Liverpool Scottish Museum Archive

Contents DVD Two

Detailed Contents of DVD2

Menu Title: Proud Banners – Presentation of Colours 1938 in Colour [Total run time – 14:48 minutes]

This is taken from historic 16 mm colour footage of the Presentation of Colours to The Liverpool Scottish, Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders (TA) by HM King George VI on 19th May 1938 at Goodison Park. These are the Colours that passed into the care of V (The Liverpool Scottish) Company of the 51st Highland Volunteers and that were marched off parade in the presence of HM Queen Elizabeth II seventy years later at Fulwood. Since 17 October 2009, they have been laid up at the top of the main staircase in Liverpool Town Hall. The Liverpool Scottish had ceased to be the 10th (Scottish) Battalion, The King’s (Liverpool Regiment) in 1937 when it rebadged and transferred to the Corps of the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders, becoming one of the Cameron territorial battalions. It remained named as ‘The Liverpool Scottish’ rather than becoming a numbered QOCH battalion and this is the designation shown in the centre of the Colours. The Colours were paid for by the officers and men of the Liverpool Scottish. 

Rehearsals for this parade took part at Annual Camp and the battalion appears to have paraded the Colour party, four full guards (approximately three officers and ninety-six men each), the full Pipe Band as well as ground holders and other additional staff. The Colonel of the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders was present as well as the Duke of Atholl KT, Colonel of the Liverpool Scottish. Photographs show a substantial number of Liverpool Scots in uniform amongst the crowd. The stands and terraces of Goodison Park (still today the ground of Everton Football Club) were packed with spectators.

At the same parade, the King presented Colours to the 5th Battalion, The King’s Regiment (Liverpool) (TA). As a rifle battalion descended from the 1st Lancashire Rifle Volunteers of 1860, they had not previously had Colours: it was not only the 6th Battalion of The King’s (The Liverpool Rifles) that had a ‘rifle’ tradition. There are therefore two battalions on parade although in the film, through what is clearly rather partisan direction, the 5th KLR is rarely seen whilst the Liverpool Scottish is afforded pride of place. Names and some details have been taken from the programme for the Parade.2 Some of the identifications are made from knowledge of the recognised format for such a parade.

There is a black and white version of this film on DVD1, inadvertently attached to the 1950s footage of the opening to the Chavasse TA Centre.

• Introductory Titles (at 00.04)
• His Grace the Duke of Atholl, KT PC GCVO CB DSO TD, Honorary Colonel, The Liverpool Scottish (at 00:26)
• The CO, Lieutenant Colonel FW McGuiness and the Adjutant, Captain RDMC Miers QOCH (at 00:42). Note the Adjutant’s eyebrows and immediately behind the CO is Major JDW (Bill) Renison (in glasses), later to win the DSO in WW2 and command the battalion post-war. Also Major JR Paterson appears, later to command No 4 Independent Company in Norway in 1940. The CO appears to be wearing a half-basket broadsword appropriate for a field officer. The CO and the Adjutant would in the past have been mounted on horseback and thus wear breeches (and probably spurs – field officers and adjutants of infantry battalions wear spurs in mess kit even today). Horses did not feature on this parade.
• The Old Colours (at 01:03). These were the Colours presented to the 10th (Scottish) Battalion, The King’s (Liverpool Regiment) of the Territorial Force by HM King Edward VII in 1909. This followed the disbandment of the 8th (Scottish) Volunteer Battalion (founded 1900) on the formation of the Territorial Force in 1908. Battalions of the new TF became entitled to Colours unlike the Volunteer Battalions. The officers, according to the programme, are Second Lieutenants KLF Wilson and A Davidson (son of Colonel Sir Jonathan Davidson CMG, WW1 CO), with Sergeants T Kewison and E Meacock and CQMS A ‘Tansey’ Lee MM (centre). The old Colours were laid up in Liverpool Cathedral later in the month, being placed in the north transept.
• The New Colours (at 01:18). They are colours in the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders style. The Colour ensigns are Lieutenants FE Kite and AHM Stewart with Sergeants E Herniman and WH Leonard with CSM WH Rule (centre)
• The Dress Rehearsal (at 01:32). There is no footage of the rehearsal of the actual presentation itself
  • Band marches on followed by the battalion led by the CO (sword not drawn) and the adjutant with his sword at the carry. The new Colours are cased and carried by senior NCOs. A Cameron Highlanders Warrant Officer Class I (presumably RSM W Milne) marches alongside No 1 Guard and turns to observe the remainder of the column. The old Colours (cased and carried by officers with white colour belts) march behind No. 1 Guard.
  • Battalion drummers pile drums (at 02:32) and march off. Battalions shoulder and present arms.
  • P&Ds march and counter-march (at 03:33). New colours cross from left to right (cased) 
  • Battalion marches past (new Colours, cased, in front of No 1 Guard) and pays compliments to the right followed by P&Ds
• The Ceremony (at 04:56)
  • P&Ds perform in a circle. Both tiers of the stand appear to be packed with spectators. P&Ds counter-march in front of battalion drawn up in four guards in double column. Drums are piled onto marked circles. Bass drummer of the Liverpool Scottish looks behind him to see how the drummers of the 5th King’s progress before marching off. An officer, in breeches, of  the Liverpool Scottish (either the CO or the Adjutant)  marches into shot from right and, with sword drawn,  reports the battalion to the Parade Commander (a line regiment officer, possibly Lieutenant Colonel SM Wilson TD, CO 5th King’s)
  • Senior NCOs of both battalions march towards the piled drums with the new Colours, cased (at 05:50). Cased Colours are placed on drums.  
  • HM King George VI arrives at saluting dais (at 06:15). 
  • Service of Consecration of Colours led by the Bishop of Liverpool, the Right Rev AA David, begins (at 06:33). The Liverpool Scottish Colours were consecrated by the Bishop of Liverpool and the Reverend J Lee CBE KHC (Church of Scotland), Deputy Chaplain General to the Forces. The CO of the Liverpool Scottish (in breeches to the right of the piled drums) faces the Deputy Chaplain General to request that he consecrate the Colours: “Reverend Sir, on behalf of the Regiment we ask you to bid God’s blessing on these Colours”. He then turns half left to face the piled drums (at 06:36). The Adjutant is on the opposite side of the drums. In the period prior to this, the old Colours will have been cased and moved to the rear of the battalion but this is not shown on the film. 
  • The King moves to present Colours to the Liverpool Scottish (at 06:48). The officers handing over Colours to His Majesty are Major JR Paterson for the King’s Colour and Major JDW ‘Bill’ Renison for the Regimental Colour. The King salutes the Colours, the ‘presenting’ field officers march away.
  • The new Colours march from left to right to the centre of the battalion (at 07:17) and take post facing to battalion with what then becomes the Escort to the Colours. The Colours are let fly and the battalion presents arms. The old Colours can be seen to the centre rear (white Colour belts). The Colour party marches into its place in the centre of the line.
  • The battalion removes headdress and gives three cheers, presumably for HM the King (at 07:59). The King has addressed the battalions (not shown) at the microphone appearing in the next shot and then moves to the saluting dais.
  • The battalion marches past in line, Colours flying (at 08:17). All four guards are seen in turn, the old Colours are cased to the rear of No 4 Guard. 
    • The CO appears to be at the head of the battalion in breeches. The two kilted officers behind him are probably those who presented the Colours to the King (Majors Paterson and Renison) and the Adjutant appears to be at the right rear of No. 4 Guard in breeches.
    • Officers No 1 Guard: Captain LL Barclay and Second Lieutenants I Buchanan and JA Dingwall-Fordyce. The Regimental Sergeant Major is possibly the man to the right rear of No.1 Guard (with different style of sporran as a regular Cameron and left arm not swinging therefore possibly holding a sheathed broadsword)
    • Officers No 2 Guard: Captain AC Cairns, Second Lieutenants JSS Roddick and RS Redmond
    • Officers No. 3 Guard: Captain IM Carmichael, Second Lieutenants GA Nixon and HSK Wilson
    • Officers No. 4 Guard: Captain GF Williamson, Second Lieutenants W Stagg and HP Large. As mentioned above, the Adjutant appears to be in the rear of No. 4 Guard in breeches.
  • General introductions and farewells by King and Queen on the Saluting Dais (at 09:43). The Commanding Officer of the Liverpool Scottish is apparently being introduced to the King on the dais with his broadsword temporarily in his left hand; it is then transferred to the right hand as he leaves the dais to the right to join a line regiment officer also with drawn sword, perhaps the CO of 5th King’s. Both COs may have broken off from the parade immediately after they passed the dais. The Cameron Officer (black Glengarry) seen to the right is likely to be Major General NJG Cameron CB CMG, Colonel of the Queer’s Own Cameron Highlanders.
  • The 17th Earl of Derby can be seen (at 10:06), a fairly stout balding figure in plain clothes facing the camera to the left of the dais.
  • The King is seen talking to two junior Liverpool Scottish officers (at 10:11). These officers had been in front left of the dais during the march past and are possibly Lieutenant TG Pollok and Second Lieutenant DR Hunter, orderly officers to Major General NJG Cameron and the Duke of Atholl respectively. At the same moment Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth (later HM Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother) appears.
  • A display of ‘nearly a multiple Rolls Royce pile up’ (at 10:26). The Queen shakes a few hands and then performs the ‘Queen Mum Gracious Wave’. Their Majesties board their car. The royal cars drove slowly around the edge of Goodison Park playing area in front of the spectators before leaving but this is not shown.
• Pipe Banners were Presented on the Same Day (at 10:53). Pipe banners were presented by individual officers, the Duke of Atholl presenting two. All the ordinary banners are identical except for a very small escutcheon at the top of the hoist in the same dark blue as the banner itself, bearing the embroidered monogram of the donor. They are reproductions of the Regimental Colour.
  • The Pipe Major, Angus McLeod, carries the Pipe Major’s banner (at 10:59). He can be seen wearing the pipe major’s sporran with the three beads on the top of the silver cantle and three tassels. The banner carries the battle honours of the Liverpool Scottish
  • South Africa 1902, Bellewaarde, Somme 1916, Ypres 1917, Pilckem, Menin Road, Passchendaele, Cambrai 1917, Lys, Estaires, France and Flanders 1914-18
  • A piper displays an ordinary banner (at 11:10). He is wearing the Red Rose insignia of the 55th (West Lancashire) on his upper right arm.
• Laying Up of Old Colours at Liverpool Cathedral 22 May 1938 (at 11:20)
  • The battalion preceded by the P&Ds marches down Rodney Street towards the Cathedral with bayonets fixed (at 11:29). A large crowd of spectators moves along the pavements with the battalion. St Andrew’s Church can just be seen to the rear in the opening shot. The new Colours are being carried at the slope and the old Colours, uncased, are being carried behind the next guard also at the slope. Large contingents of the Liverpool Scottish Regimental Association and the Liverpool Scottish Cadets (all kilted) bring up the rear of a column that must be nearly quarter of a mile in length. 
  • The battalion again marches down Rodney Street (at 13:59). The salute is taken by His Grace the Duke of Atholl, Honorary Colonel, with the CO at his side. It is my opinion that this is on the return from the Cathedral to the Fraser Street Barracks as the lighting conditions have changed significantly with no clear shadows and the building outside which the Duke is standing appears to be No. 31 Rodney Street, on the east side of the street. The P&Ds appear, the new Colours go from the shoulder to the carry, except that the Regimental Colour Ensign has some difficulty that is immediately corrected on the march by the Warrant Officer in charge of the escort (probably CSM WH Rule). An ‘eyes right’ is given.
  • Long panning shot of the, as yet, unfinished Liverpool Cathedral looking west (at 14:10 to end)

Menu Title: Film Compilation - V (The Liverpool Scottish) Company, 51st Highland Volunteers -1970s including both Cyprus Camps [Total run time – 54:22 minutes]

This video compilation of nearly an hour was given to Major Mike Brimage TD, Chairman of the Regimental Association and a Museum Trustee. Unfortunately he is unable to remember who gave it to him. The source was clearly an active member of the Liverpool Scottish Territorials during the 1970s, attending both camps in Cyprus and the camp at Penally near Tenby as well as being closely associated with the rifle team. We have decided to reproduce it here as it is simply too good and too evocative of the comradeship and very special character of the Liverpool Scottish to leave it in a drawer. We apologise that we are unable to acknowledge ownership or copyright. We will be happy to do so (or to withdraw the video if required) if its originator makes himself known to us. Whoever it is, the cameraman has captured some very interesting moments, the Fancy Dress Parade of the Wombles in a Cypriot temperature of about 100?F, the evacuation from the Akamas Peninsula, field firing in the white cauldron of Goshi Ranges and simple socials in the Forbes Club at Score Lane. 

We have tried to ascribe locations and dates; some of this is guesswork (was it Altcar or was it Barry Budden?) and we will be happy to be corrected on both. Minor amendments to captions may be possible on later editions. Contact ilriley@liverpoolscottish.org.uk 

• Forbes House circa 1971 (at 00:16) Crowded Social in the Forbes Bar at Score Lane circa 1971. Many recognisable faces.
• Remembrance Sunday 1971 (at 01:37). OC V Company, Major Ian Paterson TD and CSM (WO2) Lenny Ralph, Colour Ensigns Lieutenants Barrie Barber and Ian Riley. OC No 2 Guard, Captain Graeme Davidson TD
• Cyprus 1972 Annual Camp (at 03:11). Exercises and field firing on Goshi Ranges, live firing of 120 mm anti-tank weapons, swimming and recreation
• Warcop Ranges GPMG (SF) (at 10:45). Live firing, crawling with SF kit
• 51st Highland Volunteers Weekend – Barry Budden (at 12:26).
• Penally Camp 1975 (at 13:37). Templeton Airfield bivouac camp. Parade
• Cyprus Camp 1974 (at 23:15) Bivouac camp at Evdhimou (near Akrotiri) with recreation and mule riding, Kyrenia, Fancy Dress Parade at Akrotiri
• Lord Mayor’s Parade – Liverpool circa 1974 (at 34:08)
• Liverpool Airport – Airportable Exercise to Scotland (at 35:04)
• Warcop Ranges: GPMG (SF) and 81mm Mortar Training (at 36:24)
• Remembrance Sunday circa 1974 (at 40:55) OC V Company, Major CG Davidson TD, OC No.1 Guard Captain DS Evans, Colour Ensigns, Lieutenant SH Henwood (?) and AN Other. 
• Titled ‘Lawers March – Early 1970s’: now attributed as Adventurous training in snow on Great Gable in the Lake District (at 42:03)
• Akamas Peninsula – Cyprus 1974 (at 45:09). Kyrenia, Akamas Peninsula, Evacuation in convoy from the Akamas, Fancy Dress Parade at Akrotiri
• Liverpool F.C. Champions Parade – Queen’s Drive Liverpool (at 52:06)
• Brigade Rifle Meeting, Barry Budden – Late 1970s (at 52:39)

Menu Title: Charge at Hooge - Frederick Jackson, survivor the Liverpool Scottish Charge at Hooge 16 June 1915 recalls events [Sound only] [Total run time – 14:51 minutes]

Copyright to the Liverpool Scottish Museum Trustees

Frederick Jackson soldiered through the early spring and summer of 1915 with the Liverpool Scottish, the 10th (Scottish) Battalion of the King’s (Liverpool Regiment) and was wounded in the charge at Hooge on 16 June 1915. He recalls the build up to the battle, the move down to the trenches, the wait for zero hour and the charge itself. He recalls the moment at which he was wounded, his move back to the rear as ‘walking wounded’ and the assistance he gave to the ‘Doc’ and his stretcher bearers. The ‘Doc’ was, of course, Captain Noel Chavasse who was to win the Military Cross in this action and subsequently gain two awards of the Victoria Cross. 

This soundtrack is otherwise unpublished and is copyright to the Liverpool Scottish Museum Trustees without whose express written permission it should not be reproduced.

Jackson was born circa 1897. The family was living at 2, Northcote House, Heath Street, Hampstead.  He joined the ranks of the Liverpool Scottish, having been approved medically and then attested on 12 October 1914, giving his age as 19 years 8 months. His original number was 3884. Initially posted to C Company, he served in the UK at Tunbridge Wells then transferring to C Company of the 2/10th KLR when the First Battalion went to France and Flanders on 1 November 1914. He continued serving in Tunbridge Wells and then in Blackpool. He went overseas with the first reinforcement draft to the Liverpool Scottish in Belgium, leaving Blackpool on 20 January 1915.  He embarked at Southampton on 23 January 1915. Serving in France and Flanders, first at an Infantry Base Depot, he was then posted to No. 6 Platoon of X Company of the 1/10 KLR at Locre (under the command of Captain RFD Dickinson and Lieutenant WS Turner). He served in the line at Kemmel, moved up to Hill 60, then to St Eloi.  He took part in the charge at Hooge on 16 June 1915 as a bomber, being wounded in the right arm and in the thigh whilst between first and second line of enemy trenches. On return to the battalion, he was posted to the Machine Gun Section on 15 October 1915 and was then attached to the 166th Machine Gun Company. This had been established to support 166 Infantry Brigade of the 55th (West Lancashire) Division of which the 1/10 KLR was part when the West Lancashire division reformed in France in January 1916. He returned to the United Kingdom for officer training and was commissioned as a Temporary Second Lieutenant (Regular) in the Machine Gun Corps on 26 September 1917 (London Gazette 3 October 1917 p10243 He relinquished his commission on completion of service, retaining the rank of Lieutenant. (London Gazette  /20 p2168).   His service is commemorated on Merchant Taylors’ Roll.  Post war, he lived in Wokingham, Berkshire and died on 23 March 1974. 

Major Ian Riley December 2012

Copyright of all material (except ‘Film Compilation’) vested in the Trustees of the Liverpool Scottish Museum Trust. All comments and corrections or suggestions regarding this commentary should be addressed to ilriley@liverpoolscottish,org.uk

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