Voices from War

[Ghazala]

Here is an extract from William Murray, Argylls veteran from the book:

VOICES FROM WAR: Personal recollections of war in our century by Scottish men and women.

Ian MacDougall, The Mercat Press, ISBN 1873644 450

Lieutenant Lauder, Harry Lauders son, he was in the Argylls, too.

Oh he wis a ******. He wis very unpopular. Ah mean, he used tae wear a raincoat and ye didnae know if he was an officer or no. Ah think he did that deliberately. And ye maybe passed him and didnae salute and he would grab you. Ye would get a fortnights detention for no salutin an officer. Oh, he was very unpopular. He was shot in the back a right.

He had no confidence in his men at all. Ah mean, he jist treated them as outcasts. Ah dont know whether he was class conscious or not. Ah didnae see why he should have been, because his faither wis only a comedian.

We were going over the top and he was shot in the back. It wis somebody in his own unit. I never had any dealings wi him but the men all knew he had been shot in the back, oh aye, they all knew. Well, if anybody is shot in the back it was deliberate".

[paulgranger]

Crikey, that's a turn-up! I only know of the death of Lauder's son, from quotes from Harry Lauder himself of the effect it had on him. The possibility that he was shot by one of his own men never crossed my mind