the wall behind list all the Regiments who lost Pipers during the Great War. It is very evident from the list of names just how big the Scottish connection was in the Canadian Army. There were of course at that time many more Scottish and Irish regiments with Pipers.

Casualties were so high among pipers that Battalion CO's restricted their prescence in the front line before they ran out of pipers it is said.

There is a Plaque at the base which reads:

The Pipes in the Street were marching bravely
The marching lads went by with merry hearts and voices singing
My fiends marching off to die

But I was hearing a lonly Piobroch out of an older war

Farewell.......
Farewell........
Farewell MacCrimmon
MacCrimmon Comes no more

Lt A.F. MacIntosh MC
Seaforth Highlanders

The funds to build this Memorial were raised Internationally over a number of years. From memory, the Somme Battlefield Pipe Band were involved. I'll need to look it up.
It was unveiled on 20/7/2002.

anne park · Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2008 12:01 pm Post subject: Info about Piper's Memorial

The unveiling was by Lt Gen Sir Peter Graham KCB CBE late Colonel Gordon Highlanders & Major Gen Corran Purdon CBE MC CPM.
I was at the unveiling and Ian Alexander was the main fund raiser and his idea about having the Pipers Memorial. There were many pipe bands there that day, including the London Scottish Association.
The sculptor was Andy De Comyn. Anne