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5th Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders
5th (Sutherland and Caithness) Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders were a territorial unit based at Golspie with the Seaforth & Cameron Brigade, Highland Division. When war broke out in August 1914, they had just departed for annual camp and were at once recalled to home base, they mobilised for full time war service on the 5th of August 1914 and the Division concentrated at Bedford. They proceeded to France on the 2nd of May 1915. The Division concentrated in the area of Lillers, Busnes and Robecq and were rushed to the defence of Ypres, being in action until the 19th of May when they moved to Estaires on the River Lys. The brigade was renamed 152nd Brigade, 51st (Highland) Division. They were in action in the The Battle of Festubert and The Second Action of Givenchy before moving south to The Somme taking over the line near Hamel. In 1916 they were in action in the Battles of the Somme, including the attacks on High Wood and The Battle of the Ancre, capturing Beaumont Hamel, taking more than 2000 prisoners. In 1917 They took part in the Arras Offensive, The Battle of Pilkem Ridge, The Battle of Menin Road Ridge and the Cambrai Operations. They remained in the Cambrai area until the 21st of March 1918, when the enemy launched an overwhelming attack and the Division were engaged in a fighting withdrawal back to Bapaume. In April they moved north and fought in The Battles of the Lys before a quiet spell at Oppy near Arras, from May to July. They were then in action at The Battle of the Tardenois, The Battle of the Scarpe, The pursuit to the Selle and the Final Advance in Picardy. They were resting the Cambrai-Iwuy area at the Armistice and demobilisation began December.
Tartan
5th May 1915 On the Move 
6th May 1915 Orders
8th May 1915 Orders
9th May 1915 In Reserve
10th May 1915 In Reserve
11th May 1915 In Reserve
12th May 1915 In Reserve
13th May 1915 In Reserve
14th May 1915 On the March
15th May 1915 In Reserve
16th May 1915 In Reserve
17th May 1915 In Reserve
18th May 1915 Orders Received
19th May 1915 Reliefs
21st May 1915 Trench Work
22nd May 1915 Trench Work
23rd May 1915 Some Shelling
24th May 1915 Intermittent Shelling
25th May 1915 Occasional Shelling
26th May 1915 Intermittent Shelling
27th May 1915 Heavy Shelling
28th May 1915 Quiet Day
29th May 1915 Line Advanced
29th May 1915 Instructions
30th May 1915 Order Received
2nd Jun 1915 Trench Work
3rd Jun 1915 Trench Work
4th Jun 1915 Reorganisation
5th Jun 1915 Quiet
7th Jun 1915 Orders Received
8th Jun 1915 Orders
9th Jun 1915 Preparations
10th Jun 1915 Preparations
11th Jun 1915 Preparations
12th Jun 1915 Orders
13th Jun 1915 Artillery Active
14th Jun 1915 Artillery in Action
14th Jun 1915 Orders
15th Jun 1915 In Action
15th Jun 1915 Attack Made
16th Jun 1915 Attack Made
16th Jun 1915 Attack Made
16th Jun 1915 Communication
16th Jun 1915 Orders
17th Jun 1915 Reliefs
18th Jun 1915 Orders Received
19th Jun 1915 Artillery in Action
22nd Jun 1915 Relief Completed
23rd Jun 1915 Trench Work
24th Jun 1915 Orders
25th Jun 1915 Orders Received
26th Jun 1915 Reorganisation
27th Jun 1915 On the Move
28th Jun 1915 HQ Moves
29th Jun 1915 Orders Issued
30th Jun 1915 Mine Explodes
31st May 1916 Relief Completed
1st Jul 1916 Shelling
2nd Jul 1916 Mine
3rd Jul 1916 Shelling
10th Jul 1916 Camouflet
11th Jul 1916 Shelling
12th Jul 1916 Reliefs
13th Jul 1916 Trench Raid
14th Jul 1916 Relief Completed
15th Jul 1916 On the Move
16th Jul 1916 On the Move
19th Jul 1916 Orders
20th Jul 1916 On the Move
21st Jul 1916 Orders Received
22nd Jul 1916 Reliefs Completed
23rd Jul 1916 In Action
24th Jul 1916 Heavy Shelling
25th Jul 1916 Heavy Shelling
26th Jul 1916 Relief
27th Jul 1916 Attacks Made
28th Jul 1916 Shelling
29th Jul 1916 Heavy Shelling
30th Jul 1916 Attack Made
31st Jul 1916 Consolidation
31st Jul 1916 Report
1st Aug 1916 Instructions
15th Oct 1917 Preparations
19th Oct 1917 Line Taken Over
13th Nov 1917 In Action
14th Nov 1917 In Action
15th Nov 1917 In Action
16th Nov 1917 Report
21st Mar 1918 Enemy Attack
21st of March 1918 Intense Barrage
22nd Mar 1918 Under Pressure
22nd Mar 1918 Under Attack
23rd Mar 1918 Fighting Withdrawal
23rd Mar 1918 Heavy Fighting
24th Mar 1918 In Defence
24th Mar 1918 Fighting Withdrawal
25th Mar 1918 Pressed Back
26th Mar 1918 Fighting Withdrawal
31st Mar 1918 Fierce Fighting
9th Apr 1918 Enemy Attacks
11th Apr 1918 Heavy Fighting
12th Apr 1918 Heavy Fighting
13th Apr 1918 In Defence
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2Lt. George Murry 5th Battalion Seaforth Highlanders I recently purchased a sword presented to 2nd Lt. George Murry by the Golspie Company Boys Brigade in April 1913. There is no further history on the sword or the occasion for the presentation. I have no other information on Lt Murry, other than the sword is marked to the 5th Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders.
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Pte. Donald Mckenzie 5th Btn. Seaforth Highlanders (d.21st Mar 1918) Donald Mckenzie is remembered on the Arras Memorial. He was 36 years old.
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Pte. Frank Thompson 7th Btn. Black Watch My grandfather, Frank Thompson, served with the 7th Battalion, Black Watch and the 5th and 4th Battalions, Seaforth Highlanders in WW1.
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Pte. George Alexander Forbes 11th Ser.Btn. Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (d.22nd August 1917) George Alexander Forbes was born on 20th October, 1889 in Thurso, Caithness, Scotland. His parents were William Alexander Forbes and Margaret (Maggie) Polson. He had three brothers: William Alexander Walker, David Alexander and John Sinclair. He married Margaret Dallas on 21st August, 1916 in Glasgow. George served with the 5th Seaforth Highlanders but enlisted with the 11th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders on 10th December 1915. He served in France and Belgium, where he died during the Third Battle of Ypes on 22nd August 1917. His body was never recovered, probably due to the horrendous weather conditions that turned the battlefields into a quagmire. He is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial, stone no. 142.
His brother, John, also served with the Seaforth Highlanders in France, surviving the war.
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Pte. Alexander Lyon 5th Btn. D Company Seaforth Highlanders (d.6th Sep 1917) Alexander Lyon served with D Company, 5th Seaforth Highlanders.
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Pte. Ernest McLeod 1/5 Sutherland & Caithness Btn. Seaforth Highlanders (d.4th Nov 1918 ) Ernest McLeod was the adopted son of my grandparents and volunteered for army service when war broke out. He was said to be 21 years old at the time.
He served in Belgium and France and was said by the family to have been injured on four occasions, being repatriated to the UK on each occasion and returned to his unit after the first three but, unfortunately, died in Cromarty Military Hospital on the fourth occasion, it then being November 4th 1918.
He was to have been given a military funeral in Cromarty but my grandparents wanted him back home. They therefore travelled to Cromarty, claimed his body and had it trained back to Bolton. He is buried in the family grave at Christ Church Harwood, the funeral being attended by a Sergeant Major from his regiment who draped the coffin with a regimental flag. The coffin was lowered into the grave at 11:00 am and the sound of church bells could be heard from far and near as the armistice was declared.
I have to date been unable to trace any details of his birth or natural parentage or his war record which, I fear, may have been amongst those destroyed in the London Blitz. I will of course keep searching, he will be remembered.
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Pte. James Nutall Watson 5th Btn. Seaforth Highlanders (d.9th April 1917) My great grandfather James Nuttall Watson fought in World War I. I gather from dates that he died at Arras. but that's all I know. His father's name was James Nuttall Watson (Snr). His mother was Emma Yates. They came from Bolton Lancashire. .
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Sjt. Robert Laughton Harper MM. 5th Battalion Seaforth Highlanders Robert Harper was my uncle whom I never met, he having died in 1920 from the effects of gas during WW1. He won the Military Medal and I would like to know what he did to deserve this award.
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L/Cpl. John Mitchell 1/5th Battalion Seaforth Highlanders (d.27th Jul 1918) Any information or photos of my great grandfather would be much appreciated - not much chance I know 90 years on, but someone somewhere may have come across an old photo in a relatives album or posessions.
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CSM. William Millar MC. 5th Btn. A Coy. Seaforth Highlanders My Great Grandfather was C.S.M William Millar MC and this is one of the photos found amoungst his memorabilia.
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