22
battle of arras
THE PEOPLE IN ARRAS
Lieutenant George Hutton
9
th
Battalion Royal Scots
George Hutton, a 38-year old butcher and spice
merchant, left a successful family business in
Glasgow’s Gallowgate when he was drafted.
The Battle of Arras was his first serious action
and on the very first day of battle he suffered a
grave injury, taking a bullet through his right
upper chest. Fortuitously, he survived and was
repatriated back to the UK where he made a good
recovery. The horrors of that day were never
spoken about according to his grandson, Alasdair
Hutton OBE (TD).
Following his recuperation, George ran the
Officers’ Mess of the Third Battalion at Glencorse
Barracks in Penicuik where fellow officers awarded
him the ‘Order of the Boiled Egg’, a fine example of
the satirical humour and comradeship that existed
among the troops.