Heart of Midlothian F.C. and World War I

[2] However, Britain had declared war on Germany in August 1914 and an ongoing public debate took place as to whether it was appropriate for professional football to continue while young soldiers were dying on the front line.

[4] While this motion was defeated at the ballot box, with the SFA opting to wait for War Office advice, the noted East London philanthropist Frederick Charrington was orchestrating a public campaign to have professional football in Britain suspended, and achieving great popular support for his cause.

[6] On 16 August 1914, former Hearts director Harry Rawson, chairman of the Edinburgh Territorial Force Association, asked manager John McCartney if the club would use its influence to encourage recruiting.

[6] On 20 August, it was announced that the entire playing staff would take part in weekly drill sessions to prepare them for the possibility of military service.

The initial response was disappointing, but at full-time several men stepped forward, including Hearts' winger James Speedie.

[6] In response to increasing appeals for volunteers, Sir George McCrae, a popular figure in Edinburgh, announced in November 1914 that he would raise a battalion himself – the 16th Royal Scots – and he boasted it would be full within seven days.

[10] The Edinburgh Evening News expressed sympathy for Hearts and criticised their rivals; "Between them the two leading Glasgow clubs [Celtic and Rangers] have not sent a single prominent player to the Army.

"[3] As the war progressed, more Hearts players joined the services, including captain Bob Mercer who was conscripted in 1916 in spite of his cruciate injury and despite having been turned down in November 1914 when he attempted to enlist with his teammates.

Of the Hearts players that survived the war, several returned to play for the club again, including George Sinclair, Paddy Crossan and Bob Mercer.

Secretary of State for Scotland, Robert Munro, told the attending crowd of 65,000 that the country owed a debt of gratitude to Hearts that could never be repaid.

In 2018, the interactive play A War of Two Halves was presented at Tynecastle, dealing with the stories of the original 13 players who joined the 16th (Service) Battalion of the Royal Scots.