By Alastair Bruce, Sky Events Commentator
The first Reservists in the British Army to actually engage with the enemy in World War One did so on Halloween in 1914.
They were the men of the London Scottish Regiment, who travelled the final distance to the front line in red London buses, similar to the ones that many of them had used to go to work in civilian occupations right up to the declaration of war a few months earlier.
The London Scottish was largely made up, as the name suggests, of Scots working in professions and businesses across the city.
Like so many regiments of the relatively new Territorial Force, these men had answered the call of "King and Country" to leave their place of work, train hard and prepare for war.
They were keen as mustard to deploy to France and stop the aggression of Imperial Germany.
On 31 October, just days over a century ago, they took their place in the line at Messines, near Ypres. Dressed in their iconic Hodden Grey kilts, they fought hard through the night to hold the British position.
Hodden Grey was the colour chosen by their first Colonel because it was neutral of any specific clan or family loyalty and also suitable for camouflage.
Almost immediately, their rifles started to fail.
The magazine springs were defective and proved to have insufficient strength to feed the rounds into the breech. In addition, the calibre of the rounds supplied was a bad fit. It was a cruel failure of logistics to face these fresh, brave and enthusiastic volunteers and its impact was colossal.
But, after fighting relentlessly through the night, they held the line. However, the cost in casualties was great. Nearly 400 of the battalion's strength had been lost. It was a terrific cost and an enormous shock to the families waiting for news in London and Scotland.
In commemoration of this heroic stand, the London Scottish meets every year for a dinner, at which all ranks take part.
The first act is to turn and face the First World War Memorial, while a young soldier, kilted in Hodden Grey, lays a wreath and the piper plays a lament.
This year, Halloween had even greater significance. It was the 100th anniversary of that night and the regimental colonel unveiled the restored painting of the Battle of Messines, which was painted by Richard Caton Woodville in 1927. At the centre of the action, a soldier is seen feeding a round into the breach of his defective rifle as a reminder forever of the added burden these warriors had to contend with.
In the room were gathered a number of London Scots with their own thoughts and memories of the ferocity of warfare. Many of these men, who are employed in different fields in London's centre and at Catford, have served in Afghanistan recently, and many are just back from fulfilling operational commitments with the UN in Cyprus.
Like their forebears at the Battle of Messines, they left civilian workmates to pick up their weapons and face danger.
It is what the London Scottish has always done and, this year, the regiment's Association will march a detachment past the Cenotaph for the first time. Many of the veterans spent Halloween at Messines itself. The London Scottish memorial stands proudly where the centre of the regiment's line stood a century ago.
I can't wait to go and see the memorial but I have a very special reason for making this pilgrimage.
At midnight on Halloween this year, I had the privilege of being appointed the Regimental Colonel of the London Scottish Regiment.
As soon as I finish commentating the National Act of Remembrance for Sky News, I shall don my Hodden Grey kilt and take the salute of this great regiment outside St Columba's Church in London's Pont Street. The Pipes and Drums will lead the Company home to Horseferry Road, much as they did in Belgium and France 100 years ago.
As the regimental motto goes, "Strike Sure".
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