Battle of Loos Carved Pipe
This carved pipe was donated in 1972 by the son of Lance-Corporal Charles Forman (later made Sergeant in 1918), ‘C’ company of the 8th Battalion Black Watch during the First World War.
Born in England on the 2nd July 1890, Forman was the 9th child of 13. Prior to his death in 1972, he penned his 24 page auto-biography ‘'My Life'’ (1965) that detailed his experience of the First World War. He had signed up on the 5th of November 1914 due to being 'out of work’, and was told that he should join the Black Watch by his elder brother, who determined, ‘you’ll see some fighting with that lot’.
Our history of the pipe begins on the morning of the 25th of September 1915 at the Battle of Loos. Forman was involved in an attack on the trench ‘Little Willie’, part of the German’s formidable Hohenzollern redoubt defending Loos.
After heavy losses the trench was finally taken, and Forman came across the pipe lying on the fire-step where it had been left by its previous owner. One of Forman’s comrades carved the Black Watch Badge, Forman’s initials, ‘RH Loos’ on the underside, and ‘France’ and ‘Belgium on either side of the pipe. Forman’s son explained upon donating the pipe that his father, ‘had it as a proud momento until his recent death’.
