Shetland Territorials at the start of World War One
by
Jon Sandison
Last October my Dad, my two brothers and
myself fulfilled a long held ambition by
visiting some of the World War One
battlefields of France and Belgium. Our
reason for doing so was to follow in the
footsteps of our Granddad, William Sandison
and his compatriots from the Shetland
Territorials who had fought, and in many
cases perished, in the slaughter of the
Western Front. Our Granddad returned home
from the Great War but like so many
veterans seldom spoke of his experiences.
Our dad, Bruce, gained occasional snippets
of information from his father but never really
pressed him. By the time Mark, William and
myself came along it was too late. All
Granddad’s experiences and stories had
passed away with him and we never had the
chance to either hear them or ask him about
them. Any pieces of information gleaned
from Dad – Granddad being wounded in the
leg - his friend Lawrence Cooper being shot
right next to him by a German sniper –
winning the Military Medal for "bravery in the
field" - would be seized on immediately,
poured over and dissected. But much was
left to our own imagination.
William Andrew Sandison
Our pilgrimage across the English Channel
was to visit battlefields and place names
which have resonated down through history.
But we were to learn more of his story, and
in that process put together some missing
pieces of the jigsaw.
Laurence Cooper
Somehow we were to feel closer to a
grandfather we never really knew. Three
sons, and their father, all seeking some
understanding of that war on the Western
Front and what it must have meant to young
Shetlanders – and in particular their
forefather - as they left a very different, yet
also very similar Shetland, to seek
adventure. In every war, there are many
personal stories. This is his.
Gordons outside Garrison.
Photograph courtesy of Shetland
Museum and Archive.
Within Granddad's story is that of the
Shetland Territorials. This was a collection of
young men who joined up locally. In turn,
there is also the story of the Gordon
Highlanders, the 51st Highland Division and
the Western Front. These young Shetlanders
were to be part of a larger domain. At some
point either at the outbreak of World War
One, or before, Granddad joined the
Territorials. So too did Lawrence at some
stage. We only have a few pictures, the word
of mouth and 'hearsay' to tell this tale. But,
with other evidence, we have put together
our own story. Within this canvas, there was
a personal tale of two young men. But
Lawrence's name and memory will be forever
enshrined with our Granddad's, not only
because they were both young Lerwick men,
but also because both of them, like so many
others, were pals who went to war together.
The twist of fate was to let only one come home. The other was to lie buried in the
thick clay soil of France.
Territorials shooting Staney Hill. Photographs courtesy of Shetland Museum and Archive.
Many say that only with a solid understanding of the past can we fully grasp and
appreciate our own present. It becomes more real when we ponder that without that
slice of fortune, and a particular direction of a bullet, there would be no present for
our own family. Like millions of all over Europe, these men volunteered to be part of
a war which so many young men desperately wanted to be involved in.
Both William and Laurence volunteered for Imperial Service when World War One
broke out. Therefore they were both willing to leave British shores. They didn't
volunteer to pay a visit and see hell. However, that visit was going to be inevitable.
They were just two of far too many to mention, whose story was kept quiet, but
whose tale was but a small footnote in the massive, forever re-told, story of The
Great War. But every footnote can have its own revelation.
Territorials at Ness of Sound. Photographs courtesy of Shetland Museum and Archive.
After the disbandment of the Shetland Volunteers around 1880, the Shetland
Territorial Force was a new set of volunteers formed around 1900. They were reformed when the War Office gave the go ahead for a Volunteer Battalion of Gordon
Highlanders to be raised in Shetland. Before the outbreak of World War One, the 7th
Volunteer Battalion, The Gordon Highlanders, was reorganised as two companies of
the 4th (Aberdeen) Battalion of the same regiment. Initially, no title was given to
these companies. However, as time went on, the War Office agreed that they be
called 'The Shetland Companies, The Gordon Highlanders'. As such, they would not
be connected to any other battalion and would remain an independent unit. At a later
stage, the War Office authorised the appointment of a Major Commandant to
command the two companies. With this, they had their own service uniform, with the
Gordon bonnet badge. Despite the connection to the Gordon Highlanders, these
men were a Shetland unit. Then, surely as now, anything Shetlandic takes on its own
unique identity and character. Within it were young men who were no doubt 'weel
kent' locally and to each other.
Before all of this happened, there had been some debate. The official view was that
the Territorials should be attached to the Seaforth Highlanders, and be within the
regimental district of Fort George near Inverness. But Shetland had usually been
more closely associated with the Aberdeen areas. So, it made sense that the
Shetland infantry unit be part of the Gordon Highlanders.
This local volunteer force, as much an excuse for young men to meet up socially as
it was a military outfit, had been in existence for some time.
Sandwick Cable Guard. Photographs courtesy of Shetland Museum and Archive.
Digging trenches at Hoofield. Photographs courtesy of Shetland Museum and Archive.
The foundation stone for a new Territorials drill hall was laid in July of 1903. The hall
was just outside the west gate of Fort Charlotte. This drill hall was used by the
Territorials until they left Shetland after the outbreak of World War Two. The hall
would then become the Garrison Theatre. But this was to be no pantomime. It was to
be a dress rehearsal for a performance of a much more serious nature.
Around 1908, the Territorial units for each area were linked to regular Scottish
Regiments. All over Scotland, young men joined Territorial units. These were 'parttime' soldiers who signed up for four years. The men who joined the Territorials could
identify with units linked to their workplace or where they lived.
This was how two young Lerwick men such as William Sandison and Laurence
Cooper would have joined up, and got to know about the Territorials. There was
fierce debate locally concerning which Regiment that was to be. To add fuel to the
fire, a recruiting party of Seaforths arrived in Shetland in 1912, trying to drum up
support for the regular soldiers. The Shetland Territorials were split into 'A' and 'B'
Companies, with one Company having members from Scalloway in it. However, the
TA mostly came from Lerwick. The target for each Company was to be split between
117 men and three officers.
In August 1914, World War One broke out. With an assassin’s bullet in the far away
city of Sarajevo, Europe stumbled to war, nation by nation. These events seemed as
if they could not be further away from Shetland. Then, as now, we were a community
mercifully untouched by the conflicts of our world. Yet, all of the Territorials had gone
to their posts within 48 hours of the order to mobilise being received. The Territorials
main task was to protect telegraph cables from seaborne attack.
However, as well as being a unit training for military action, the Territorials also made
up a social organisation where local men would meet and have comradeship with
each other. A demonstration of this was provided by the Shetland News report of
their dance, presumably held in their drill hall, in early 1915, just six months before
they would leave the Auld Rock.
The Territorial Dance was attended by over 80 couples. The hall was beautifully
decorated with bunting, which helped to set off the men’s dress uniforms. The
dance began with the Grand March, to the time of pipe music played by Cpl Clark,
who also later in the evening, played his pipes for the Highland Schottische. The
dance went with a rare swing from start to finish, and was greatly enjoyed by
everyone present. Cpl McBay made an excellent MC and first-class music was
supplied by the Quadrille Band. The catering most satisfactorily done by Messrs
Malcolmson & Co.
By the end of 1914 and early 1915, the professional British Expeditionary Force had
endured so many casualties on the Western Front that there was real concern as to
whether Britain would be able to keep fighting. At the same time, Kitchener's New
Army of volunteers was not ready to fight. Consequently, it was the Territorials who
were to keep Britain in the war and 'plug the gap'. The Shetland Territorials were to
play a crucial part in this process. This is another story waiting to be told. However,
Lord Kitchener, Secretary of State for War, did not trust the Territorial discipline or
readiness for combat. To his mind, many of the Territorials, especially the officers,
had joined for the social life. That said, given Shetland's isolation it is easy to
imagine how. for a young Shetland man at this time, the Territorials would have been
an outstanding social group to be a member of. To take part in military manoeuvres,
target practice, and no doubt have the occasional dram and game at the drill hall
would have been good fun. A strong bond and companionship for young men would
have developed. The winter of 1914-15 saw large numbers of the young people of
Shetland join up in all services. Those from the country tended to join the Shetland
Section of Royal Naval Reserve in large numbers, whilst those in the town mainly
joined the local Gordons. The intensity of that local service was made clear in the
Shetland News with the launch of the Shetland Roll of Service in that newspaper
The Territorials' Force is recruited and maintained by men almost entirely resident
in the town; the Force has little or no attraction or inducements for country lads,
who in peace times cannot attend drill except at great sacrifice and considerable
expense. The conditions of the RNR are altogether different. In normal times, so
long as a member, after his first year’s training, puts in 14 days drill per annum, he
is free for the rest of the year – a condition which admirably suits a very large
proportion of both country and town residents. Hence it comes about that the
number of RNR men is close on 800 and that of the Territorials slightly over 200.
When, moreover, it is borne in mind that over 50 of the Territorials have
volunteered for the front, Lerwick has good reason to be proud of her sons.
Territorials in a churchyard. Photographs courtesy of Shetland Museum and Archive.
Territorials marching after training. Photographs courtesy of Shetland Museum and Archive.
Much is exaggerated in history, but Lerwick and Shetland did indeed have good
reason to be 'proud of her sons'. Their story, however, was to be one which has
perhaps faded over the years. Yet, it is one which we should always look to
remember. It has to be retold.
The time was quickly coming for the Shetland Territorials to be involved in the Great
War. As news began to filter home about the stalemate and slaughter that had
developed on the Western Front, the pride would have been measured equally by
concern.
Like every other community in Scotland which had a Territorial Battalion, the folk at
home were to be constantly worried about their fate. Along with the rest, young
Shetlanders were in the thick of it. As part of the 51st Highland Division, the Shetland
Territorials were soon to be involved in some of the most significant engagements of
the First World War. These were to include High Wood and Beaumont Hamel during
the Somme Offensive of 1916, as well as Arras, Ypres and Cambrai in 1917.
Our trip was going to take us right onto some of the very fields where these
confrontations took place. To follow in the footsteps of these men was set to be a
journey filled with reverence. As pointed out by Scottish Journalist and author Neil
Munro: 'No division of the line in the British army that fought against Germany in the
Great War came through the years of campaign in France and Flanders with more
renown than the 51st'. Also, captured German documents stated that they 'placed
the 51st in formidableness on a list of hard-fighting British divisions'. Some of these
Shetland men were to be right at the forefront during the famous German Spring
offensive of 1918. All of these big engagements from the war, now had a local
connection with Territorials regularly appearing in The Shetland News and The
Shetland Times. If one of their photographs was in either paper however, it would be
unlikely for that 'weel kent' face to be coming home.