The story of a Scottish regimental hero who inspired his colleagues by playing the pipes on the field of battle
The history of the Gordon Highlanders is littered with acts of battlefield bravery and for centuries they were renowned as among the most feared fighting units in the British Army. Ironically, however, the regiment’s most celebrated “son“, Piper George Findlater, the Hero of Dargai, won the Victoria Cross not for his fighting prowess, but for playing his bagpipes on the battlefield after having been shot by the enemy.
George Findlater was, like most Gordons, a native of rural Aberdeenshire, having been born near Turriff. In 1888, at the age of 16, he left home to join the regiment’s 2nd Battalion. By 1897 he had been promoted to Piper and was serving in the north-west frontier of India (now Pakistan), where the army was struggling to contain attacks by Afridi and Orakzai tribesmen.
For the British to advance, they had to take the Heights Of Dargai, a strategic position which tribesmen were using to launch fierce and murderous attacks. The Derbyshire and Dorsetshire regiments and the Gurkhas had suffered heavy casualties before the Gordon Highlanders were called upon to take the hill.
As the Gordons stormed the Heights, they were led by five pipers, including Findlater. He was hit twice in the left ankle, then an enemy bullet blew away part of his. The blood from his wounds stained his kilt red but he was propped up against a rock by colleagues and continued to pipe them into battle.
Findlater piped the tune Haughs O’ Cromdale as he sank into semi-consciousness and won the admiration of his men, who were so spurred on by his actions that they took the hill in 40 minutes.
Findlater spent weeks in hospital in Rawalpindi but when news of his exploits reached Britain, it caused a sensation. He was awarded the Victoria Cross, presented to him personally by Queen Victoria at Netley Hospital in Southampton. The carpenter’s son from Aberdeenshire was a national celebrity and hundreds queued to glimpse or shake the hand of the Hero of Dargai.
But the story of George Findlater does not end with his military heroics. Shortly after receiving his VC he accepted 25 guineas a night to appear on stage at the Alhambra Theatre in London and was such a hit that he became a regular performer. One newspaper noted that he was earning 15 times as much as the President of the Swiss Republic.
He engaged a manager and was soon a star of the music hall circuit, cashing in on his fame to augment his meagre military pension. The concerts, however, met with the disapproval of the War Office, who regarded Findlater’s behaviour as opportunist. A special debate was held in the House of Commons during which it was claimed that the concerts were “repugnant to military feeling”
Although he lost some public sympathy, Findlater focused attention on the plight of soldiers whose bravery had forced them out of service and the government increased pensions given to soldiers decorated for bravery.
After the First World War George Findlater farmed near Turriff until his death in 1942. The Gordon Highlanders were amalgamated with the Queen’s Own Highlanders in 1994 to form a new regiment, The Highlanders.
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There will, as always, be a contingent from the Caledonian Society at the annual memorial service for the 24 British RAF and American fighter pilot trainees who died while training at Mesa’s Falcon Field during World War 2 with the 
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