Celtic F.C. and World War I

[1] During this run of league championships, Celtic went 62 matches unbeaten from 20 November 1915 until 14 April 1917, a record in British football that stood for a century.

[2][3][4][5] However, football was not as important due to the War effort; attendances fell, player's salaries were reduced and there was increased pressure to complete the fixture list.

[10] The fallen were Patrick Slavin, Leigh Richmond Roose, Donnie McLeod, Archie McMillan, Bob Craig, John McLaughlin and Peter Johnstone.

He rose to the rank of Lance Corporal and was awarded the Military Medal before his death on 7 October 1916 between the hours of 1.45pm and 9.00pm in the Battle for Montauban.

He rose to the rank of Sergeant and was with the 2nd Battalion Royal Scots and died 13 November 1916, in the 2nd Battle for the village of Serre.

He was injured on 23 April 1917 when his battalion came under fire at the Battle of Calvary Farm at Monchy Le Preux which is north of Arras.

He died in May 1917, when his regiment were told to capture a chemical factory as part of the Battle of Arras.

McLeod is buried in Dozingham Military Cemetery, Westvleteren, Belgium, Plot 5, Row G, Grave 7.

Details of his time at Celtic remain uncertain, but he was contracted to the club for a short spell before the war, making a couple of appearances for the reserve team.

He left the club at some point in season 1913/14 and returned to his primary occupation as a miner in Carluke.

[17] Despite not being actively involved in the conflict, the people at home made valuable contributions to the war effort.

In 1918 Celtic won the Navy and Army War Fund Shield, a friendly tournament that Celtic and a few other teams agreed to take part as a fundraising event to give money to footballers and their families who fought in the war.