Pipes recovered from fallen Scots hero piper at Somme come to light

A set of bagpipes said to have been recovered from the fallen body of a hero piper at the Battle of the Somme have come to light more than 100 years later.

A set of bagpipes said to have been recovered from the Somme

The poignant memento is believed to have belonged to Private William Alexander Scott who went over the top on 1 July 1916 armed only with his pipes.

His job was to provide morale to his fellow soldiers of the 21st Battalion Tyneside Scottish, Northumberland Fusiliers.

The young piper made it all the way to the German front line before he was shot and killed still carrying his pipes on the first day of the battle.

Private William Alexander Scott

The instrument was later recovered from the battlefield and returned to Pte Scott’s family.

His family always believed the pipes were passed down to Pte Scott by his father Alexander Scott, who was also a piper in the same regiment at the turn of the century.

They remained in the Scott family until they were recently sold to a private collector of militaria.

They have now been consigned for sale with auctioneers Lockdales of Ipswich in Suffolk.

The pipes are in a worn condition and come in a contemporary leather case.

There is also some research documents including a newspaper cutting which states how Pte Scott died leading his fellow soldiers into action unarmed.

He was in one of four “Pals Battalions” from Newcastle which attacked at 7:30am in roughly the centre of the British line opposite the fortified village of La Boisselle.

It is reported that Pte Scott made it to the German trench where he was killed, still holding his pipes.

The Tyneside Scottish suffered the worst losses of any brigade on that day, losing between 2,288 and 2,438 men.

Another solider described Pte Scott as a “good pal and faithful friend” at the time.

Piper George Griffiths said: “He was well liked by officers and men of this battalion. He died a hero for he played the men into action and cheered hem up to victory”.

Pte Scott’s body was never found and his name was added to the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme.

Chris Elmy from Lockdales Auctioneers said: “The bagpipes were brought to one of our valuation day roadshows.

“The owner is a private collector who bought them from the Scott family, the bagpipes have never been up for auction before.

“The family had always believed they belonged to a relative who was killed at the Somme.

“It is believed the pipes were passed down from Alexander Scott, who was a piper with the Tyneside Scottish in the late 19th/early 20th century, to his son William Alexander Scott, who also piped for the 
Tyneside Scottish and who was sadly killed in action on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.

“The tartan is correct for the regiment and the fact that a set of damaged pipes was kept and treasured leads us strongly to believe they were recovered from the person of William Alexander Scott.

“Family tradition holds that they were his. It is very unusual to see such an evocative item as this go up for auction.

“The music of the pipes was used to raise the morale of the soldiers, and also to drown-out the sounds of the battle going on around them.”

The bagpipes will be sold in an online auction today with an estimate of £800.