Battle of Loos Flashcards
Piper Daniel Laidlaw
Piper Daniel Laidlaw received the Victorian Cross for his bravery at Loos.
He claimed over the parapet without his gas mask and played music to help the Scots at the front line despite the dangerous conditions.
Scots were heavily involved in capturing the town of Loos
The 15th Division met heavy German gunfire after emerging from the British gas cloud but were able to capture the town by 8.00am.
BEF (British Expeditionary Force)
The initial BEF (British Expeditionary Force) of 1914 was made up of approx 247,000 soldiers, of whom approx 20,000 were Scots.
3 of the 6 Battalions of the BEF were fully Scottish.
Scots attacked the Hohenzollern Redoubt and Fosse 8
Both were points of high ground heavily defended by the Germans and Scots met fierce gunfire when attacking.
Scots took part in the first phases at the Battle of Loos
Half of the 72 infantry battalions that took part were Scottish.
Many Scots died due to the fighting at the Battle of Loos.
The 15th Scottish Division suffered 6,896 casualties in the battle.
Many Scots battalions took part in the Battle of Loos
the 1st, 2nd and 7th regular army divisions took part along with the 9th and 15th Scottish divisions.
Scots played a role in the recruitment process
by 1914, 25% of the male workforce in the West of Scotland had already signed up.
Scots were honoured for their bravery at Loos
Private Robert Dunshire earned the Victoria Cross when, under heavy German gunfire, he twice rescued wounded men from the 13th Royal Scots.
Scots defeated the Germans at Loos
The Scots won the battle with 7203 deaths.
