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"Born in 1896 at Ellon, Aberdeenshire [see below for details], Harry Lunan was probably the last surviving Scottish piper from the First World War. In November 1993, living in Canada, he carried out, thanks to the Sunday Express, a trip in Great Britain. He met the Prime Minister, John Major, and Prince Charles, the Gordons' colonel-in-chief.

With his unit, the 5th Gordon Highlanders (51st Highland Division), he took part in the murderous assault on High Wood on July 30 1916. during which he played his comrades into attack with Cock o' the North.

A report of the fight states: Piper Lunan heroically piped his company into action in the face of a heavt barrage. He got no recognition but the thanks of his comrades.

'I played my company over the bloody top [Lunan recalled], right into the German trenches. It was stupid as hell...Men falling all around me, falling dead...it was bloody horrible.

He recalled other pipers: 'Charlie Thompson, I think he got killed (4). Piper Willets (1) died on the Somme. Piper Grahame (2) was killed. Andrew Brown (3) was killed at High Wood.'

Harry Lunan recalled, 'The French enjoyed the pipes, they couldn't get enough. They would sing French tunes and I would play them. The Germans were scared of the bloody pipes.' "

In an interview that appears on the cover of a CD dedicated to him, he provided a slightly more mellow view:

'I just played whatever came in to my head, but I was worried about tripping on the uneven ground, which interrupted my playing. The enemy fire was murderous, the men were falling all around me. I was lucky to survive. Hearing the pipes gave the troops courage.'

His brother Robert Lunan, serving with the 7th Gordon Highlanders, was killed at Arras on April 24 1917 aged about 24.

CWGC: Robert Lunan: Age 24 Son of James Lunan, of Moss Side, Annochie, Auchnagatt, Aberdeenshire. (BROWN'S COPSE CEMETERY, ROEUX)

Another brother, William, also in the 5th Battalion, survived the War.

Harry Lunan joined the Territorials in 1913. In 1921 he migrated to Alberta, Canada. He died in 1994.

For some time, details of Harry Lunan's birth eluded me. The articles mentioned above state clearly the year and the place in which he was born, but I was unable to locate a certificate or to find Harry in the 1901 census. By chance, while researching another soldier, James McNaughton, I discovered that Harry was born Henry Alexander Bruce Slessor Dickie on 7th June 1896 at Foveran (near Ellon), the son of Margaret Dickie. Margaret later married James Lunan after the death of his first wife in 1894. Harry adopted his step-father's surname.

Notes on the other Pipers mentioned in the article:

Pipers of the 5th Battalion Gordon Highlanders
from "The Pipes of War" by Sir Bruce Seton, Glasgow 1920
(The information shown in Blue is additional material and does not appear in the the book.)

Number	Rank	Name	Notes
302	Pipe Major	Clark, John	F Coy on 1914 Roll (240025)
1596	Cpl-Piper	Harvey, John H	B Coy on 1914 Roll (240186)
760	Piper	Stewart, A
1985	Piper	Thomson, G (Charles)
1586	Piper	Willox, Andrew	Killed at High Wood 31/7/1916
1156	Piper	Graham, William	Killed at Festubert 3/6/1915
	Piper	Allan, W
	Piper	Birnie, J
1602	Piper	Lunan, Harry
	Piper	McDonald, James
1953	Piper	Middleton, George	Wounded, Bullecourt (April 1917)
	Piper	Robinson, A
	Piper	Scott, J.A
	Piper	Stewart, J
2985	Piper	Wyness, Robert
297	Piper	Brown, Andrew M.M.	Killed High Wood 31/7/1916
3402	Piper	Lindsay, George	Wounded, Sept 1917, Ypres

Note from "The Pipes of War": 5th Battalion - The pipers were principally employed in the ranks and as observers, but in the attack on High Wood on the Somme, front company pipers played at the head of their units. On this occasion Piper Willox was killed as he led his company, and several others became casualties. It was therefore decided not to employ pipers in action again. (page 127)