McCraes Battalion

October Prize Draw: 1st prize #2 Grace, 2nd prize #32 Roger
November Prize Draw: 1st #17 Neil, 2nd #8 Keith.

Our guest speaker was Alisdair McCallum who told the story of George Macrae, a Hearts supporter who formed Macrae’s Battalion during the First World War.

George Macrae was born Aberdeen but his family of six moved to live in the Pleasance in Edinburgh. He got a job an apprentice haberdasher in the city for Robert Nicol. This is a name is well know in Dunfermline because of the long surviving business still trading under that name. 

George at the age of 16 years was made deputy manager in the Dunfermline shop.  In 1890 when 19 he married a Dunfermline woman, Lizzie Cameron Russell. He would go on to set up his own business in Edinburgh.

Alasdair told of George’s great success as a businessman and in politics as a Liberal MP and as the Edinburgh Council Treasurer who would lay the foundation stone for the North Bridge. He was knighted in 1908.

George had been interested in the Territorial Army and in 1907 had reorganised the organisation. He was a keen Hearts supporter and in response to ‘white feathering’ because football was continuing while lives were being lost in the war, he convened a meeting in the Usher Hall. There he invited those present to join him and Hearts players in forming a battalion.

300 joined the battalion that night, 1350 volunteers within ten days and served as a morale boost for conscription. They trained in England and didn’t arrive in France until 1916. One of the first killed was Robert Russell nephew of George Macrae’s late wife.

On 1st July 1916 at the Battle of the Somme McCrae’s Battalion lost 12 officers and 573 men – more than three-quarters of its attacking strength. Macrae’s campaign advanced as far as Contalmaision.

Just prior to Christmas 1916  Macrae was invalided back to Britain.  The battalion was also involved in the Battle of Passchendaele before it was disbanded in summer of 1917. Only 30 of the original battalion fought through the war and survived.

After the war Macrae pushed for quarter of a million houses to be built. Half that amount was built. He wanted to raise money for a cairn in Contalmaision but that did not happen before he died in 1928. 100,000 attended his funeral.

Alasdair also related the role of John McCartney the Hearts manager whose side was decimated by the enrolment of his players in Macrae’s Battalion. It should be said that several other clubs including Hibernian, Raith Rovers, Dunfermline and Kilmarnock supplied volunteers.

McCartney was a successful manager at Barnsley, then St Mirren where he won the cup and Hearts where in 1913 finished third in league.  Hearts were top of the league at the end of 1914 having P21 W19 D1 L1.  McCartney acted as a liaison during the war.

Memorial to the Macrae’s Battalion stands outside Haymarket Station. Hearts supporters raised money to instal the planned cairn at Contalmaision.

The club’s formal vote of thanks was proposed by past president Donald thanking Alasdair for bringing the story alive and local with the connections to Dunfermline. Alasdair’s talk was incredibly interesting and fascinated the audience.