AN HISTORIC & IMPORTANT ROYAL FLYING CORPS. No.7 Squadron ( Shot Down and PRISONER of WAR. " Observer " ) Group of Eight. 1914-15 Trio THE ROYAL HIGHLANDERS (4th Bn BLACK WATCH), INDIAN G.S.M. (BURMA 1921-24) R.A.F. (31Sqd) With continuing and amazing service in WW2 as the Commanding Officer of 4th Bn Black Watch when he led his units famous Escape from St Valery in 1940.

To: 2/Lt, Lt, Captain, Major, Lt/Colonel, Brigadier. RODERICK CHARLES MACPHERSON.

A MAN WHO FOUGHT TWO TOTALLY INCREDIBLE WARS.

[BIOGRAPHY]
Roderick Charles MACPHERSON was born on 24th October 1897 in Calcutta, India. He was the son of Donald Waller Macpherson who, in 1911, was described as a "Jute fabric broker in Calcutta". Roderick's Grandfather was a Major-General in the Indian Army.

He was educated at Winchester College from 1911-14 following which he attended the Royal Military College in Camberley, Surrey. The he applied off a commission in the Royal Highlanders and was duly accepted as a 2/Lt on 16th June 1915.

Almost immediately he transferred to the RFC as an Observer with No.7 Squadron on the RE5.On 21st July 1915, he and his pilot, Captain G.D.Mills, were engaged in a reconnaissance-following which his pilot submitted this combat report:

"We were just over Cambrai after completing the reconnaissance, when I saw a machine approaching about 500 feet higher than ourselves. I thought at first it was a Martinsyde Scout until it was level with us when it turned in and fired about 30 rounds with a machine gun at us. Lieut Macpherson opened on it and fired about 40 rounds (from the Lewis Gun). The hostile machine followed for about 5 minutes and then apparently went off after another English machine to the South. No damage was sustained.

However.2/Lt Macpherson's flying career was fated to be all too short, as here described in a narrative penned by him during his POW de-brief in 1919.

"On the morning if 28th July 1915 I left St Omer with Lieut P.A. Broder at daybreak (04:00am) to carry out a reconnaissance of the route CAMBRAI--LE CATEAU--BUSIGNY--LANDRECIES--POINT de PARIS--LE QUESNOY--VALENCIENNES--DOUAI. I had also about 6 homing pigeons in Parachutes to be dropped near Poix (roughly North from Landrecies) . I believe this to have been the first experiment with Pigeons. On turning North from the route of our reconnaissance to drop the pigeons we sighted a German aeroplane making for us & attacked . I was armed only with a rifle and a Lewis gun, stripped, & with the stock fitted to facilitate using it from the shoulder, no mounting being provided on our type of machine (R.E.5) . It was only possible to fire over the tail of the machine. After a flight lasting some 25 minutes we were hit through the radiator.Lt Broder maintained the engine running until it seized up. Up to this point I had maintained my fire,but when it became patent that we were forced to descend I got rude of the pigeons ( we were at almost the exact spot ) and the Lewis Gun with drums etc. (Finished) our instructions being to endeavour to prevent the enemy from capturing one. On landing closely followed by the enemy & another enemy machine which had arrived in the meanwhile, we destroyed our machine. Almost at the same moment we were called upon to surrender. On examining the enemy machine we discovered some nine shots on it, three directly through the engine"

[AS A PRISONER OF WAR]
Initially, both he and his pilot were posted as 'missing' whilst his effects were sent to his father's address at "THE PINES, ABOYNE, ABERDEENSHIRE" at the end of August 1915. A German source from 1916 noted that Second Lt Macpherson was bring held in a POW camp at CREFELD, and gave his father's address as "43 Castle Street ,Edinburgh"

Roderick Macpherson was sent to Holland on 9th April 1918, and was repatriated from there on 28th January 1919. On 19th February 1919, he was adjective --as were all returning officers-- to provide a statement detailing the circumstances which led to his capture. The letter requesting this was sent to him at ' The Grove, Camberley" . Having returned the account of his capture quoted in full above,the Army Council concluded that "no blame attached to him in the matter" On 28th March 1919, Lt Roderick Macpherson relinquished his temporary RAF commission " on return to Army Duty"

[BACK INTO THE R.A.F]
With effect from 28th May 1923, the then Captain Macpherson was again seconded for service with the RAF in India as a British a Intelligence Officer---and went on to join No.31 Squadron in WAZIRISTAN who were then flying Bristol Fighters. This posting lasted up to 27th Aptil 1924 and earned him his India General Service Medal clasp WAZIRISTAN 1921-24.(CAPTAIN R.C.MACPHERSON) He was then "restored to the establishment " as a Captain, Black Watch, in 3rd September 1924. He married in 1925 and lived in Kerry, Montgomeryshire. He continued in the Regular Army up to 1st September 1933 when he was seconded for service as Adjutant of the 4th/5th a Black Watch, Territorial Army. Leaving this position on 1st November 1938 he was again restored to the Regular Army . Promoted Major on 2nd June 1938 and in command of the Black Watch Depot from 15 June. Then, on 26th October 1939 ---and with war having been declared--- he was promoted Lt Colonel and became The Commanding Officer of the 4/5th Black Watch.

[ONCE MORE INTO THE FIGHT, THE SECOND WORLD WAR]
After assuming command of this his original parent regiment, and as part of the 51st (Highland) Division he and his men left the UK to join the BEF in France. The 4th was in position at the French border with Saarland when the Germans launched their offensive against the Low Countries and France on 19th May 1940. During the 11th & 12th the Germans made small-scale attacks against the forward positions of the Highland Division in the Saar area. But this changed on 13th May when the Germans launched a major assault against the two Highland brigades and flanking French troops.The 4th Black Watch suffered 'serious casualties' and in the subsequent desperate fighting Sgt Sidney Newman earned his DCM for his gallant conduct and leadership.Sergeant William Clark also displayed great courage and gallantry and was killed by German machine gun fire. Despite Lt-Col Macpherson's recommendation, Clark was not decorated as at this time the DCM could not be awarded posthumously. Despite the gallant actions of the unit it became impossible to stem the tide of the German onslaught and the 51st division withdrew from the area. The division ended up in a complete retreat across the entire North of France and in early June the 4th found itself at Valines, to the west of Abbeville with the German advance lapping around it. Lt/Col Macpherson decided to dig in for a fight at Valines, but having done so he received urgent orders to withdraw to the River Bresle.

For a day and a half the 4th 'hung in by its toe-nails overlooking the Bresle.The situation was clearly not good and the German advance poured through the gaps like thin soup through a sieve.

The fighting continued for some days with the Germans finally gaining the upper hand over the 51st Division, the bulk of which ended up in St Valery. The 4th Black Watch however, and after sustaining heavy casualties in the fighting, and under the brilliant command of Lt Col R. MACPHERSON, and by a major miracle managed to extricate itself from France. The survivors of the 4th sailed from Cherbourg on 15th June 1940 in the SS DUKE OF ARGYLE arriving safely in Southampton the next day. For the rest of the 51st Division, things did not turn out well as the C in C 51st Highland Division, General Fortune finally had no alternative, ( as this famous picture shows ) other than to surrender the Division to the famous Field Marshall Irwin Rommel, later 'THE DESERT FOX' at St Valery. Over 8000 British and French troops thus became prisoners of war.

AN HISTORICALLY 'ULTRA IMPORTANT' GROUP TO ONE OF THE MOST COLOURFUL MILITARY FIGURES OF WORLD WAR TWO

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