McCrae's Battalion was the affectionate name given by the people of Edinburgh to the 16th (Service) Battalion of the Royal Scots in World War I, raised from volunteers in 1914 as part of the New Armies called to the Colours by Lord Kitchener. The unit was named after its charismatic colonel, former Liberal MP for Edinburgh East, Sir George McCrae.
Largely composed of professional and amateur sportsmen, "McCrae's" was the first of the so-called 'footballers' Pals battalions to be raised during the war and was the main inspiration behind the creation of the 17th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment in 1915. [1] [2]
16 players from Heart of Midlothian F.C. ("Hearts") enlisted, along with 500 supporters and ticket-holders. [1] Hearts were leading the Scottish League at the time the battalion was raised in November 1914. [3] In addition to the Hearts contingent, players and 150 followers of Hibernian, seven Raith Rovers players and a number of professional footballers from Falkirk, Dunfermline Athletic, East Fife and St Bernard's also enlisted. [1] [4] [5] Fans were encouraged to follow in their heroes' footsteps and fight alongside the men they cheered on every Saturday afternoon. [1] Rugby players, athletes and a variety of other sportsmen also joined the battalion. [1] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]
The contemporary Hearts manager John McCartney authored two booklets documenting Scottish footballers in the Great War and those from Hearts who perished. [12] [13]
The unit was named after its charismatic colonel, Sir George McCrae, a former Liberal MP for Edinburgh East. It was the subject of a detailed historical account published in 2003 by Jack Alexander. [14] Shortly after the publication of this book, a memorial cairn was constructed in the village of Contalmaison on the Somme. Designed by Alexander, the McCrae's Battalion Great War Memorial cairn now attracts hundreds of visitors every year to the village. [15] [16]
In October 2014, the battalion was inducted to the Scottish Football Hall of Fame. [17]
Rank | Name | Nationality | Sport | Club prior to enlistment | Battalion(s) | Wartime death date | Wartime death place | Decorations | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lt | Arthur Flett | Scotland | Rugby union | Edinburgh Wanderers | 16th | 9 April 1917 | Pas-de-Calais, France | — | [35] | |
Cpt | Napier Armit | Scotland | Cricket | Grange CC | 16th | 4 August 1916 | Somme, France | — | [35] | |
Sgt | Finlay MacRae | Scotland | Field hockey | n/a | 16th | 26 August 1917 (aged 30) | Somme, France | MM and Bar | [35] | |
Pte | Arthur Grant | Scotland | Golf | Le Touquet | 16th | — | — | — | [36] | |
Pte | Harry Harley | Scotland | Athletics | Edinburgh Northern Harriers | 16th | 1 July 1916 | Somme, France | — | [35] | |
n/a | Ned Barnie | Scotland | Swimming | — | 16th | — | — | MM | [nb 10] [nb 8] | [37] |
n/a | John Dallas | Scotland | Rugby union | Retired | 16th | — | — | — | [35] | |
n/a | Jim Davie | Scotland | Rugby union | Stewart's Melville | 16th | — | — | MC | [35] | |
n/a | Murdoch McLeod | Scotland | Bodybuilding | — | 16th | 1916 | Somme, France | — | [35] |
Heart of Midlothian Football Club, commonly known as Hearts, is a professional football club in Edinburgh, Scotland. The team competes in the Scottish Premiership, the top division of Scottish football. Hearts, the oldest and most successful football club in the Scottish capital, was formed in 1874, its name influenced by Walter Scott's novel The Heart of Midlothian. The club crest is based on the Heart of Midlothian mosaic on the city's Royal Mile; the team's colours are maroon and white.
Jason Thomson is a Scottish professional footballer who plays for Kelty Hearts. Thomson is a right-back and has previously played for Heart of Midlothian, Livingston, Dunfermline and Raith Rovers.
John McGlynn is a Scottish football coach and former player who manages Scottish League One club Falkirk. He has previously managed Scottish clubs Raith Rovers, Heart of Midlothian and Livingston.
Contalmaison is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.
When World War I was declared in 1914, it had a negative effect on association football; in some countries competitions were suspended and players signed up to fight, resulting in the deaths of many players. Frederick Wall, Secretary of the Football Association, famously implied Jimmy Hogan was a traitor for spending the duration of World War I in Europe.
Colonel Sir George McCrae was a Scottish textile merchant and Liberal Party politician. In Scotland he is best remembered for the creation of McCrae's Battalion, also known as the Second Edinburgh Pals Battalion and (officially) the 16th Battalion Royal Scots.
Harry Graham was a Scottish professional footballer who played in the Scottish Football League for Raith Rovers and Heart of Midlothian, and in the Football League for Bradford City, Birmingham, Leicester City and Reading. He played as an inside forward.
Robert Preston was a Scottish professional footballer who played in the Scottish League for Heart of Midlothian and in the Football League for Plymouth Argyle and Torquay United. He played as a wing half or centre half.
Denys Serhiyovych Prychynenko is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Belgian club Deinze. He previously played for Heart of Midlothian, Raith Rovers on loan, PFC Sevastopol, CSKA Sofia, Union Berlin, RWS Bruxelles and Beerschot. Born in Germany, he represents Ukraine internationally.
McCrae's Battalion Great War Memorial is a World War I memorial cairn located in the village of Contalmaison, France. Designed by the historian, Jack Alexander, it was unveiled in 2004 after being first proposed by survivors of the battalion in 1919. As such, it is the last of the 'original' Great War memorials to be built. It commemorates the dead of the 16th Royal Scots volunteer battalion formed by Sir George McCrae, known as 'The Sporting Battalion', who participated in the First Battle of the Somme, July 1916.
The 2014–15 season was the 134th season of competitive football by Heart of Midlothian and the first under new ownership following the club's exit from administration on 11 June 2014. Following 31 consecutive seasons in the top level of Scottish football, this was the club's first season of play in the second tier of Scottish football since the 1982–83 season, having been relegated from the Scottish Premiership to the Scottish Championship at the end of the previous season. Hearts also competed in the Challenge Cup, League Cup and the Scottish Cup.
Between August and November 1914, sixteen Heart of Midlothian Football Club players enlisted to fight in World War I. In doing so, they became the first British team to sign up en masse. The majority joined the 16th (Service) Battalion of the Royal Scots, otherwise known as McCrae's Battalion. On the first day of the Battle of the Somme in 1916, the British Army lost nearly 20,000 men, including three of Hearts footballers who had signed up. The war ended up claiming the lives of seven of the Hearts players who had enlisted, with several others returning so severely wounded they were unable to play football again.
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James Scott was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a forward in the Scottish League for Raith Rovers. He scored on his only appearance for Scotland in a wartime international in 1916, during the First World War. He was described as "an all-round forward" and "the most consistent goalscorer Raith have ever had".
Alfred Ernest Briggs was a Scottish professional footballer who played in the Scottish League for Heart of Midlothian as a wing half. He later scouted for Partick Thistle.
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William Porter was a Scottish professional footballer who made over 120 appearances in the Scottish League for Raith Rovers. A centre half, he also played senior football for Heart of Midlothian, Ayr United, St Mirren and in the United States.
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