World War I Victoria Cross Recipient. A native of Scotland, he received the award from British King George V at Buckingham Palace on December 4m 1915 for his actions as a piper in the 7th Battalion, The King's Own Scottish Borders, 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division of the British Army on September 25, 1915 at the Battle of Loos, France during World War I. Born in Little Swinton, Scottish Borders, Scotland, he joined the British Army in April 1896 and served with the Durham Light Infantry in Bombay, British India and later with The King's Own Scottish Borders. In 1912 he joined the Reserves and when World War I broke out in July 1914, he rejoined his unit the following year and was sent to the Western Front in France. In October 1917 he was promoted to the rank of sergeant-piper In April 1919 he was discharged from military service and tried his hand at raising chickens. His Victoria Cross citation reads: "On 25 September 1915 during the Battle of Loos at Hill 70, prior to an assault on enemy trenches and during the worst of the bombardment, Piper Laidlaw, seeing that his company was shaken with the effects of gas, with complete disregard for danger, mounted the parapet and, marching up and down, played his company out of the trench. The effect of his splendid example was immediate and the company dashed to the assault. Piper Laidlaw continued playing his pipes even after he was wounded and until the position was won." In addition to the Victoria Cross, he also received the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal, the Victory Medal (with "Mentioned in Despatches" oak leaf), and the French Croix de Guerre (with palm), among others. He died in Norham, Northumberland, England at the age of 74. His Victoria Cross and other medals are on display at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was one of only two pipers to be awarded the Victoria Cross during World War I.