Medal Society of Ireland

This beautiful memorial raised by public subscription and grants from the French Government, takes pride of place in the main square at Longueval, on the Somme.

Longueval was no stranger to the sight or sound of pipes during World War I. It was the scene of some really fierce fighting, 15th-29th July, 1916, when it was cleared of Germans. It experienced the Black Watch, the Seaforth Highlanders and the Cameron Highlanders fighting. The 9th (Scottish) Division were involved in heavy street fighting there, when trying to take it and Delville Wood from the Germans. The people of Longueval became accustomed to seeing and hearing the pipers play and it is a fitting place for the memorial

On 20th July, 2002, Assembly took place at Delville Wood. This included pipe bands and individual pipers from Scotland, the Somme Battlefield Pipe Band, based mainly in nearby Albert, and a joint pipe band from the London Scottish and the London Irish Rifles. There were many standard bearers from France and Scotland, together with one each from Germany, the London Scottish and the London Irish Rifles. There was, also, a group of soldiers dressed in the uniforms worn by the Scotish regiments at the time of the Battle of the Somme.

From Delville Wood, the parade marched to Longueval village church for a dedication service, after which it continued to the memorial site in the village square.

The unveiling ceremony was jointly performed by Lieutenant General Sir Peter Graham, late Colonel of the Gordon Highlanders, and Major General Corran Purdon (author of List The Bugle) President of the Royal Ulster Rifles Association and President of the London Irish Rifles Association. Buglers played the Last Post and the Reveille, the Kohima Address was read, wreaths were laid, a lone piper played The Lament, local officials made speeches and a famous pipe tune called "Longueval" was played. The Mayor of Longueval invited everyone present to a Vin d'Honneur in the village hall. The massed pipes and drums played a selection of tunes and pipers played, in groups, throughout the village for the remainder of the day.

The memorial takes the form of a piper, in fun battle dress and tin helmet, and is 4 metres tall, i.e., one and a half times life size, stepping out of the trenches over sandbags, playing the pipes, just as the pipers he commemorates did. There is a low semi-circular wall around the memorial which bears the insignia of the various regiments of the British army and of Commonwealth countl1es which lost pipers. Among these is the badge of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers.

It was a very memorable day.