Harry Lauder the Scottish comedian and singer was in Australia on one of his tours when war broke out in 1914. He returned home, began to raise money for the war effort and organised concert tours to help with the nation's recruitment drive. He also took his piano to the Western Front to entertain the troops. Lauder set up a charity called the Harry Lauder Million Pound Fund to raise money for seriously wounded Scottish servicemen.
On 28th December 1916, Harry's only son John Lauder who was a Captain in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, was killed at Pozières. Harry wrote the song "Keep Right on till the end of the Road" in memory of his son. Captain Lauder was buried at Ovillers, France and his father had a memorial placed in his son's memory in Glenbranter, the Lauder family home in Scotland.
Photo: Captain Lauder from Google Images. For a poem written by Female Poets of the First World War Nadja (Green) Malacrida please see www.femalewarpoets.blogspot.co.uk
