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Commerce Battalion


Glasgow Business . 23 www.glasgowchamberofcommerce.com


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year aſter the terrible slaughter of the Somme, on 8 July 1917, a memorial service was held at Glasgow Cathedral for the officers,


NCOs and men of the 17th Highland Light Infantry. Tese were the former merchants, accountants, clerks, warehousemen and tradesman from Glasgow Chamber of Commerce who were slaughtered and maimed in the ‘Big Push’ of summer 1916. More than 1,200 were present, among them


wounded soldiers who had survived the carnage. Te batalion chaplain, the Rev A Herbert Gray, spoke of “the hundreds of young men of whom we are thinking dared to die in a great cause. Young, strong, and free, full of high hopes and great purpose, in love with life, and in a hundred ways fited for mastery in it, they yet consented to deal with death. Tey were recruited simply by conscience and the claims of humanity. Tey made one of the finest batalions that ever leſt these shores, for some of the very best of the rising generation were in their ranks. And though they were not soldiers by profession they proved themselves worthy of a regiment that has traditions of honour as old as the British Army”. Glasgow’s citizens paid a unique and terrible


price during the Great War, but the Chamber’s loss was felt particularly hardest at the Somme, in northern France. Glasgow proved itself second to none among the UK cities in answering the call. Te town council recruited two batalions, the 1st Glasgow, drawn from the Tramway employees; and the 2nd Glasgow, recruited from former members of the Boys’ Brigade. At a Chamber Directors’ meeting, on 3 September 1914, it was unanimously resolved to form a Glasgow Chamber of Commerce batalion.


On 14 December 1914, the War Office


issued an order that the Chamber of Commerce Batalion was to form a unit of the 17th Batalion Highland Light Infantry, of the 117th Infantry Brigade, of the 39th Division. Te batalion, stationed at Troon, went into training and crossed over into France in November 1915,


heading for active service. Te full strength was 1,032 in all ranks, and brigade headquarters was at Turancourt in northern France. In late 1915, the troops saw action for the


first time in the trenches, just north of Albert, along with the Gordon Highlanders and the Black Watch. In the weeks before the Somme, the batalion was involved in a major night raid on the German positions which brought ‘hearty congratulation’ from Sir Henry Rawlinson, the commanding officer of the 4th Army. Tis was the preparation for the major assault. On 1 July 1916, the batalion went ‘over the


top’ in a full assault as part of the major assault on the Somme. At 7.23 am, aſter the massive British bombardment of German positions, the batalion moved into no man’s land. Te advance on the hamlet of Tiepval started well and the Leipzig Trench was taken and the troops advanced toward the Hindenburg Trench. However, once the Germans returned from their deep underground trenches, machine-gunners opened fire and the batalion faced appalling casualties. A Victory Cross was gained by Sergeant


James Young Turnbull for most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty. Although his party was wiped out, Turnbull never wavered in his determination to hold the post. Later that day he was killed in a German counter-atack. At the roll call on 4 July, the casualties


totalled 22 officers and 447 other ranks. Te Somme batle continued and, in November, the batalion was involved in an atack at Beaumont Hamel, where more than 300 Glasgow men were killed and wounded. Trough 1917, the Glasgow warriors would continue their batle, moving forward into the muddy slaughter of Passchendaele in December. On 2 December, they went over the top again with seven officers and 41 other ranks killed, 130 wounded and 13 missing. In February 1918, the remnant of the batalion was disbanded. Only 50 of the originals remained aſter 26 months of war. While the old soldiers have faded away, the


price paid by the Glasgow Chamber men can never be forgoten.


The ‘Farewell’ Meeting (left), at the Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College, September 1914. Sergeants’ Mess (above), Codford, November 1915


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