Brevet-major John N. Macrae, D.S.O.

BREVET-MAJOR JOHN N. MACRAE, D.S.O., 1st Seaforth Highlanders, has had a brilliant career in the Army.

In 1893, at the age of 16, he enlisted in the county regiment—the Seaforths. He served with the 2nd Battalion as Sergeant during the South African War (1899 to 1902), receiving the King's and Queen's Medals, with seven clasps. He was present at the Battles of Magersfontein and Paardeberg, as well as numerous other engagements throughout the war, and was mentioned in Lord Roberts' despatches for gallantry at Paardeberg.

On 8th July, 1910, he was promoted Sergeant-Major (Warrant Officer), and on 25th February, 1914, was promoted to a commission as Lieutenant and Quartermaster to the 1st Battalion in India, joining that Battalion on 2nd May, 1914. In September he left India for active service in France, and was mentioned in despatches by Sir John French after the Battle of Neuve Chapelle in March, 1915, "for valuable, gallant, and distinguished services" in the field. He vacated his appointment as Quartermaster, and was appointed Captain and Adjutant of the Battalion on 18th August, 1915, and he was again mentioned in despatches for gallantry in action at the Battle of Loos, 25th Sept., 1915.

From France he went with his Battalion to Mesopotamia in December, 1915, and was honoured with the immediate award of the D.S.O. at the Battle of Sheik Sa'ad, where "when all the senior officers had become casualties he took command of the Battalion; thereby saving a critical situation." In this action he was captured by the Turks, but escaped by the use of his fists, and carried on with the action. He was dangerously wounded (chest and right lung) in the attack on the Sann-i-yat position on 6th April, 1916, and was invalided to England. For his gallantry in this action he was promoted Brevet-Major. On 13th December, 1916, he rejoined his Battalion in Mesopotamia, and took part in General Maude's advance on and capture of Baghdad, 10th March, 1917. He was again mentioned by General Sir S. Maude for conspicuous gallantry at the Battle of Istabulat, between Baghdad and Samarra, 13th April, 1917. His great gallantry at the Battle of Tekrit on 5th November, 1917, won for him a bar to his D.S.O.. The following is the official memorandum of the award: —"Though wounded in the early part of the battle, he commanded and carried on with a section of the attack, until again wounded very severely in the chest and left lung, in the capture of the second line of Turkish trenches."

From Mesopotamia he proceeded with his Battalion to Palestine in January, 1918, and in May of that year was appointed Temporary Lieut.-Colonel to command the 2 /4th Battalion of the Devon Regiment. In August, 1918, he was appointed Commandant of the 21st Corps Reinforcement Training School in Palestine, and in September, 1918, was posted to command the l/4th Battalion Wiltshire Regiment, taking part in General Sir E. Allenby's destruction of the Turkish Armies, September to October, 1918, and was again mentioned in despatches. He commanded the 1/4th Battalion Wiltshire. Regiment in Palestine, Egypt, and the Sudan until October, 1919, when the Battalion was demobilised, and he relinquished the Temporary Rank of Lieut. -Colonel and rejoined his own Battalion Seaforths at Fort-George as a Brevet-Major.

In addition to the Queen's and King's South Africa Medals, with 7 clasps, he is in possession of the D.S.O. with Bar, Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, King's Coronation Medal, 1914 Star with Bar, General Service Medal, and Victory Medal. Brevet-Major Macrae, who is a son of Mr Donald Macrae, Branahuie, Stornoway, is one of four brothers who have served in the Army, and his own two sons served in their father's regiment, one of them, the eldest, alas, being killed in France.