The Battle of LoosWho was involvedWhy did it happen?Scottish battalions involvedArtillery bombardmentGas attackConfusion and indecisionSlaughterOutcome of the battle

Scottish involvement35,000 Scots

involvedHalf the 72 infantry

battalions involved had Scottish names

Out of 21,000 dead, 1/3 from Scotland

England’s loss was national while Scotland’s was personal

Why did it happen?Unnecessary and

unwanted?Divert the German forces

away from a planned French attack.

Worries that Kitchener’s recruits were untrained – wanted to wait till 1916

General Haig worried about flat land devoid of cover

French appealed directly for Kitchener for the attack to go ahead

Scottish battalions involved6 divisions3 from regular army

mostly made up from Scottish battalions

1 T A battalion]2 made up of

volunteers – 9th and 15th Scottish

Initial bombardmentChlorine gas released

from canistersUnsuccessful due to

the artillery bombardment?

Wind changed?10th Highland light

infantry were gassedKing’s Own Scottish

Borderers held up by gas and shellfire

Piper Daniel LaidlawEncouraged

KOSBies ‘ower the bags’

Played even when wounded and lying on the ground

Later awarded the Victoria Cross for bravery

Confusion and indecisionGermans pushed back

at many pointsCasualties enormousSir John French,

commander of BEF, in charge of reserve troops

Reluctant to send in new Kitchener troops who had just marched 40 miles in heavy rain

German reinforcements had arrived, barbed wire was replaced, and there was no gas cover

German machine guns cut down troops in their thousands

SlaughterBattle officially carried

on until 18th October 1915 but only really lasted 3 days

Scots suffered heavy losses and gained a reputation as feared and aggressive fighters

Sir John French replaced as a commander by Douglas Haig