Largely composed of professional and amateur sportsmen, "McCrae's" was the first of the so-called 'footballers'
Pals battalions to be raised during the war and was the main inspiration behind the creation of the
17th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment in 1915. 16 players from
Heart of Midlothian F.C. ("Hearts") enlisted, along with 500 supporters and ticket-holders. In addition to the Hearts contingent, players and 150 followers of
Hibernian, seven
Raith Rovers players and a number of professional footballers from
Falkirk,
Dunfermline Athletic,
East Fife and
St Bernard's also enlisted. Fans were encouraged to follow in their heroes' footsteps and fight alongside the men they cheered on every Saturday afternoon. The contemporary Hearts manager
John McCartney authored two booklets documenting Scottish footballers in the Great War and those from Hearts who perished. The unit was named after its charismatic colonel,
Sir George McCrae, a former Liberal MP for Edinburgh East. It was the subject of a detailed historical account published in 2003 by Jack Alexander. Shortly after the publication of this book, a memorial
cairn was constructed in the village of
Contalmaison on the
Somme. Designed by Alexander, the
McCrae's Battalion Great War Memorial cairn now attracts hundreds of visitors every year to the village. In October 2014, the battalion was inducted to the
Scottish Football Hall of Fame. ==Gallery==