Shetland Territorials at the Start of World War One by Jon Sandison
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Shetland Territorials at the start of World War One by Jon Sandison Last October my Dad, my two brothers and myself fulfilled a long held ambition by visiting some of the World War One battlefields of France and Belgium. Our reason for doing so was to follow in the footsteps of our Granddad, William Sandison and his compatriots from the Shetland Territorials who had fought, and in many cases perished, in the slaughter of the Western Front. Our Granddad returned home from the Great War but like so many veterans seldom spoke of his experiences. Our dad, Bruce, gained occasional snippets of information from his father but never really pressed him. By the time Mark, William and myself came along it was too late. All Granddad’s experiences and stories had passed away with him and we never had the chance to either hear them or ask him about them. Any pieces of information gleaned from Dad – Granddad being wounded in the leg - his friend Lawrence Cooper being shot right next to him by a German sniper – winning the Military Medal for "bravery in the field" - would be seized on immediately, poured over and dissected. But much was left to our own imagination. William Andrew Sandison Our pilgrimage across the English Channel was to visit battlefields and place names which have resonated down through history. But we were to learn more of his story, and in that process put together some missing pieces of the jigsaw. Somehow we were to feel closer to a grandfather we never really knew. Three sons, and their father, all seeking some understanding of that war on the Western Front and what it must have meant to young Shetlanders – and in particular their forefather - as they left a very different, yet also very similar Shetland, to seek adventure. In every war, there are many Laurence Cooper personal stories. This is his. Within Granddad's story is that of the Shetland Territorials. This was a collection of young men who joined up locally. In turn, there is also the story of the Gordon Highlanders, the 51st Highland Division and the Western Front. These young Shetlanders were to be part of a larger domain. At some point either at the outbreak of World War One, or before, Granddad joined the Territorials. So too did Lawrence at some stage. We only have a few pictures, the word of mouth and 'hearsay' to tell this tale. But, with other evidence, we have put together our own story. Within this canvas, there was a personal tale of two young men. But Lawrence's name and memory will be forever enshrined with our Granddad's, not only because they were both young Lerwick men, Gordons outside Garrison. but also because both of them, like so many Photograph courtesy of Shetland Museum and Archive. others, were pals who went to war together. The twist of fate was to let only one come home. The other was to lie buried in the thick clay soil of France. Territorials shooting Staney Hill. Photographs courtesy of Shetland Museum and Archive. Many say that only with a solid understanding of the past can we fully grasp and appreciate our own present. It becomes more real when we ponder that without that slice of fortune, and a particular direction of a bullet, there would be no present for our own family. Like millions of all over Europe, these men volunteered to be part of a war which so many young men desperately wanted to be involved in. Both William and Laurence volunteered for Imperial Service when World War One broke out. Therefore they were both willing to leave British shores. They didn't volunteer to pay a visit and see hell. However, that visit was going to be inevitable. They were just two of far too many to mention, whose story was kept quiet, but whose tale was but a small footnote in the massive, forever re-told, story of The Great War. But every footnote can have its own revelation. Territorials at Ness of Sound. Photographs courtesy of Shetland Museum and Archive. After the disbandment of the Shetland Volunteers around 1880, the Shetland Territorial Force was a new set of volunteers formed around 1900. They were re- formed when the War Office gave the go ahead for a Volunteer Battalion of Gordon Highlanders to be raised in Shetland. Before the outbreak of World War One, the 7th Volunteer Battalion, The Gordon Highlanders, was reorganised as two companies of the 4th (Aberdeen) Battalion of the same regiment. Initially, no title was given to these companies. However, as time went on, the War Office agreed that they be called 'The Shetland Companies, The Gordon Highlanders'. As such, they would not be connected to any other battalion and would remain an independent unit. At a later stage, the War Office authorised the appointment of a Major Commandant to command the two companies. With this, they had their own service uniform, with the Gordon bonnet badge. Despite the connection to the Gordon Highlanders, these men were a Shetland unit. Then, surely as now, anything Shetlandic takes on its own unique identity and character. Within it were young men who were no doubt 'weel kent' locally and to each other. Before all of this happened, there had been some debate. The official view was that the Territorials should be attached to the Seaforth Highlanders, and be within the regimental district of Fort George near Inverness. But Shetland had usually been more closely associated with the Aberdeen areas. So, it made sense that the Shetland infantry unit be part of the Gordon Highlanders. This local volunteer force, as much an excuse for young men to meet up socially as it was a military outfit, had been in existence for some time. Sandwick Cable Guard. Photographs courtesy of Shetland Museum and Archive. Digging trenches at Hoofield. Photographs courtesy of Shetland Museum and Archive. The foundation stone for a new Territorials drill hall was laid in July of 1903. The hall was just outside the west gate of Fort Charlotte. This drill hall was used by the Territorials until they left Shetland after the outbreak of World War Two. The hall would then become the Garrison Theatre. But this was to be no pantomime. It was to be a dress rehearsal for a performance of a much more serious nature. Around 1908, the Territorial units for each area were linked to regular Scottish Regiments. All over Scotland, young men joined Territorial units. These were 'part- time' soldiers who signed up for four years. The men who joined the Territorials could identify with units linked to their workplace or where they lived. This was how two young Lerwick men such as William Sandison and Laurence Cooper would have joined up, and got to know about the Territorials. There was fierce debate locally concerning which Regiment that was to be. To add fuel to the fire, a recruiting party of Seaforths arrived in Shetland in 1912, trying to drum up support for the regular soldiers. The Shetland Territorials were split into 'A' and 'B' Companies, with one Company having members from Scalloway in it. However, the TA mostly came from Lerwick. The target for each Company was to be split between 117 men and three officers. In August 1914, World War One broke out. With an assassin’s bullet in the far away city of Sarajevo, Europe stumbled to war, nation by nation. These events seemed as if they could not be further away from Shetland. Then, as now, we were a community mercifully untouched by the conflicts of our world. Yet, all of the Territorials had gone to their posts within 48 hours of the order to mobilise being received. The Territorials main task was to protect telegraph cables from seaborne attack. However, as well as being a unit training for military action, the Territorials also made up a social organisation where local men would meet and have comradeship with each other. A demonstration of this was provided by the Shetland News report of their dance, presumably held in their drill hall, in early 1915, just six months before they would leave the Auld Rock. The Territorial Dance was attended by over 80 couples. The hall was beautifully decorated with bunting, which helped to set off the men’s dress uniforms. The dance began with the Grand March, to the time of pipe music played by Cpl Clark, who also later in the evening, played his pipes for the Highland Schottische. The dance went with a rare swing from start to finish, and was greatly enjoyed by everyone present. Cpl McBay made an excellent MC and first-class music was supplied by the Quadrille Band. The catering most satisfactorily done by Messrs Malcolmson & Co. By the end of 1914 and early 1915, the professional British Expeditionary Force had endured so many casualties on the Western Front that there was real concern as to whether Britain would be able to keep fighting. At the same time, Kitchener's New Army of volunteers was not ready to fight. Consequently, it was the Territorials who were to keep Britain in the war and 'plug the gap'. The Shetland Territorials were to play a crucial part in this process. This is another story waiting to be told. However, Lord Kitchener, Secretary of State for War, did not trust the Territorial discipline or readiness for combat. To his mind, many of the Territorials, especially the officers, had joined for the social life. That said, given Shetland's isolation it is easy to imagine how.