George McCrae

Colonel Sir George McCrae (28 August 1860 – 27 December 1928) was a Scottish textile merchant and Liberal Party politician. In Scotland he is best remembered for the creation of McCrae's Battalion, also known as the Second Edinburgh Pals Battalion and (officially) the 16th Battalion Royal Scots.

Early life Born in poor circumstances in Aberdeen, the illegitimate son of a housemaid, George McCrae was educated at the Lancasterian School, Edinburgh, having been raised by his maternal uncle. He never knew the identity of his father.

Career McCrae made his mark in the textile trade. He was described variously as a draper or a merchant hosier and mercer. He was knighted in 1908. In 1909, after a successful career as MP for Edinburgh East, he resigned from the House of Commons to take up a position in Scottish government service, accepting the appointment of Vice-President of the Scottish Local Government Board. From 1919 to 1922 he served as Chairman of the Scottish Board of Health. In November 1914, during the enthusiasm for Kitchener's Army, he raised the 16th Battalion the Royal Scots. Among the first recruits were 16 members of the Hearts playing squad and staff. At the time Hearts were top of the Scottish League. Despite this judgment of their chief, McCrae's Own, as the battalion was known, had managed to penetrate deeper into the enemy line than any other regiment during the 'big push' of July 1916. A memorial cairn, the McCrae's Battalion Great War Memorial was erected in the French village of Contalmaison, a commune in the Somme department where many of its soldiers fell in 1916.

McCrae ended the war with the rank of colonel and was awarded the DSO.

Politics Local politics McCrae became a member of Edinburgh Town Council in 1889. He was a City Treasurer and Chairman of the Finance Committee from 1891 to 1899 and also served as a Justice of the Peace in Edinburgh.

1900–1906 McCrae fought Edinburgh East again in 1900, holding the seat with a majority of 1,291 and he successfully defended the constituency again at the 1906 general election, this time increasing his majority to 4,174.

In 1909 he resigned from the House of Commons to take up a position in Scottish government service, accepting the appointment of Vice-President of the Scottish Local Government Board. A vacancy occurred in Edinburgh South but on 19 April 1917, the executive committee of South Edinburgh Liberals, who remained loyal to H. H. Asquith, selected Sir Edward Parrott, the chairman of their Association and of the Edinburgh United Liberal Committee, as their candidate.

Although McCrae remained a supporter of Lloyd George, he was unable to secure a seat for the 1918 General Election in which he could be an endorsed candidate of the Coalition Government. Later, he fought the 1922 general election as a Lloyd George National Liberal at Edinburgh Central. In a straight fight with Labour he trailed sitting MP, William Graham by 3,505 votes.

1923–1924 Following Liberal re-union between the supporters of Asquith and Lloyd George, for the 1923 general election McCrae switched his attention to the Stirling and Falkirk Burghs. Standing as a Liberal, McCrae defeated the sitting Labour MP, Hugh Murnin by the narrow margin of 156 votes (which was less than 1% of the total poll). In 1924 he was unable to hold to his gain and Murnin won back the seat with a majority of 1,924 votes.

Election box begin | title=General election 1924: Stirling and Falkirk The house was demolished to build flats in the 1990s.

McCrae died on 27 December 1928, aged 68 years. He is buried in Grange Cemetery in southern Edinburgh. The grave lies on the eastern path close to the main entrance.

Family In 1890 he married Eliza Cameron Russell (d. 1913).

His eldest son, Captain George McCrae, joined the Royal Scots but not in his father's battalion. He died at Gallipoli on 28 June 1915.

His daughter Fiona McCrae MBE (1905–1948) was a Senior Commander of the Auxiliary Territorial Service.

Another son Major William Russell McCrae won the Military Cross.