‘Keep Right on to the End of the Road’ – it’s a famous song but do you know its origins?. It was penned by Harry Lauder in memory of his son, Captain John Currie Lauder, who was killed in action in December 1916, while serving with the 8th Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders?

A handsome miniature portrait of John has recently gone on display at The Regimental Museum of The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, which is in Stirling Castle but independently run. Behind this portrait lies a poignant tale of parents and a fiancée devastated with grief.

Harry Lauder, a music hall entertainer, was famous in his day as Charlie Chaplain and Laurel & Hardy. At one point he was the highest paid entertainer in the world but he used his fame to raise vast sums of money for army charities and was later knighted for his efforts. He said of John: “Every day some little incident comes up to remind me of my boy … A lump rises in my throat … People wrote to me, who like me had lost their sons.”

John had become engaged in the summer of 1916 to Mildred Thomson. After his death Mildred did not recover from the grief and never married. On her death she left the majority of her estate to the Erskine Hospital which had been set up in 1916 for the care of former members of the armed services. The hospital named a ward for disabled ex-servicemen The Lauder Thomson Ward in their memory.
By Carol Anderson, Museum Volunteer

● Do you have links to the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders or to Harry Lauder and his wartime recruitment drive? If so we’d love to hear – either add your comments to this blog or email hs.stirlingcastle@scotland.gsi.gov.uk