Dr Scott Arthur

I thank the hon. Member for South West Devon (Rebecca Smith), both for securing this debate and for the way in which she introduced it. In Edinburgh South West, we have the Heart of Midlothian memorial clock, something that defines Haymarket. If Members do not know, Heart of Midlothian is perhaps Scotland’s finest football team—or even the UK’s. [Laughter.] Sorry, I should not have laughed there. Every year, former Hearts players gather at the memorial clock alongside club staff, fans from across the city and local Gorgie residents to remember the incredible sacrifice that Hearts players and fans made on the frontline. For those who are not familiar with the story, Hearts players led by example when Sir George McCrae, a popular Edinburgh figure and former MP—he was in this place between 1899 and 1909—announced that he would raise a battalion to fight in the war, the 16th (Service) Battalion of the Royal Scots. In November 1914, Hearts comfortably led the first division, having started the 1914-15 season with eight straight victories, including a thumping defeat of the reigning champions Celtic—even in a time-limited debate, I had to mention that. That streak coincided with the beginning of world war one and a debate about whether or not football should be taking place at all. Sixteen Hearts players signed up, along with players from Hibernian, Raith Rovers, Falkirk, Dunfermline Athletic, East Fife and St Bernard’s. McCrae’s was the first of the so-called footballers’ pals battalions to be raised during the war. Some 500 Hearts supporters and ticket holders enlisted, alongside 150 from Hibs, rugby players, cricketers, swimmers, hockey players, golfers and even a bodybuilder. Then came the Somme. None could have expected that McCrae’s battalion would suffer 229 dead or missing on the first day, with a further 347 wounded. That was a small part of the tens of thousands who were killed or wounded on that first day, but the toll on Hearts and the wider Edinburgh community was immense. Many bodies were never recovered, including the remains of Harry Wattie, a Hearts striker and arguably the best inside forward in Scotland at the time.