THE PIPE BAND OF THE 52nd (LOWLAND) DIVISION
This band was formed in Gallipoli in October, 1915.
It was understood then that a dull and dreary winter campaign was in front of the troops. A committee of officers was formed to find some sort of entertainment to keep the men as cheery as possible. It was decided that both a Military and a Pipe Band should be raised. This job was left entirely in the hands of Colonel C. A. H. Maclean of Pennycross, a critical and enthusiastic lover of music, who, being a Highlander and an accomplished piper, naturally insisted on the Pipe Band being a good one.
Practically all that was left of the pipers in the different regiments of the Division were used to form the band, which consisted of twelve pipers and six drummers, all having taken part in the severe fighting prior to this duty. Good players and members of some of the finest bands in Scotland, under the leadership of Pipe-Major Wm. Fergusson, 1/7th Battn. Highland Light Infantry, a well-known piper and exponent of "Ceol Mhor," the band made steady progress, and soon was in grand fettle. The way both bands were appreciated testifies to the sound judgment of the committee and the able management of the Colonel.
The Division, being entirely composed of Scots, hailed with delight the skirl of the pipes, which had been heard but too seldom since the Division landed.
The band had exceptional luck while on Gallipoli, never having had a casualty after it was raised, although often playing under heavy shell fire. They played and warmed the hearts of all true Scots, and must have given the wily Turk quite a shock with "Hey Johnnie Cope," which could be heard quite distinctly on a quiet morning in the firing-line, right up till within a few days of the final evacuation of the peninsula.
After sojourning for a month on the Island of Mudros, they sailed with the rest of the Division for Egypt. From Abbassia (Cairo) they moved to the desert front, and have been with the Division in the trek across Sinai.
From El Arish the band accompanied the Division right into Palestine, and is believed to be the first pipe band to play in the "Holy Land."