“During the worst of the bombardment, Piper Laidlaw, seeing that his company was badly shaken from the effects of gas, with absolute coolness and disregard of danger, mounted the parapet, marched up and down and played company out of the trench.”
– London Gazette, November 18, 1915
Scottish Piper plays on top of trenches WW1
Pipes of War
With fog hanging over the valley, bone chilling shriek’s of the bagpipes begin to echo with the screaming thunder of war cries to soon follow.
April 30th 1689, The battle of the Haughs of Cromdale in Scotland begins as wailing bagpipes encourage the men into battle…
At the height of the battle a Jacobite Piper named Hamish plays his bagpipe, walking through the carnage of war. With only the bagpipe to protect him he is horribly wounded…
With his legs not working due to his injuries, he crawls up the hill overlooking carnage. Hamish bleeding profusely, lays on top of a large rock on the top of the hill. Pulling the little life left in him, he played his bagpipe while overlooking the bloody battlefield below him…
Taking his last breath Hamish died on the rock overlooking The battle of the Haughs in Cromdale while playing his bagpipe…
The rock was later named “The Piper’s Stone” in Cromdale, Scotland in honor of Hamish…
The Piper’s Stone – Cromdale, Scotland
During World War 1 it is estimated that over 1000 pipers died in the line of duty… Piper Daniel Laidlaw exemplifies their bravery…
Spetember 25, 1915,
In the morning hours as sun breaks the horizon, the German military releases clouds of toxic chlorine gas that drift through the British lines in a death fog…
With unprepared soldiers succumbing to the toxic gas all around, the Germans begin a wave of heavy shelling, braking the lines in the trenches and moral of the troops covering for life…
Piper Daniel Laidlaw looks over at his commanding officer with a determined look…
“Pipe them together, Laidlaw, for God’s sake, pipe them together,” cried the commanding officer.
Scottish Piper walks on top of trenches during battle in WW1
With the fog of poison thickly hanging in the air, Piper Daniel Laidlaw grabs his bagpipe and climbs the trench wall. With a defiant blow he begins to play “All the Blue Bonnets Over the Border” walking calmly back and forth on top of the trenches…
“Come on, Borderers, who’ll be the first to reach the German trenches?”
-Commanding officers cry after Laidlaw started playing his bagpipes
Inspired by Laidlaw’s pure insanity, The troops pour from the trenches charging the German lines…
Piper Laidlaw continued playing while charging the German lines with his fellow troops. Hit and badly injured, he continued to play the troops on…
Sword Beach. Lord Lovat, on the right of the column, wades through the water. The figure in the foreground is Piper Bill Millin.
By WW2, bagpipes had been very limited to use in war and limited to behind safe lines. But Simon Fraser, 15th Lord Lovat didn’t give a shit…
“Ah, but that’s the English War Office. You and I are both Scottish, and that doesn’t apply.”
-Simon Fraser talking to his piper Bill Millin
Storming the beaches of Normandy on D-Day there was only one man wearing a kilt, Piper Bill Millin. Armed with only a knife strapped to his leg and his bagpipes Piper Millin faced the German front lines arming the beach…
Landing on Sword Beach in Normandy, Piper Millin waded to the beach with bullets close enough to feel air waves. Wading past fallen friends, he makes it to the blood soaked beach…
With the earth exploding around him pipe in hand, he stands and starts to play his bagpipes…
Walking slowly back and forth at waters edge Piper Millin played his pipes as though his last time.
Completing his first song, he hears a familiar sound…
It was Lord Lovat screaming a song request…
Piper Bill Millin continued to play walking the beach until the German lines had broke…
Millin later talked to the German troops captured that day on Sword Beach and asked the snipers why they had not shot him, their answer…
“because they thought he had gone mad.”
Scottish pipes and drums – Blue Bonnets Over the Border
Piper James Findlater wounded and playing the charge of the Gordons taking Dargai Ridge, Pakistan. 1897