The Lion
In The Trenches

Sir Iain Colquhoun was a leader shaped by instinct and duty. Assuming great responsibility at just twenty-three, he brought a fearlessness that would define both his life and his wartime service.

In the trenches, his reputation bordered on the legendary. The story of a pet lion accompanying him into danger captures something essential of his character — audacious, unconventional and utterly unafraid.

His courage was matched by compassion. On Christmas Day 1915, he permitted a brief unofficial pause in hostilities. In his diary he wrote:

“At night, the Germans put up fairy lights on their parapets and their trenches were outlined for miles on either side... and the prettiest sight I have ever seen.”

His military achievements earned him the Distinguished Service Order, and he rose to Lieutenant Colonel while