Moray in - as reported in The Northern Scot

1 May 1915

A small report headed ‘Terrific Fighting at Dardanelles’ in the 1 May 1915 edition of ‘The Northern Scot’ could only give a limited insight into the unfolding events in Turkey. It said, in part: ‘The British have attacked the European side and the French have effected landings on the Asiatic side. Several lines of trenches between Cape Helles and Kilid Bahr on the European side have been carried by the assault, and about 1,200 prisoners have been taken. On the Asiatic coast the French have captured some 1,800 men.’

Following the largely ineffective naval bombardment of Turkish positions in previous weeks it was decided to land troops on the Gallipoli peninsular. A force consisting of British and French troops was augmented by the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZACs) that had been training in Egypt. The French, as stated in the report, landed on the Asiatic shore, but this was only a diversion and they were soon withdrawn and put on to the European side to fight alongside the British 29th and Royal Naval Divisions that landed at five beaches around the Cape Helles headland. Faced by a Turkish garrison, commanded by Otto Liman Von Sanders, a German officer who had been given the temporary rank of Marshal in the Ottoman Army, the landings at Cape Helles on the morning of 25 April 1915 had mixed fortunes.

At ‘Y’ Beach the 1st King’s Own Scottish Borderers, a company of the 2nd South Wales Borderers and the Plymouth Battalion of the Royal Naval Division, got ashore without difficulty but failed to follow up their early advantage and were soon counter-attacked by a strong Turkish force.

Two miles away at ‘X’ Beach the 2nd Royal Fusiliers landing had also gone well, but at ‘W’ Beach the 1st Lancashire Fusiliers were met with heavy fire and suffered many casualties. They displayed much bravery in getting ashore from their rowing boats and advancing from the beach; they became famous as the battalion that ‘won six VCs before breakfast’.

At ‘S’ Beach a small force consisting of just three companies of the 2nd South Wales Borderers (about 750 men), plus some support troops, secured their objectives without difficulty in just two and a half hours.

At ‘V’ Beach an innovation was an old collier, the River Clyde, that had been converted into a landing ship with sally ports cut into either side near the bow and ramps down which the men could exit; lighters would be pushed into position to allow them to make the final distance to the shallows. On board were 2,000 men who would reinforce those who had made a more conventional landing from rowing boats a short while earlier. The first wave suffered very heavy casualties with many being killed by rifle and machine-gun fire while still in their boats. The River Clyde had to make a last-minute change of course to avoid arriving too early and having lost some speed did not get as far as anticipated when driven aground. The bravery of the seamen (including Captain Unwin, RN, skipper of the River Clyde) who dragged lighters and small boats into position at the ends of the ramps under very heavy fire was recognised by the award of four VCs. When the men of the emerged from the sally ports they were cut down by machine-gun fire. A further two VCs were subsequently awarded to men who rescued some of the wounded.

About 14 miles to the north of Cape Helles the ANZACs were unfortunately landed a mile or so from where planned; they were put into a small cove backed by very steep hills, rather than on a relatively open beach that led to gentler terrain. Their sacrifice over the following nine months has become legendary and is cited as one of the most significant nation building events in Australian history. Unfortunately the casualty figures quoted for the campaign vary wildly between sources, but there is no doubt that the Australians suffered heavy casualties; about 8,000 were killed. Over the years the myth that is was largely an Australian battle has grown; no doubt helped in relatively recent times by the film ‘Gallipoli’ starring Mel Gibson that had a notable anti-British bias. However the rest of the , including the New Zealanders who served alongside the Australians and are sometimes overlooked, had more than 25,000 men killed and the French, whose involvement is little known about outside their own country, had at least 10,000 killed during the campaign. Accurate casualty figures for are difficult to ascertain as many wounded died on hospital ships and were buried at sea, while others died in hospitals as far away as Egypt and Malta. Naval casualties lost when their ships were sunk, or were buried at sea are commemorated in the UK on memorials to the missing at Plymouth, Portsmouth and Chatham.

The figures for Turkish dead are at best an estimate, but it is generally accepted that they had at least twice as many men killed as the Allies.

The was also notable for the large number of non-battle casualties evacuated for treatment. The high summer temperatures, unsanitary conditions and associated swarms of flies saw tens of thousands of men suffering from severe dysentery and other debilitating illnesses.

8 May 1915

Two stories of particular note in the 8 May 1915 edition of ‘The Northern Scot’ were the transfer of the Morayshire Territorials to and the sinking of the liner Lusitania.

Since late August 1914 the Morayshire Seaforths had, along with the other units of the Highland Territorial Division, been training in the Bedford area. Although some of the division’s infantry had been sent to France early to support the hard-pressed regulars, the Morayshire battalion was amongst the last to go on 1 May 1915 when the Highland Division was finally sent across the Channel. Shortly after arrival in France the division was given a number in line with a system that had been instigated and thereafter it became the 51st (Highland) Division; a title it subsequently carried through two world wars and beyond.

The battalion had been warned of the move just a few days earlier and their final preparations included having group photographs taken. As part of the farewell to their hosts Major-General Bannatine-Allason formally thanked the Town Clerk and the Recreation Committee, particularly the tireless Honorary Secretary, Mr William Machin, who was presented with a silver ink stand and a cheque for nearly £42 as signs of the great esteem in which he was held by the officers and men of the Highland Division.

Major-General Bannatine-Allason also wrote a letter of thanks to the Mayor of Bedford in which he said: ‘Dear Mr. Mayor, - On the Highland Division leaving Bedford, I write to you as civic head of the Borough, to say this. The Highland Division owes much to the Town for the manner they received and have treated us during the nine months invasion of this peaceful place. This we cannot adequately repay, but we shall be grateful if you will make known the sentiments to those concerned. To the Town Council and Mr. Stimson our thanks are particularly due, while the police and medical officers have assisted us in every way. All the ministers of religion have been most kind. To the Entertainment Committee, with its energetic Secretary, Mr. Machin, every man of the Division owes a debt of gratitude. Under the circumstances of the last nine months, mistakes and inconveniences are unavoidable; we acknowledge our share of the mistakes, and trust they may be forgiven. To you, personally, I am much indebted for advice and assistance of all sorts, and I trust the good people of your town will understand we wish them all good luck and fortune, and hope they will “to our faults be blind”.’

On the morning of departure they marched through Bedford accompanied by the band of the Liverpool Irish to the temporary railway station at Ampthill. ‘The Northern Scot’ recorded: ‘It was a bright May morning, far removed from the aspect of war, yet the Morayshires were leaving to take part in events which will probably leave their mark on history.’ At 2.30 p.m. the train set off for Folkestone, where they embarked on their transport ship at 8.30 p.m. for a night crossing to Boulogne.

Meanwhile their regular army counterparts, the 2nd , were heavily engaged at St Julien, north-east of . As reported last week, and continuing this week, Jill Stewart’s articles tell of several local men killed in the extremely fierce and costly fighting that followed the first gas attacks. In the period 22 April – 7 May the 2nd Seaforth had 161 men killed in action or died of wounds.

The sinking of the Lusitania off the coast of southern Ireland on 7 May 1915 caused outrage across much of the world. A victim of the German policy of unrestricted submarine warfare she was torpedoed without warning by the U-20. The 31,000 ton liner was sailing from New York to Liverpool and a secondary explosion hastened her end; she rapidly began to list and only six of the forty-eight lifeboats were successfully launched. Sinking within 20 minutes about 1,200 passengers and crew of the 2,000 on board died; more than 120 Americans were killed.

The British Government hoped that the loss of American lives would be enough to bring America into the war but, despite the issue being hotly debated over the following weeks, President Wilson refused to act. The Germans argued the Lusitania was carrying ammunition in its cargo and was therefore a legitimate target, and they had also warned passengers of the dangers of sailing into a war zone by publishing notices in many American newspapers. President Wilson insisted that the Germans apologise for the sinking, compensate American victims and promise to avoid a similar situation in the future. It would take another two years, a further phase of unrestricted submarine warfare and a telegram from to Mexico offering support if they invaded the southern states, before America finally declared war in April 1917.

OFFICERS OF THE 1/6th (MORAYSHIRE) BATTALION, SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS, BEDFORD, APRIL 1915.

Back Row (L to R) - 2/Lt E.J. Sulley, 2/Lt L. Fraser, 2/Lt E.J. Anderson, 2/Lt M.W. Polley, 2/Lt A.L. Lee, 2/Lt J.S. Alexander, 2/Lt J. Sinclair, 2/Lt W. Birnie, 2/Lt G.S. Stewart, 2/Lt R.T. Peel, 2/Lt J.A.C. Mackay, 2/Lt C.E. Fysh, 2/Lt J. Macdougall. Middle Row - 2/Lt A.W.I. Thomson, 2/Lt J. Cumming, Captain R. Grant, Captain G.W. Asher, Lt W. Petrie, Lt J.A. Kennedy, Lt A. Boyd, Lt R.C.T. Mair, Lt A.P. Taylor, 2/Lt I.S. Robertson, 2/Lt A.H. Macdonald, Lt J.A. Cook. Front Row - Captain W. Macdonald, Captain W. Legge, Captain T.R. Mackenzie, Major S. Gair, Captain W.H. Doig, Lt-Col T.G. MacLaren, Brig-Gen W.C. Ross, Major T.M. Booth, Major J. Grant Smith, Major D.G. Campbell, Captain A.L. Ramsay, Captain R. Young, Captain A.D. Macdonald. On Ground - Lt C.H. Hudson, Lt L.D. Mackintosh, 2/Lt D. Stewart.

15 May 1915

Following the in mid-, and its failure to advance the line to the Ridge, the generals planned another attack which would become known at the Ridge. This time the British would attack to the north of Neuve Chapelle at , and to the south near , as part of a joint attack in which the French would launch a larger offensive on the and ridges another 12 - 15 miles further south, near .

Following the pattern of the previous battle the British planned a short and intense bombardment before the infantry advanced, but did not fully take into account how much the Germans had strengthened their defences in the preceding month. The bombardment began at 5 a.m. on the morning of 9 May 1915 and lasted just 40 minutes. One of the attacking battalions just south of Neuve Chapelle was the 1st Seaforth Highlanders and their War Diary records the stark events that unfolded: ‘On attempting to advance as ordered at 5.40 a.m. the enemy’s line was well manned and heavy Maxim [machine-guns] and rifle fire stopped the attempt’. A fresh bombardment was fired before a second attempt was made – which also failed. A third bombardment and yet another attempt fared no better and by 9 a.m., having lost so many officers and without any new orders, the survivors began to make their way back to the British trenches. Many were shot as they tried to get to safety, but some managed to get back during an afternoon attack by the Bareilly Brigade, however, many stayed out in the open, not daring to move, until nightfall. The 1st Seaforth’s War Diary recorded that 7 officers and 131 other ranks were killed and 10 officers and 346 other ranks were wounded, and Jill Stewart’s article this week tells the stories of several local men killed at Aubers Ridge.

A short distance away the 1st was also involved in the battle and Keith-born Corporal led his small section of men forward at 4 p.m. They managed to get into the German trench and fought off counter-attacks from three sides. The weight of enemy fire meant that no help could get to them but they remained for an hour until all of Ripley’s section had become casualties. He managed to get back to the British front line, but his battalion had suffered 475 casualties. For his outstanding bravery against overwhelming odds Corporal Ripley was awarded the Cross and at the age of 47 is one of the oldest recipients of the honour. John Ripley was to survive the war and returned St Andrews to resume his work as a slater, but unfortunately he fell from a ladder in August 1933 and died from his injuries.

Planned to last several days the Battle of Aubers Ridge was called off on the first day due to the 12,000 casualties and no gains - Aubers Ridge remained in German hands until October 1918. The Times stated ‘British soldiers died in vain on the Aubers Ridge on Sunday because more shells were needed’. An oversimplification, but there was a shortage of high explosive shells needed to destroy enemy positions and the subsequent ‘shell scandal’ led to the Liberal Government under Herbert Asquith collapsing in late May 1915. Although Asquith remained as Prime Minister he had to accept a coalition with the Conservatives. One aspect of note with the new Government was the appointment of Lloyd George, formerly Chancellor of the Exchequer, to the new post of Minister for Munitions, where he managed to greatly increase shell production over the next year.

Following the sinking of the Lusitania ‘The Northern Scot’ printed accounts from some local survivors. Burghead ladies, Mrs and Miss McFarquhar, who had been living in America for a number of years, related how they managed at the second attempt to get places in a lifeboat that was then rowed away from the stricken ship as she took her final plunge.

Ship carpenter, George Smith, from Buckie, said: ‘The scene was indescribable. The water could be seen washing the deck, with hundreds of human beings who were being tossed backwards and forwards. The greater the list of the vessel became the more difficult was the launching of the boats. Then of a sudden the vessel went down altogether, and the next thing I knew of was that I was in the water.’ He said that he managed to grab a large box containing tins of biscuits floating on the surface, before eventually making his way to a damaged and partially submerged collapsible lifeboat.

George Barclay, from Keith, was returning from to collect his family and said that he had gone to his cabin to collect a lifebelt before returning to the deck. There he joined a large crowd where one lady was in great distress because she had no lifebelt. Mr Barclay handed over his lifebelt to her and, unable to get into one of the few lifeboats that had been successfully launched, he had to dive into the cold water. He was twice dragged down by the suction of the sinking ship but managed to get onto an upturned lifeboat, where he and about 30 others waited until they were rescued and taken to Queenstown on the south coast of Ireland.

22 May 1915

With the large numbers of casualties from the , Battle of Neuve Chapelle and Battle of Aubers Ridge, all the local hospitals had to step up a gear and, rather than taking in convalescent cases, began to get men who needed treatment to their wounds. The 22 May 1915 edition of ‘The Northern Scot’ had reports on a number of the hospitals and pictures of the Gordon Castle Red Cross Hospital, Fochabers and the Forres VAD Hospital in the town’s Mechanics’ Hall. A bewildering range of gifts continued to be donated to the hospitals ranging from rabbits, fish, eggs and potatoes; through towels, sheets, bedsteads and mattresses to books and magazines. Many cigarettes and sweets were also donated and even golf balls (I hope someone had also donated some golf clubs!) and a ‘cricket set and accessories in a leather bag’.

Under the heading of ‘Morayshire Seaforths at the Front’ was a comment from one of the battalion’s most experienced officers: ‘The more one comes into contact with men from the front the more obvious it appears that it is now no use sending out partly trained troops. Rapid fire, trained observers with glasses, trained snipers and good machine gun teams are all important, good diggers, and finally, bold men in an assault with the bayonet are required. There seems little doubt that the training and organisation of the in peace times was a great asset, and the result was that many of the Territorials were sent out before Kitchener’s new battalions.’

The 6th Seaforth had entered the line near Richebourg for the first time on the night of 19 - 20 May 1915. A third phase of the fighting in the vicinity of Neuve Chapelle, later known as the , had already been going on for four days and the 51st (Highland), 47th (2nd London) and 1st Canadian Divisions were ordered to replace the 2nd and 7th Divisions; serving with the latter was the 6th (Banff and Donside) Battalion, Gordon Highlanders, who had been in support and had done good work digging a trench across No Man’s Land on the night of the 16th.

Due to the high water table in the area the trenches were shallow with breastworks made from sandbags built up in front to give some protection, however, the breastworks were extremely vulnerable to damage from shellfire and needed almost constant maintenance and frequent re- building. The German front line was about 600 yards away and as that was felt too far away to allow domination of No Man’s Land the 6th Seaforth spent the night of the 20th digging a new front line 200 yards forward of the one they were occupying.

The following night they were unable to continue working on the new trench due to the heavy artillery and rifle fire and, as reported in Jill Stewart’s article, that night saw the 6th Seaforth’s first fatality when Private William Wilson, Fochabers, was killed by a shell fragment striking him in the chest.

The Duke of Richmond and Gordon, staff and patients at the Gordon Castle Red Cross Hospital.

Patients and staff at the VAD Hospital in the Mechanics’ Hall, Forres.

29 May 1915

‘Morayshires in Action’ was a prominent headline in the 29 May 1915 edition of ‘The Northern Scot’ above a report describing how: ‘They have been in the first line of trenches, and have faced the hail of shells and rifle fire’. It also said that the battalion had lost Lieutenant-Colonel Maclaren who had found that ‘the heat and the strain proved too much for him’. Major John Grant Smith, Grantown-on-Spey, was made acting commanding officer, but he was soon promoted and took full command of the battalion. The success with which he was to carry out his duties can be gauged from the fact that he remained in command even after a policy was introduced for all Territorial battalions to be commanded by a regular army officer.

In the ‘Local Notes and Comments’ column it was noted that ‘Mr Victor Mitchell, editor of ‘The Northern Scot’ has received a commissioned as second lieutenant in the 2/6th Seaforth Highlanders.’ At the age of 47 Mr Mitchell was still keen to do his bit – at that stage it was still possible to enlist in the Territorials on home service terms and it appears that he did not serve abroad.

Late May 1915 saw two disasters in Britain that claimed the lives of many servicemen and civilians.

At 6.49 a.m. on 22 May a train carrying 498 men of the 7th (Leith) Battalion, , to Liverpool for embarkation to Gallipoli, crashed into a local passenger train that had mistakenly been stopped facing north on the southbound line at Quintinshill, near Gretna. The local train would normally have been held in one of the passing loops but both were occupied by freight trains. The Royal Scots’ train spread wreckage across the northbound line and within a minute a Glasgow bound express ploughed into it.

Apart from those killed in the crash many died from burns when fire broke out – the old wooden carriages of the troop train were heated by gas cylinders mounted on the chassis. Many of those who survived the initial crash tried to rescue others from the wreckage and the flames, but despite their bravery a total of 216 Royal Scots and 12 civilians died. Another 246 were injured, many of them seriously. Just 62 men of the Leith battalion emerged unscathed from what stands to this day as Britain’s worst train disaster.

Elgin’s William Smith, a Sapper with 127th Field Company, Royal Engineers, was on the express bound for Glasgow and some leave. Under the heading ‘Elgin Man’s Narrow Escape – Hurled Through the Roof’ he said, in part: ‘We had a fine journey north to Carlisle, although half an hour late.....It is very difficult to put your feelings into words, but you can imagine an engine being shunted on to a train you happen to be in. You get knocked off you seat. Well, the crash we got was a thousand times harder. I had a very narrow escape. The roof of our carriage split open, through which I was hurled on to a field twenty yards clear of the train, very much stunned and sore all over.’ He then went on to describe the attempts to rescue the injured: ‘Great gaping wounds on the head were numerous, also a great number of broken arms and legs. One Royal Scot had his right foot torn off. Another had his arm broken in three places and his collar bone fractured. Another who had his leg broken in three places and was crawling away, was offered help, but refused, and said there were others worse than him.’

Under the heading ‘ Disaster: Auxiliary Ship Blown Up’ was a brief outline of the loss of HMS Princess Irene that exploded in the on 27 May 1915. More than 380 crew and dockyard workers, who had been on board completing conversion work, were killed (one crewman was from Lossiemouth); there was just a single survivor. The Princess Irene and her sister ship, Princess Margaret, were built in 1914 by Denny’s at Dumbarton for the to use on their Pacific coast services, but they were requisitioned by the and converted into mine-layers each capable of carrying more than 400 mines. On the fateful morning priming of a full load of mines was in progress when it appears that a faulty pistol, or an error by inexperienced personnel, set off an explosion that literally blew the ship apart. Fragments were reported to have gone a mile into the air and debris rained down for miles around. In Grain village, about two miles away, nine year-old Hilda Johnston was playing in the garden of her uncle’s house and was killed by a piece of falling metal. At Rainham, six miles away, a householder reported finding a boot, clothing and a pound of butter in the garden and lighter items were reported as being carried by the breeze as far as Detling 11 miles away.

HMS Princess Irene after conversion into a mine-layer.