McCrae's Battalion was the affectionate name given by the people of
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
to the 16th (Service) Battalion of the
Royal Scots
The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment), once known as the Royal Regiment of Foot, was the oldest and most senior infantry regiment line infantry, of the line of the British Army, having been raised in 1633 during the reign of Charles I of England ...
in
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, 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.
Background
Largely composed of professional and amateur sportsmen, "McCrae's" was the first of the so-called 'footballers'
Pals battalion
The pals battalions of World War I were specially constituted battalions of the British Army comprising men who enlisted together in local recruiting drives, with the promise that they would be able to serve alongside their friends, neighbours an ...
s to be raised during the war and was the main inspiration behind the creation of the
17th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment in 1915.
16 players from
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club, commonly known as Hearts, is a professional football club in Edinburgh, Scotland. The team competes in the , the top division of Scottish football. Hearts, the oldest football club in the Scottish capital, wa ...
("Hearts") enlisted, along with 500 supporters and ticket-holders.
Hearts were leading the
Scottish League at the time the battalion was raised in November 1914. In addition to the Hearts contingent, players and 150 followers of
Hibernian, seven
Raith Rovers players and a number of professional footballers from
Falkirk
Falkirk ( ; ; ) is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow.
Falkirk had a resident population of 32,422 at the ...
,
Dunfermline Athletic
Dunfermline Athletic Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dunfermline, Fife. Founded in 1885, the club currently compete in the after winning the 2022–23 Scottish League One title. Dunfermline play at ...
,
East Fife and
St Bernard's also enlisted.
Fans were encouraged to follow in their heroes' footsteps and fight alongside the men they cheered on every Saturday afternoon.
Rugby players, athletes and a variety of other sportsmen also joined the battalion.
The contemporary Hearts manager
John McCartney authored two booklets documenting Scottish footballers in the Great War and those from Hearts who perished.
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. Shortly after the publication of this book, a memorial
cairn
A cairn is a human-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the (plural ).
Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehistory, t ...
was constructed in the village of
Contalmaison on the
Somme __NOTOC__
Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places
*Somme (department), a department of France
* Somme, Queensland, Australia
* Canal de la Somme, a canal in France
*Somme (river), a river in France
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Somme'' (book), ...
. Designed by Alexander, the
McCrae's Battalion Great War Memorial cairn now attracts hundreds of visitors every year to the village.
In October 2014, the battalion was inducted to the
Scottish Football Hall of Fame
The Scottish Football Hall of Fame is located at the Scottish Football Museum. Nominations are made each year by fans and a committee selects the inductees. The first inductions to the Hall of Fame were in November 2004 in a ceremony at Hampden P ...
.
Gallery
File:War Memorial - geograph.org.uk - 358764.jpg, Hearts war memorial at
File:Hearts of Midlothian 1.jpg, detail of Contalmaison cairn (1)
File:Hearts of Midlothian 2.jpg, detail of Contalmaison cairn (2)
File:Tom Gracie.jpg, Tom Gracie, one of those who lost their lives
File:Raith Rovers players in McCrae's Battalion.jpg, Raith Rovers players in McCrae's Battalion
Battalion members
Footballers
Other sportsmen
Notes
See also
*
Football Battalion
*
Heart of Midlothian F.C. and World War I
References
External links
McCrae’s Battalion TrustRoyal Scots article on the induction into the Scottish Football Hall of FameHearts of courage – The legendary McCrae’s Own (Royal British Legion)Scottish Football Hall of Fame profile
{{Scottish Football Hall of Fame
1914 establishments in Scotland
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Raith Rovers F.C.
Falkirk F.C.
Dunfermline Athletic F.C.
Hibernian F.C.
Royal Scots
Military history of Scotland
History of Edinburgh
History of football in Scotland
Scottish Football Hall of Fame inductees
Military units and formations established in 1914
Military units and formations in Edinburgh